Third person pov

In the end, Harper went with the hero name "Manx" rather than just her first name. If this hero thing every actually panned out, she didn't want her name attached directly to her at all times. Even if people could easily just pull up the old Sports Festival footage and get her identity from there. The name was greatly derived from the "Isle of Man", an island chock full of people with psychic-related quirks. Clairvoyants were common there. It was one of the many places she researched during her time looking into her own quirk, and held three of the few people she'd found with powers somewhat similar to hers. Plus, Manx cats were pretty damn cute.

"What kind of run ins has Harper had with villains before? Was she hurt?" Kirishima wondered as he left for lunch. Harper was only half glad Aizawa asked to see her. It put of the inevitable bullshitting she'd have to do to her classmates, but it also meant she had to... well, deal with Aizawa. If she couldn't read minds, she'd probably adore the guy. Unfortunately, she'd been cursed with a hellish quirk that radiated TMI energy. She knew a bit too much about who Aizawa really was.

"Harper." Aizawa said shortly when he saw how some of 1-A lingered, clearly hoping to ask her questions. "I'm swooping in for the save, sweetie! You're going to love my muffins. I have some things to tell you about internships and stuffsies! Come on, come on! The teacher's lounge will be empty right now anyway. These babies are trying to pry into my little slip-up. Sorry about that, by the way." 

"Alright." Harper sighed quietly to herself, standing and cracking her back. She made it a point not to look at anyone as she walked towards the front of the room. Aizawa gave her a brief nod, his expression strict as he briskly walked towards the door. Harper followed dutifully, a small amount of pain beginning to form behind her eyes. A sure sign of a migraine, which was just what she needed on this lovely day.

The halls were fairly empty, and thus quiet. Thoughts bled through from the direction of the cafeteria, but Harper was able to block those out fairly easily. She'd gotten a lot better and pushing thoughts away and putting up a mental barrier since coming here. The girl supposed being around so many people all the time had forced her to adapt. Not ideal, but at least she was improving to combat the many horrors this school had to offer.

The teacher's lounge was a place Harper honestly hadn't entered very many times. It was a fairly cozy room, with couches, a coffee machine, a fridge. Things of that sort. There was a table off to the side, and some photos from previous years hung up. Aizawa was in very few, looking grumpy as ever in every single one they'd wrangled him into. Harper's eyes went to the many plates of muffins on the counter. A lot were gone. Aizawa was right, apparently. His muffins were popular.

"Eat." Aizawa said in a blunt tone. Inwardly, he was beaming. "This is the teacher's lounge! Isn't it like, so cute? I love it sooo much. Sometimes I nap in here, and Mic will come in and lay my sleeping bag over me like a blanket if I'm not already in it. It's like, literally so sweet. Anyway, anyway, internships! Close that door. We'll get down to business and it'll be so fun! Do you like having fun? You look like you like having fun."

"Fine. But I have questions of my own." Harper said around a mouthful of muffin as she closed the door. They were now alone, and she watched with a small amount of relief as Aizawa's mask melted off his face to reveal a lax smile. He looked less strained this way, the skin around his eyes crinkling and his head cocking a little in a way that was almost fond. She held up the piece of food she'd been given. "Good muffin, by the way."

"Thanks!" It was weird, hearing him so happy out loud. He clapped his hands together, beaming at her. It looked oddly natural on his face Somehow, she couldn't help but smile back just a little. Seeing Aizawa be himself was soothing in a way she couldn't describe. It made her wonder even more why he always hid himself behind such a brooding persona. His outer mask was... disconcerting. "So, first order of business! I love the hero name you picked. Super adorable, definitely suits you. It sound so cool, too! I'm really proud of you!" 

Harper stared at him blankly. She took it back. Hearing his praise aloud made it more real, and thus even weirder. He didn't look at all perturbed by her expression, continuing on with obvious glee.

"Anywhoooo, you won't be picking someone to intern with. You'll mostly be with Tsukauchi, and maybe some of us teachers! It's for security purposes. Plus, we already know your quirk, you know? We can help you waaaay better than someone who didn't know what it was could! Pretty cool, right?" Aizawa smiled at her expectantly. She nodded almost without meaning to. "Awesome! Oh, oh, I also got some news on your parents. They've found someplace permanent to settle for now! Of course, nobody but Tsukauchi and a few other people know where that is, but I just thought I'd tell you. So, you had questions?"

