11"Obviously," he articulated in an annoyed tone that was all too familiar to her, "the best course of action is to fall back and stick to the damn plan. Even someone with half a brain would know it's stupid to charge at a suspected person, no matter how friggin' shady they are, especially without a warrant."
"I'm not saying we should charge at the suspect," the other retorted back coolly, "but given that we're actually seeing the person of interest in their actual flesh, someone that the police had already been vigilant about, I believe it's best to confront them already. That way, you'll also confirm the suspicions based from your dialogue."
By the doorway of the 1-A classroom, Yaoyorozu watched the exchange between the two before her, heating up by the second. She was sure even the forty spectators seated on the floor already felt the rising tension in the atmosphere.
"Confrontation is just asking for a damn death sentence," Bakugou snarled lowly, and she noticed the subtle twitching of his arm underneath his coat, "especially if the person's Quirk is as dangerous as was reported. Do consider that this is also happening in broad daylight, with civilians walking about. What if something you say ends up provoking them? You'd really be that foolish to risk the lives of civilians too?"
Somehow, she no longer regretted her decision to check on the two of them, who were assigned in managing a joint class discussing about moral dilemmas encountered in heroics. Seriously, who thought it was a good idea to pair them up for this kind of thing? This probably would've been fine if, say, this was happening a decade ago; she was even sure Midnight, their Modern Arts and Ethics lecturer, would've been ecstatic to witness this thought-provoking debate. With such strong valid points, even.
However, it was a lot different, this time. They were no longer students.
"Of course not. But do remember that the suspect is also a known individual from an institution, so it should be considered that they most likely care about their reputation, meaning they are also careful with their own actions in public."
Todoroki paused, and she could've sworn that for a millisecond, the air in the room dropped in temperature, and it wasn't because the heater of the room was malfunctioning.
"Besides, if one possesses common sense, they should know how to be extra cautious especially with how they communicate with the person." Neither of them were breaking eye contact. "And not force them to do anything dangerous."
Yaoyorozu placed a hand on her forehead, already feeling a headache coming.
In her several months of working as a full-time teacher, never had she felt the need to pull her hair out of sheer frustration and stress. How did it all come down to this?
…
…
...
...
…
The clear, crisp noise of fingertips hitting the keyboard dominated the quiet atmosphere of the room, distinct pauses occurring only when her tired eyes shifted on the documents placed just beside her laptop.
A sigh escaped her lips as she checked the time displayed on the lower corner of her monitor.
12:37AM.
She rubbed her eyes briefly before quickly typing the last remaining data.
For the past several months, this had pretty much been the life of Yaoyorozu Momo on Sunday nights.
Ever since she joined the teaching staff of U.A., she was in a constant battle of facing several paperwork and reaching deadlines that she had somehow accepted that long hours of sleep would only be possible in certain days of the year. She wasn't implying that it was any better when she had been working full-time in hero offices; in fact, she had experienced actual nights with no sleep at all especially when working on S-rank missions. Those constituted mandatory rest breaks afterwards for all heroes involved however, so she's usually given time to recover before being allowed to join another. A job where she places herself in danger and extreme fatigue but given sufficient breaks, or another which is far less life-threatening but gives her constant fatigue? Sometimes, she wondered which was easier, but then again, being a hero was never an easy job in the first place.
She figured she should just stop thinking and go to sleep. Tomorrow was once more, the start of another long week, anyway.
She gathered the bundles of paper and stacked them neatly with a single, efficient swipe, before placing them in a folder. After arranging her things, she settled down her bed, reaching for the lamp in the process. The lone window on the U.A. staff building which had been illuminated for the longest time had finally retired for the night.
The next morning, she proceeded to the faculty room after her morning routine. Usually, she was the first one to arrive in the room, but to her surprise, someone else had already occupied one of the chairs in the common area.
"A pleasant morning to you, Creati!"
"Principal Nezu," she replied back cordially. Even after many years, it seemed like nothing had changed in his appearance, save for his apparently thinning hair which he complained about often. "Good morning. What brings you here today?"
"There's something I need you to do today." He sipped his coffee just as she had taken a seat across from him. "Forgive me for the very short notice, but starting today, our newest recruit shall be joining our teaching staff!"
