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Noisy. Frantic. Hectic.
Izuku can describe many things about the clamorous underground train station here. Frenzied passengers rush and leave the train, a sea of people that move quickly like ants escaping their disturbed nest. The screeching metals from the trains and the railways, with the blaring of horns and a gush of wind blowing away every strand of hair, all of that sound is cacophonous especially for Izuku's ear.
Another horn blasts from the distance. The speaker announcing Izuku's train rang through, causing a flurry of movement as the crowd shuffle into position behind the waiting line. His legs move to stand with the others, occasionally moving his sore shoulder.
A flurry of people pours out as soon as the train door opens. A bunch of people, from kids, teenagers, and adults alike flow out and Izuku finally boards the train, eager to return home.
He rests his head against the train's surface, finally closing his tired eyes. The rhythmic clatter of wheels on tracks drowns out every noise and the train finally moves ahead.
"This afternoon, pro hero Chargebolt and Cellophane have successfully apprehended a thief with a fog-like quirk that went out of control."
"Hey, have you seen Jet-Black Hero Tsukuyomi's new advertisement?"
"I met pro-hero Creati two days ago and they really didn't lie about her beauty!"
"There's a dating scandal between Suneater and—"
Izuku's eyes flutter open, looking ahead at the advertisement poster featuring Red Riot plastered on the train's interior. His green irises wander, noticing a junior high school girl busily scrolling through Twitter, hunting new photos of Dynamight—Kacchan who had just finished capturing a criminal.
A soft, barely there smile appears on his face. There was a time when he believed that he would be out there, chasing and capturing criminals alike with other pro-heroes, not stuck inside a cramped train surrounded by tired civilians. He's almost there, his dream is already within his grasp, but, well, reality happens. His quirk is gone.
It's fine though. He's still a hero in his own way. Teaching at the best and most prestigious hero school in Japan is certainly something that should be bragged about. Many skilled pro-heroes have chosen to teach at UA. Even All Might is a UA teacher!
Izuku sighs.
But, man, Izuku doesn’t expect being a teacher to be this tiring. The endless classes, the unruly unique students with different kinds of personality, the grading that is now his daily occurrence to do at his home. Now, he understands why Aizawa always appeared in class with a sleeping bag.
"I need to grade the homework, prepare the quizzes, make another quirk exercise..." Izuku mutters.
"Look! Uravity and Froppy are currently helping to evacuate fire victims!"
Izuku is barely able to chime in his class group chat or even keep up with the latest hero news as he once did. He's too busy stressing over his students' homework answers. Maybe it's because he's a new teacher so all of these are taking a huge toll on him.
Maybe. Izuku is probably just coping.
The green-haired man rubs his weary face. Eager to take a warm bath and maybe rest his body before once again being ensnared by the grueling cycle that is grading activity that awaits him.
But then a hard crash shakes the train, sending the people inside reeling—some struggling to maintain their balance. A grating dissonant roar, akin to a monstrous growl fills the air, deafening to ears. In a flash, a portion of the train is violently ripped away, as a fierce gust of wind rushes in, mingling with the terrified cries of the civilians.
"A villain?!"
"There's a villain! We need to hide!"
Izuku looks to the source of sound with curiosity. A villain? It doesn't seem so. Ever since the war had ended, the number of villains roaming the streets had lessened. It's probably just someone struggling to control their quirk or a petty criminal trying to escape from a hero.
He weaves through the crowd, making his way to the alleged villain. With no hero in sight, then Izuku should try to stop the guy and protect the civilians. He can deal with the repercussions of not having a hero license later. Everyone's safety is more important.
Izuku may not have a quirk anymore, but he's still strong and his analyzing skills have increased rapidly since his days in high school. A tiny scratch won't hurt him. He literally survived after losing his arms before.
So he leaps.
"Great job, Shoto-san. We'll take it from here."
Shoto nods to the policeman and makes his way back to his agency to rest before he resumes patrolling. He's massaging his shoulder, feeling the sore muscles screaming in agony. He smiles at the passersby who greet him, his eyes occasionally looking out for potential danger or disturbance.
After their graduation, Shoto wasted no time in taking on any cases or calls he got. He would return home at dawn only to head back to work shortly after and even work at weekends. There's no rest time for him. Everyone around him was bewildered and often worried about the crazy workload he had.
