Third person pov

Aizawa somehow found the energy to be annoyed as Mic blabbered on about Lillian, whom he'd decided to move up to one of his Third Year classes. Apparently the girl was fluent in English, and that constituted a change in her schedule. Aizawa could practically see the anxiety on the girl's face, and she wasn't even here right now. The poor kid was the most jittery, unsure teenager he'd ever met. Most people who entered the hero course were cocky, or at least had a little confidence in themselves. Even Midoriya was doing better than she was, and he shattered his bones when using his quirk.

Class had let out for the day, leaving Aizawa to wait until Mic decided to take him home. It's not like he could drive in this state, and taking the train really wasn't all that appealing of an option. Not in this condition, anyway. Even if he was an underground hero, even he had enemies, and he didn't doubt they'd jump at the chance to take advantage of him in his weakened state. 

Mic was in the middle of telling him, passionately, about how he was Lillian's number one, favorite hero when a small knock sounded. Their eyes snapped to the doorway, Mic falling silent as Lillian's head popped into view. She looked just as nervous as she usually did, her cheeks red with the usual bashfulness. 

Mic gets over his surprise first. "Hello, Little Listener!" He chirps cheerfully. "How can we help you?"

Lillian opens her mouth to say something, but quickly closes it again, her cheeks flushing a deeper shade of crimson. She pulled herself into full view, shuffling her feet for a second. The two teachers saw her eyes dart off to the side, and the girl's shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. Swallowing heavily, she then looked at them again, offering a nervous smile.

"I-I, uh w-was wondering i-if I could t-talk to y-y-you, Mr. Aizawa." She managed to force out, her words coming out slightly choked as her face gradually heated. Aizawa tried not to feel too smug when Mic's grin faltered at her words, shooting him a quick glance before standing up. The blonde man narrowed his own eyes back, his glasses glinting when he tilted his head downwards.

Lillian stepped to the side swiftly so her teacher could exit. The dark haired man turned to address her, only to stop when he saw two other teens standing behind her. Both were male, and he recognized one as a kid from Vlad's class, class 1-B. He was definitely the pretty boy type, with blond hair, blue eyes, and clear skin. Aizawa immediately felt his lip curl.

The other was taller, but more ragged. His purple hair was an absolute mess, and the bags under his matching violet eyes were almost as dark as Aizawa's own. His posture was slumped, and he looked nothing short of completely and totally exhausted. Lillian backed up a little, and they parted so she could come to a stop between them, both of them awkwardly averting their gazes.

"Who are you two?" Aizawa asked in a dry tone, kicking the door to the teacher work room shut to prevent Mic from eavesdropping. The two tall males shifted uncomfortably at the question, and Aizawa could tell they were sweating.

"A-Ah, these a-are my friends. Th-This is Hitoshi Shinso, f-from General Studies, a-and this is Neito Monoma from c-class 1-B." Lillian introduced them nervously, flapping her hands a little bit as she did so. Aizawa felt a little surprised to hear that. It's not that he didn't expect Lillian to make friends; he'd seen her interacting with the other girls in class. These two were just... well, he really wasn't sure how she'd possibly ever cross paths with someone who looked like he'd rather be asleep than here right now, and some cocky kid with a nice face.

"Right." Aizawa's eyes narrowed. Lillian jumped slightly.

"W-We, a-ah, wanted to ask your help." Lillian mumbled the last part bashfully. Aizawa's eyebrows raised.

"We want to work together during the festival." Monoma said airily, crossing his arms over his chest. "Lillian and I need exposure for our internships, and Hitoshi wants to enter the hero course. Besides, working with one another is better than working alone."

"He's right." Hitoshi drawled, eye's lifting. "We all want to work together. We're already friends, so it makes sense. Problem is, Neito grew up with parents who supported his choice to be a hero. He's got the quirk for it. Lillian and I..."

"I-I got in because my quirk worked well with the s-surroundings, not because I had training. Neito g-got in because he's e-experienced with his. H-Hitoshi didn't because his qu-quirk wasn't suited." Lillian explained, offering a nervous smile. "I-I'm not in shape, a-and there isn't much time."

"Right, I understand." And Aizawa did. He was glad Lillian had come to him for help. That's why he was here, after all: to teach. He wasn't the biggest fan of her two apparent friends, but if Lillian wanted to work with them, he wouldn't hinder her by failing to aid them as well. "What's your quirk, kid?" His gaze shifted back to Shinso. 

"Brainwashing." Shinso muttered, glancing away. Aizawa felt a jolt go through him, a grin curling its way onto his face that they couldn't see due to his bandages. Now that was rather interesting, wasn't it?

"I-It's really cool!" Lillian exclaimed, drawing his attention. Her blue eyes shone as she gazed up at him with unwavering admiration for her friend. "All he has t-to do is ask a question, and if he's g-given a verbal response, it's over! Th-They're under his control!" 

Hitoshi's cheeks went a little red at her praise, and even more so when Neito nodded in agreement with the girl. "He should've been inducted into the hero course to begin with. The fact that robots were used in the exam this year but him at a severe disadvantage. It definitely wasn't fair..."

Aizawa considered them all for a moment. They were all on a first name basis despite the fact that school really hadn't been in all that long, so there had to be some semblance of trust there between them. He doubted Lillian would back down from working with them. She was his student, and therefore, his first priority. He sighed. "Then what's your quirk?" Aizawa asked Monoma.

