Chapter 3

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Despite a few stray icicles whenever his emotions became too heightened, Shoto was pretty easy to take care of. The week practically flew by. They watched movies and played board games the entire time. Some of his classmates visited Aylee's dorm room to check in on Shoto and to ask if he remembered them at all.  He wouldn't respond to any of their questions but they didn't seem to mind, they almost expected that to happen.  But, besides occasional check-up visits from teachers and even Principal Nezu, they hardly spent any time apart. If she was being completely honest with herself, Aylee had never seen such a strong case of separation anxiety in a child before. But, they were working on that, and Shoto absolutely hated every minute of it.

The woman began to leave for about 30 minutes every day and continuously stayed out longer each time. It's not like Shoto was by himself, Aylee always made sure that he was overseen by either Kirishima or Midoriya to keep him company. So far, he could last about two and a half hours before demanding to see her, and 3 hours before he had a full-blown meltdown. But, she knew that these things take time and that you have to walk before you run. At least, that's what she told herself when she began to worry too much.

He grew from 3 years old to 5 practically overnight. And from this sudden growth, other things came along with it. Shoto began speaking more words and made his feelings regarding people and things more clear. Though, not everything was a positive trait from his rapid ageing. Aylee was still shaken up from the morning she discovered his scar.

She had just woken up and discovered the boy practically glued to her side on the bed they shared. His red and white hair flopped over almost the entirety of his face. The woman examined its long length and was contemplating giving him a trim when she saw something different about his appearance. Her hand shot out in the darkened room and fumbled for the lamp's light switch. Aylee's hazel eyes never left his face as the room suddenly brightened. A bright red mark now circled around Shoto's left eye. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a newly formed scar.

Her screams woke up the entire dorm from the depths of dreamless sleep.

Aylee frantically ran to the bathroom in terror. She quickly doused a washcloth with some cold water and dashed back to where the now wide awake boy sat. Aylee immediately pressed the wet cloth against his eye and ignored the confused expression he gave her. The woman had tears in her eyes and could faintly hear in the back of her mind, a pounding knock at her door. But, she wasn't focused on that, instead, she was trapped in her own guilt. All Aylee could think about was how she could have let this happen on her watch. None of the children in her care had ever been physically harmed beyond falling down and scraping their knees. She came back to the present to the sound of someone kicking open the locked door. The teachers all pushed their way into the small room with tired eyes and pyjamas on, but ready for any attack.

Midnight, who clothed in only a short robe asked, "What happened?! Is anyone hurt?" Whatever the UA staff expected to hear, definitely didn't come close to what Aylee responded with.

"Fire me."

All of the teachers glanced at each other, wondering where this was coming from. "What?" Aizawa asked in a shocked yet at the same time bored tone. She looked at the group with tears in her eyes and removed the washcloth from Shoto's left eye. Revealing his prominent scar.

"I have failed in my duty to protect my charge. I can no longer trust myself to be his primary caretaker."

All of the teachers sighed in collective relief and relaxed their tense battle poses. They heard muttering and whispers behind them and guessed that the students woke up as well from the loud commotion.

All Might stepped out of the room and closed the now broken door behind him. The worried students tried to peak in before the door shut but couldn't see anything over the group of teachers.

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