Semi-Pro (Shota Aizawa X Reader)

A New Direction

The students are all leaving for their internships today, and as you stand with Aizawa at the train station, you feel like you're sending your kids off to their first day of school, even though it's technically the exact opposite.

The students made bold and smart decisions for their internships, and you can't wait to talk to them when they get back. You glance at Iida, who's been unusually quiet today. His brother was all over the news this week, being seriously hurt in Hosu by an infamous villain. Aizawa told you Iida is interning in Hosu at an almost plebian agency. You're worried about what he has planned.

Midoryia is going to intern with a retired hero called Gran Torino. You'd never heard of him, but Aizawa told you he worked at UA for a short time many years ago. You hope Midoryia uses the time to think about what you've been talking about. If he doesn't, it might be too late to save him.

"Now get to it, everyone."Aizawa sends the students off with his usual gruff care.

"Yes sir!" They hurry to their trains, nervousness, excitement, and apprehension following them. Aizawa turns to you, arms crossed lazily.

"You ready for training?"

You smirk. "Yes sir."

Aizawa takes you to one of the indoor training facilities.

"What are we doing today?"

"We're fighting." Aizawa stretches out his arms lazily like he's still tired.

"Us? Are you sure?"

"You afraid?" He smirks when you vehemently shake your head.

"Of course not. Just surprised."

Aizawa gives you one instruction: hit him. You give him a doubtful look, and he assures you it won't be as easy as you think. You quickly realize he's telling the truth.

"You'll have to be faster than that, Glowstick." Aizawa whips past you and smacks you in the back of the head with his scarf as he does.

You spin around, trying to keep up with him. He lands several feet from you, leaning in with a glimmer in his eyes betraying his deadpan expression.

You charge at him, trying to catch him in your crystals but he dodges again, jumping away.

"Come on, let's see the fearsome Luminescence at work!"

You quickly realize Aizawa is just fucking with you- you haven't gotten a single shot in and he hasn't even used his quirk. He's goading you, well aware he can keep this up all day. You're going to have to move quicker and push yourself if you want to get a hit in.

You exude crystal from your feet, vaulting yourself haphazardly into the air. Getting closer to his physical level will make it more difficult for him to swing past you.

From this vantage point, you can see Aizawa as he approaches. You swing your arm and release a large, boomerang-shaped crystal form. It's large enough he can't dodge it and has to return to the ground.

"Good!" he yells, already flipping through the air again. You leap off of your platform, forming more crystals under your feet that are gradually shorter. You're able to move fast, but all your attention has to be on your footwork as the crystal forms are jagged and hard to walk on. Aizawa takes advantage of that to swing by and body-check you, sending you flying off the crystal onto the ground roughly.

You curse, holding your ribs as you get up off the ground. You're getting mad. "If you didn't have that scarf, I'd take you down in a second."

Aizawa lands beside you, accepting the challenge. You take a swing, and the two of you begin a steady exchange of blows. "You're used to fighting Quirkless people." He says while dodging your kick. "That's fine, but very few villains are going to fight hand-to-hand with you."

You grit your teeth, missing him by just a few centimeters. "I'm used to fighting monsters. I'm used to killing."

He clicks his tongue. "Warfare. Mass killing with no regard to civilians, infrastructure, or self. You're a soldier- not a hero."

His words are harsh but not entirely untrue. You dive behind him, throwing a punch he twists and blocks with his elbow. "We don't have heroes in the US. Not anymore."

"So that's why you're here." He swipes at your legs and you stumble backward. "To be a hero."

"Um, yeah! Isn't that the whole point of the teacher's aide program?"

"Don't you think it's odd Nezu hasn't brought on any other aides since you started here?"

You hadn't really thought about that. Your face scrunches in thought while you block a flurry of punches. "No. Maybe. I don't know!" you're exasperated and tired from the onslaught.

"Japan has maintained a neutral stance in the Hero War despite strongly condemning the human rights violations in the US. International tensions are building, and Quirk users around the globe are looking to Japan to do something. How convenient," he pushes you away, "that Japan has not just the number one hero from America, but also a newcomer with firsthand experience in the war."

Your face flushes, shocked by what you're hearing so much you almost trip when he pushes you. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, the Japanese government is watching you. If you succeed at becoming a hero, you'll be a beacon to Quirk users in the US, and the catalyst Japan needs to demand an end to Quirk discrimination. If you fail, they'll bury you, making sure you're forgotten, or worse, letting that detective drag you back to the US."

You stop fighting Aizawa, taking a step back to let yourself breathe. You, a beacon? It's a terrifying thought.

"I don't want to be a symbol," you say breathlessly.

"We don't get to choose these things." Aizawa crosses his arms. "Don't you want things to get better in America?"

You scowl, bitter at what he's implying. "Of course I do. I already tried to fix it, and lost everything in the process.." Your voice is a snarl, warning him to be wise in what he says, but Aizawa doesn't back down.

"You spent your whole life fighting, and expect me to believe you're giving up? What are you doing here training?" he motions around to the room full of carnage from your fight.

"I'm training these kids so they never have to face what I did."

"That," he stops right in front of you. "Is what heroes do."

"I don't know how to be a hero," you whisper hoarsely, your minds reeling.

"Then you learn. And lucky for you, we work at a school."