Harper was relieved to hear her parents weren't being carted around anymore. At first they'd been brought to a safe house, but the location hadn't been working at all. Unlike her, her mother and father were social butterflies. Always doing something, always going out with friends, having people and family over, etc. Them being recognized even several prefectures over wasn't much of a shock, but it did ruin the whole security part of them being moved in the first place. Though she wasn't sure where they were now, she was glad they were safe. She had a small suspicion as to where they may be, but she wasn't about to pry into something she was better off not knowing.

"Yeah, I did have one. It's been bugging me." Harper eyed the man carefully. "Why do you hide your actual personality? You put a lot of work into it, so I have a feeling you're not just doing it to fuck with people."

She watched his smile dim a little, and felt his good mood waver. "Man, you're pretty observant, aren't you?" His thoughts sounded wistful in a way. For a moment, Harper almost regretted asking. She knew there was something deeper going on here. She'd felt something like it before. In Iida, but... vastly different. Because Aizawa was impossibly happy on the inside, and Iida wasn't. But there was this undertone that was too familiar to ignore. Past Harper never would have pried into someone else's issues so willingly like she was doing now. But apparently, she was now willingly to participate in this whole 'friendship is magic' bullshit! God, why was she making her life harder than it already was? Was sitting back and watching the world burn really so tough that she couldn't manage it?

"You don't have to say." Harper shrugged, taking another bite of muffin and swallowing. If Aizawa's teaching and hero career ever bottomed out, at least he could fall back on baking. The more she ate, the more she was convinced he'd laced the muffins with crack. "I was just curious."

"Oh, it's no big deal! I... I wasn't always like this-" His face flashed back to its usual, bored, tired expression for just a moment. "-on the outside. I was happy as a kid, and all through middle school. But... my dad wasn't really the best, which sucked a lot! Oh, and the kids in middle school weren't... that nice. So when high school came around, I just decided I couldn't anymore. Guess it's sort of dumb that I'm still doing it, huh? I just feel a bit in too deep to try and come out now."  He laughed awkwardly, smiling at her. Mentally, his cheerful, rambling thoughts skyrocketed. He was blocking something out. Harper took another, slower bite of her muffin, eyeing him carefully.

Bullied throughout middle school, clearly, maybe even more before that. Shitty father figure who was probably a lot worse than he was letting on, judging on how much he seemed to downplay everything else he'd said. Hiding the person he was because he felt it was... wrong? That was definitely it, or at least something close to that. In the past, people had probably said some nasty shit about his happy-go-lucky side. Understandable. It was annoying as hell, but she'd never tell him that. She was an asshole, sure, but she wasn't a dickbag. 

Harper dug a bit deeper into her teacher's feelings the best she could. There was a heavy sadness under all that joy he exuded, hidden quite well. He used his enthusiasm as a mental coping mechanism is what all this was telling her. He didn't show anyone his smiley side for fear of rejection, if all that sad tension was anything to go off of. What else? Harper wasn't a therapist, no, but she'd seen things like this before. What was it called? It was serious, that's for sure. Especially if he'd been holding that all in since the start of high school. It had to have been bad before to make him do that.

"Internalized oppression." Harper muttered to herself, frowning. Aizawa blinked curiously at her, tilting his head.

"Did you say something?" He asked chirpily. "Such a sad topiiiic! Ugh, we should move on. Want some more muffins? Or maybe you want to go see your friends in the cafeteria. That's like, so cute. You guys are all adorable and I love you. You're going to be the best. heroes. ever. Also, Mic is having like, a sad time today so be really nice to him. Like, he looks cute but I think he's a bit down. He won't tell me why, but I'll pry it out of him and keep you updated."

"Oh, nothing." Harper muttered. Aizawa smiled brightly. She could feel relief flash through him briefly. He didn't want her to push, so she wouldn't.

"But yeah! You're going to be with the police department! Isn't that awesome? You better take pictures to show me! And try, try, try to get some out of your classmates so I can put them on my fridge." Aizawa begged. "They're so adorable and-"

The door opened. Aizawa's smile was gone in an instant, and replaced by the tired one he tended to wear most of the time. Harper blinked rapidly at the sudden change.

"-that's why you're interning with Tsukauchi." He finished, tone showing exasperation. Harper twisted around. Hound Dog still had his hand-- paw?-- on the doorknob, and was blinking at them curiously. Aizawa was tense. "Did he hear me with his fluffy ears? I prefer cats, but puppies are adorable."

