bloody, but unbowed

The whole class was sitting in their seats, watching their teacher watch them with his arms crossed, a bored expression on his face. They looked at what was written on the board.

"Advocacy?" Yaoyorozu said after writing it in her notebook, reading out loud what everyone else was wondering. "I assume this has to do with our class today."

"Yes," Aizawa finally nodded, having become satisfied with whatever it was he was looking for in their faces. "You're second years now and, more than that, you're starting to become known to the public. The image you're creating now will follow you for the rest of your careers. What nobody tells you about an image is it affects more than your popularity, but also the things you support." He slammed his hand against the writing on the board causing a few students to jump.

"Being a hero is more than just taking down villains and getting merchandise deals, or at least it is if you're halfway decent. It's about saving people, leaving the world better than you found it and that doesn't always happen on the battlefield. Most heroes have some cause that they believe in. I support local shelters for the care and adoption of stray animals. Present Mic has been the face for the Deaf and Mute Society for years. Midnight fights against sexual abuse in the Hero industry."

He looked over at them with dull, calculating eyes. "I'm sure you all have a cause that means something to you, something you want to help change. For the next few days, I want you to think about what it is you believe in and do a short presentation for the class on Friday. I understand the Sports Festival is only three weeks away but I still expect you to put in full effort," his eyes flashed and his hair rose for a moment in warning before flattening again. "You're not obligated to carry on these causes as pros but now is the time to start thinking about where you stand, about what kind of hero you want to be. Now get working, I'm taking a nap so don't bother me unless someone's dying."

That said, he walked over to his desk, sat down and let his head loudly thump against it as he apparently went right to sleep. Ojiro looked over at Shouji, mouthing 'is he okay?' but the other boy shrugged as he opened a blank page in his notebook. Several other students did the same, talking among themselves or biting their lips over an empty page.

Uraraka was running her fingers through her hair, unintentionally causing various strands to stand on end. Todoroki was staring blankly out the window, a thoughtful expression on his face. Bakugou would scribble something only to furiously cross it out, cursing and growling before repeating the cycle anew.

Midoroya was the only one writing consistently. His pen was flying across the page as if death was nipping at his heels, waiting to steal away his next words. He had an intense, focused look as he wrote, seemingly not noticing the world around him. Aizawa, who most definitely was not asleep at his desk, watched the green haired boy with curiosity and a bit of trepidation.

Whatever cause had gripped the problem child of his class so tenaciously was sure to be both interesting and headache inducing.

XxX

"I'm kind of excited for this project," Ochako said, drumming her fingers on the table. "You think being a hero is all about saving people but the idea that I can help fix some of the other problems out there... it feels good," she cheered to herself, holding her fists against her chest. She had never stopped feeling inadequate over wanting to be a hero for the paycheck. Maybe in her advocacy work she could make a real difference in the world.

"We'll probably be busy as pros if Aizawa-sensei is anything to go by," Tsuyu said. "But I think it's great to support a cause you believe in. What ideas were you thinking of, Ochako-chan?"

"I don't know," Ochako pouted a little, bringing her finger to her chin in thought. "I was thinking something along the lines of helping rural kids get into hero schools." She frowned, "is it selfish to pick things that directly affected me?"