Public and hero critics claim he's too eager and overly ambitious to enter the hero billboard as a rookie, but Shoto couldn't care less about that ranking. He wants to help people and prove to everyone that he's different from his father. That he genuinely wants to help.
Other reason? Well, it tied to a certain green-haired boy—or man. He needs the money for the funding to make Izuku's tech suit. They are still far from the goal, as the suit is astronomically expensive that even All Might's entire savings can't fully cover it. Also, Shoto refuses to use his dad's money. He will not use that.
Speaking of Izuku, Shoto hardly ever sees or even talks with him in the chat. The new teacher rarely replies and tends to ignore their group chat.
Shoto opens the door to the Endeavor Agency when one of the sidekicks calls out to him. "Shoto! There's a villain attack on the train in Musutafu! It’s located at least 500 meters to the west from here!”
He frowns before he runs back outside. "Sent me the location!" He yells, quickly unleashing his ice to glide through the road and bursting flames from his left to alleviate his speed. Using his ice, he propels himself upward, soaring through the air with the help of his fire. He squints, spotting a stopped train with smoke curling up from it. He jumps on top of the building, amps up his firepower, and quickly reaches the train in no time.
Shoto assesses the situation, looking around for injured passengers. "Are you okay? Is there anyone injured?" He asks quickly.
Everyone shakes their head, expression in awe even if they're in the face of a potentially life-threatening situation. Shoto nods and goes to the suspected villain. "Everyone please stay here. I'll catch the culprit."
"Wait, Shoto-san! There's already—"
Shoto ignores the cries and climbs up to the top of the train, poised in a fighting stance, expecting a big villain—or criminal who has managed to destroy part of the train. But what greets him is
"Midoriya?" Shoto asks incredulously.
The said man is now looking at him with his large, beady green eyes. His hands gripping a rope tied to the said villain's body. Izuku gasps, a smile seeping through on his face. "Todoroki-kun!"
Shoto blinks and approaches Izuku with a dumbfounded face. "I... what are you... what are you doing here? How…?" He asks and his eyes shift to the caught villain.
"Oh! This?" Izuku laughs awkwardly. "Um, I was riding this train back home when suddenly a loud crash came and shook the whole train. People started saying it's a villain so I ought to check it out because I can't let all these people get hurt! Even if I don't have a hero license... which is bad! I know it's bad but I can't help it! So I jumped up and caught this guy. Well, turns out he's not a villain, just a criminal who escaped after stealing someone's purse. Thankfully I have a rope—don't ask why, it's part of training classes at UA. Uh, anyway, I caught him!" Izuku finishes his muttering with a bright smile.
Shoto can only stare at Izuku before he lets out a tiny snort. His lips curl to a tiny smile as he shakes his head. "Thank you, Midoriya, for catching him."
"Your welcome Todoroki!" Izuku salutes and lets Shoto finish the job.
"This is Shoto, the criminal that jumped onto the train has already been captured. Please send police assistance to my position right away." Shoto speaks to his intercom. In the corner of his eyes, he can see Izuku's amazed face and Shoto has to preserve his smile.
"Well, I only need to wait for them to come take this big guy." Shoto nudges the criminal and then looks at Izuku. "Since this has been done, then… hi Midoriya. It's been a long time since I saw you."
Izuku blinks before he laughs heartily. "Hi, Todoroki-kun. It is a long time."
"You never showed up at the chatroom, or even replied to private chats. I've lost count of how many times Bakugo yells because you never replied to him."
The shorter man—it's cute how unlike the other guys, Izuku never has his growth spurt—wincing as he rubs his head. "Well, I'm too busy to even check my phone haha."
Shoto lifts his eyebrow. "Does being a teacher really make you that busy?"
"You have no idea!" Izuku whines, his lips tuts into a small pout as he stares at Shoto with his wide, pleading eyes. He's so cute.
"I definitely underestimated the job of a teacher because I barely even have the time for myself! I spent my days grading assignments, creating new exercises, preparing tests, and analyzing my students' quirks, and I also need to stay in shape! It would be embarrassing if a UA graduate like me get their ass handed by a first-year student." Izuku complains.
"Well... it does sound hectic and tiring." Shoto agrees. "So that's why you never talk with us again."
Izuku nods dejectedly. "Yes. I barely even follow hero news again, especially about 1-A! I don't even know how you do, Todoroki-kun! I'm such a bad friend..."