"Really?" It was a pleasant surprise. U.A. had been inadequately staffed for the past years, which was partly the reason why she decided to push through with her application. "Who is it? Is it someone I know?"
He simply smiled and handed her an envelope. She took the papers out, and her eyes widened upon seeing the picture on the resume.
"I'm sure you are rather familiar with him."
"But wait." Her mind rattled back to the headlines from the previous week. An uneasy feeling crept in her stomach. "Wasn't he involved in that incident…?"
He nodded as he lifted his cup once more. "Yes, but it seems like Recovery Girl has already given him clearance, so it should be okay."
She bit her inner lip, recalling him and the others amongst the casualties of a mission which barely succeeded. Was it really okay?
The principal had only given her instructions to introduce him to her class, so it shouldn't be a difficult task. That's what she wanted to believe, anyway, because at that moment, she was at loss for words. Considering that he was already one of the popular, young heroes of their generation, what else could she say about him that her class didn't already know? She pretty much spent the last remaining minutes before homeroom fumbling for the perfect words, but she ended up with nothing.
"Oh for heaven's sake, Momo, it shouldn't matter," she thought, mentally slapping herself. Overthinking was such a bad habit. "He, of all people, wouldn't really care."
She walked to class afterwards, entering the 1-A room as soon as the bell rang. The students immediately settled down as she greeted them 'good morning,' which they echoed back enthusiastically.
"Since everybody is present," she started saying after checking their attendance, giving a brief glance at the enormous door of the classroom. He should already be waiting outside, right? "I believe it's the perfect opportunity to introduce to you one of the newest teachers of the Heroics Department."
A series of curious ooo's and aaa's followed her revelation. This class was just too energetic...
"He is actually an alumnus of U.A., one of the top graduating students of our batch, and a former classmate of mine. Please give your warmest welcome to the Explosion Hero—"
The door slid open without any warning, interrupting her effectively, and revealed Bakugou Katsuki. The class erupted into a frenzy of mixed astonishment and surprise.
"Wow! It's really him!"
"How inspiring that he chose to work despite his injuries!"
He began treading towards her, and her eyes immediately fell on the arm sling partially hidden by his long coat. She only realized she was already staring when her eyes met with his annoyed, impatient ones.
"Oh wow, this is totally wicked! Gotta take a picture!"
"You'd think he'd mellow down with his injuries, but damn, look at those scary eyes…"
Oh, no.
"He's a cool hero, honestly, but could he really be a teacher…?"
"He truly does give justice to being among the top ranking heroes in the 'Looks like a Villain' survey!"
"And he's not even wearing his costume yet!"
His shoulders were already shaking in irritation. She braced herself, anticipating the outbursts he was well-known for back in high school.
"What sorta fuckin' brats are you raising, huh?!" he whispered harshly instead, a beast-like grin appearing just as veins popped out from his face. His other arm was also shaking violently, and she was pretty sure an explosion would've come from it if it weren't for the fact that it was also covered with bandages. The overall reaction was absolutely toned down, one she didn't expect, but she definitely liked to give him credit for.
"Your name simply speaks for itself," she replied back, reminding him also to watch his language in front of the students.
At that time, Yaoyorozu did not realize that 1-A's' explosive reaction mirrored the explosive change that would be happening in her life in U.A. for the months to follow.
...
Elsewhere, several miles away from Tokyo, another hero was preoccupied with his own thoughts as he looked at the blue skies from the clear walls of the airport. This sort of peaceful solitude, he realized, would certainly be missed.
"Excuse me, you are the hero Shouto, right? Is it alright to take a picture with you?"
He nodded at the two teenagers, smiling as he stood. He figured he had some time to spend before boarding anyway.
Hokkaido was definitely a nice change in pace, away from the things that had bothered him. However, he came to realize that running away was not the solution to any of his problems. He knew there would come a day where he had to face them.
In just a few hours, Todoroki Shouto would step back in the place he considered home.
A/N: This is partly the reason why I'm having a hard time finishing the next chapter of "The Bakugou Effect," because my mind was itching for me to write this, haha. If any of the dialogue/events seem familiar to you, you might have seen that "Future Teachers AU" comic series that I've posted in my tumblr account. Would this go on a love triangle route? Probably? Honestly I'm still asking that question to myself!