"I can copy the quirk of anyone I touch. It lasts five minutes." Monoma answered, and Lillian looked excited all over again. She didn't seem as into heroes as Midoriya was. It was looking like she was more into quirks than the people sporting them.

"Interesting..." He trailed off, eyes sweeping over them. He couldn't really turn them away. No good teacher would do such a thing, and this was UA, the best of the best. They'd put any pride they had aside and came along to ask for help. He wasn't going to brush that off. Besides, maybe this would help him wipe that smug look off Mic's face. Him bragging about being Lillian's favorite hero... well Aizawa was her favorite teacher, he was sure. Not that it really mattered. Mic was just being petty and childish.

"Y-You don't have to." Lillian sputtered out quickly. "I-I-I know you're re-really injured, and y-you probably f-feel pretty tired, and-"

"Calm down, kid. I'll do it." Aizawa assured her, and she deflated a little. He watched with keen eyes as Hitoshi patted her on the back, taking note on how she didn't even flinch. "I'll work out a work out schedule that won't drain you too much, but will have your endurance up by the tournament. I assume that's what you're most concerned about?"

The three nodded rapidly, looking relieved. "Th-Thank you, Mr. Aizawa." Lillian looked ready to fall over. He gave a small nod, his ribs giving a threatening twinge at the miniscule motion. He didn't dare let it show. He knew Lillian felt guilty about him being injured, and he didn't want her feeling any worse.

"It's what I'm here for. Now, you three get home. School let out fifteen minutes ago." He said gruffly.

"Bet." Neito breathed.

"Bet." Hitoshi responded, and Aizawa raised a brow. 

"Bet." Lillian repeated. Aizawa stared at her as her expression settled into something lacking nerves as she and the two boys took turns saying that same word. Why, he didn't know, but he took extreme note of how the heat faded from her cheeks, and her eyes stopped darting around as though she were waiting for something to jump out at her.

"So, my brother pushed me, so I'm starting a fundraiser to put him down." Hitoshi said suddenly, and they turned away from Aizawa.

"The benefits of putting him down would be that I got pushed way less." Lillian responded seamlessly, no hint of a stutter. Aizawa had a feeling they were referencing something, and whatever that something was, Lillian was using it as a coping mechanism for her anxiety. He felt his lips curl up a little as the three teens began off down the hall, shooting a quick goodbye.

"Wait!" Someone called from down the hall. Aizawa turned, as did the trio of teenagers. It was Kaminari. "There you are, Lillian!"

"Uh oh." Lillian whispered, and Aizawa's attention flickered back to her as Kaminari began to sprint down the hall towards them.

"Run?" Hitoshi asked. Neito looked mildly lost. 

"Yeah, probably." Lillian winced a little, glancing up at Monoma. "Ah, we'll explain later."

Aizawa couldn't help but snort as they took off down the hall, ignoring Kaminari's winded shouting as he raced after them. He shook his head a little, moving to go back into the teachers lounge. He had a workout regimen to plan, after all.

~~~~~~~

How they lost Kaminari, Lillian wasn't sure. It's not like she and Hitoshi were really in shape. Perhaps it was Neito who helped spur them on. Either was, Lillian was glad. After pulling the whole dabbing stunt on Kaminari, he'd be after her for weeks. Avoiding him wasn't going to be easy. She was lucky she had Hitoshi and Neito to help her out.

They retreated to their decided home base, which was Hitoshi's house. His parents were chill enough that Hitoshi couldn't probably throw a raging party and they'd brush it off with only a mild scolding. Lillian knew her mom and dad would be a little more on edge due to the fact that it was two boys she was bringing over, and other than that, they'd probably dote.

"I can't believe he said yes." Hitoshi grumbled, throwing a few chips into his mouth. He was sitting on the floor, his back propped up against his bed. Neito had taken over his desk chair. Eraserhead the cat had taken a severe liking to the blonde for whatever reason, much to Hitoshi and Lillian's dismay. Neito clearly didn't appreciate the cat's attention as much as he should've, however. That much was clear.

"I-I was surprised too. D-Do you think it was rude to ask? He is really hurt..." Lillian trailed off uncertainly, flopping down onto her stomach. Hitoshi's bed was incredibly comfortable, and it always smelled good, too. She reveled in the feeling, letting her arms hang over the edge of the bed. 

"He'd have said no if it was too much trouble. Besides, he's a pro-hero. He'll be fine." Neito waved a hand, taking a swig of his bottled green tea. "We can always lay off if we think we're becoming too... much."

"Y-Yeah, I guess you're right." Lillian mumbled before she brightened a little. "B-But I am really excited! A little scared, but it'll be fine... probably."

"No, it'll be fine." Hitoshi said surely, almost absentmindedly as he looked over the notebook in his lap. The details of their diet were being worked out inside, and they'd show it to Mr. Aizawa after he worked out what they'd be doing to get into proper shape for the festival. "Do any of you know what a 'healthy' snack would be?"

"Chipotle." Neito said quickly, scrolling through his phone. 

Lillian scoffed, "That's not a healthy snack, Rebecca." 

Hitoshi tried not to snort, but ultimately failed. He wasn't sure how the tournament would go. At this rate, they were either going to fail immediately, or defy everyone's expectations and absolutely crush the competition.

Personally, he hoped it was the latter.