Shoto shakes his head, his hand moving to pat Izuku's head albeit a bit awkwardly. "You're not a bad friend. All of us also don't know how you fare as a teacher either. And it's fine, you're busy with your job. You've only been a teacher for two years, right? You'll adapt to it in no time," He comforts.
"But two years is already a long time! I should've got this under my belt already! I mean... all of you have become heroes so perfectly." Izuku moves his hand aimlessly. A heavy sigh escapes his lips.
"That's because we've been training to become heroes for years, and even since we're still a child. You, on the other hand, had to change your future job because of your circumstances." Todoroki explains. "Relax Midoriya, no one will chase you."
"Huh… Yeah, I should relax." Izuku laughs sheepishly. "I guess, maybe because ever since I received One for All it feels like I've been in a race against time. I've been training to get One for All before the entrance exam, training to not let the quirk destroy my bones so I wouldn't get expelled, training to use all of the eight quirks to defeat All for One and save the world... Heh, now that I think about it, my life has been moving at a fast pace."
Shoto watches Izuku who staring out at the city with a somber look on his face. A rueful smile adorns his face as his green eyes seem lost in thought. As he looks at him closely like this, Shoto can't help but notice how tired Izuku appears. Either from his job, or maybe something else.
Until now, Shoto never knows how Izuku truly feels about his role as a teacher. To have your dream stripped away in a blink of an eye. It must have been sad and depressing. Shoto always thought that every student in class 1-A would become a pro hero, and they are, except Izuku, the one who deserves that title more than anyone else.
Shoto still remembers the day Izuku had his counseling session with Aizawa regarding his future, an abrupt change to his already-decided future plan. The entire class waited for him to return with the batted breath, bracing themself for the onslaught of tears or gloomy mood. But Izuku returned in his usual cheerful demeanor. It's both relieving and unnerving.
It's why Katsuki made this plan with All Might. To give Izuku his dream back, to help him become a hero just as he helped all of 1-A to become a hero.
"So it's time for you to relax and enjoy your life," Shoto says.
"It will be hard since you know... my job as a teacher, but I will try!" Izuku nods.
"Then, do you have time this Saturday?" Shoto asks suddenly. Shoto himself doesn't know where he got this confidence.
Izuku frowns. "Uh... Maybe? I don't know. I'll let you know. Why?"
"I want to have a dinner together. You know, to catch up about our lives." Shoto tries to shrug attempting to appear casual but inside he nearly combusts with nerves.
Izuku's eyes widen in surprise. "Dinner? Just the two of us?" His voice softly asks.
A faint blush creeps onto Shoto's cheeks and he quickly turns his face away to hide it. "Yeah, if you want to. It's been a while since we..."
"Of course! I would love to! I want to go with you!" Izuku exclaims, agreeing enthusiastically with the stars in his eyes.
"Really?" Shoto asks with the same enthusiasm before he composes himself. "Then tell me once you're sure you're free. I'll... pick you up."
"W...with your car?"
"Yeah."
Izuku smiles shyly and nods. "Okay."
"Shoto—beep—we're here—" The intercom buzzes, shattering the moment they share. Shoto quickly snatches his device and answers, "Got it. I'm on the roof of the train."
"Yikes, I really need to leave right now! I can't let the police find out I'm playing hero without a license! Can you cover for me, Todoroki?" Izuku pleads, his eyelashes batting prettily.
And what can Shoto possibly say other than yes?
Shoto nods and smiles when Izuku runs toward the damaged area of the train, a result of the criminal's attack. The green-haired man waves his hand cheerfully. "I'll contact you soon! See you, Todoroki!"
"See you, Midoriya," Shoto replies, waving back.
Just before Izuku jumps back inside, he turns his head with a shy expression, "Oh, and I... miss you!" He says with a cracked voice.
Shouto's hand freezes mid-motion, and his eyes grow wide for a fraction. His heart pounds in his chest as he murmurs, "I miss you even more..."
"You’re really down bad, hero."
Shouto jolts when a deep voice comes from behind him and realizes that the criminal has been looking at their interaction this whole time.
"You should ask him out quickly, you're not a puny hero, don't cha?" He asks with a sneer. "It's really hard to see you know? You should get him to some expensive restaurant, I'm sure you heroes have that big cash in your pocket. And then after you can—"
The criminal keeps talking—or planning about his supposed date with Izuku even after the police come to take him. The police and his sidekick look at him with a confused look in their eyes. Shoto closes his eyes, feeling embarrassment boiling inside him.
This is so embarrassing.