"Hey, Mr. Hound Dog! Just who I needed to talk to." Harper should have sounded enthusiastic as she said it, but it came out tired and rather done as she hopped to her feet. "Come eat lunch with me away from here, yeah?"

"Bye, Harper! Thank you for the save! I love you! See you later! Bye bye, kiddo! Oh my god, they grow up soooo fast. I hope I get her some during her internship. The support course finally came through and made her a super-duper adorable costume. I fully approve. I can't wait! Eat well! I'll make more muffins later this week!"

"What? Is everything alright?" Hound Dog blinked, cocking his head. Harper tried not to cringe. Aizawa's thoughts were going to kill her one day. "I could have sworn I heard another person in here, but Harper and Aizawa don't usually get that loud and happy. I'd assumed it was Mic..."

"I'm protecting you. Again." Harper forced a smile. Hound Dog didn't deserve to fall upon such a hellish secret. Not after getting mind-raped by Endeavor. "Now, let's go. I have questions you may have answers to."

"R-Right..." He blinked as he was steered from the room, his want for coffee forgotten. Harper released his arm as soon as she was sure he wasn't going to continue his trek into the teacher's lounge, releasing a huff of air. The things she did for people. When did she start caring this much? The girl had no idea, but she wouldn't mind much if it stopped. Now she was all worried about Aizawa trying to suppress his 'true self' or whatever. No, he wasn't just trying. He was succeeding, and had been for years now.

Harper sighed to herself huffily. Why did she care so much? Why was she trying to save people? Maybe there really was a part of her that wanted to be a hero. A different kind, maybe. She didn't know. Some people just had psychological issues far too glaring to be ignored. Aizawa wasn't her... favorite person, but he was her teacher and she knew he'd do anything for his students at the drop of a hat. He was a good guy through and through. If she could do something-- anything to help him-- then she may as well. She had nothing better to do, and what did she really have to lose these days?

"Alright, tell me what you know about internalized oppression." Harper requested as they entered the cafeteria. She knew her classmates wouldn't dare approach while she was with an actual staff member, especially if that staff member was Hound Dog. For god knows what reason, people were heavily intimidated and somewhat frightened by the canine man around here. She'd had no idea just how fearful and uneasy they were around him until recently. She really didn't see it.

"Internalized Oppawssion? Are you okay?" Hound Dog frowned as she went through the empty food line, everyone having gotten their meals already. Lunch Rush took one glance at her and audibly clicked his tongue before turning and setting to work. Harper just let it happen. "That's not a common topic for a pup to be barkin' about. Did something happened? I hope she isn't going through something because of the pup-napping she went expawrienced..."

"I'm fine. It's about... someone else. You know how my quirk is." Harper rushed it out with a brief wave of her hand. Hound Dog nodded understandingly, and Harper massaged her temples. This wasn't something she should get mixed up in. Yes, Aizawa was her teacher. But that was just it. He was her teacher. Getting involved in any mental scars he may or may not have was not her business in any way, shape, or form. Yet here she was. Digging into Hound Dog for details on something she could just google in order to cover for the exact person she was trying to aid, effectively helping him hide the secret part of himself she wished other people had to deal with, and not just her. It couldn't possibly be healthy for Aizawa to lock himself up like that, could it?

"Ah, that makes sense." Hound Dog grinned in a wolfish way as Harper was presented with a tray of comfort food. Warm, soft on the stomach, the kind of stuff you could eat loads of and still shove down more. She gave Lunch Rush a grim but thankful look. He nodded back solemnly, sliding a tray with a steak on it towards Hound Dog. He took it readily. "Well, when someone's targeted and given a ruff time, discriminated against, targeted, or oppressed, a lot of times they'll begin to-- ruff-- internalize that part of themselves."

"Right... I've seen this happen with people in the LGBTQ community. The word 'gay' is thrown around pretty carelessly, or it used to be at least. It's used as a petty insult, shit like that. So closeted teenagers and even adults begin to associate it with something bad, so they either don't show anyone that part of themselves or deny it completely. Happens in little kids who grow up around it too, and the ones who do end up gay have a pretty hard time with it." Harper's muttered ramble was the most she'd said all day. Hound Dog managed to hear it with his enhanced hearing as they sat at a small, two-person table off against one of the cafeteria's side walls.

"Now you're barking up the right tree. Has lots to do with someone's self-image or their internal view of themselves." Hound Dog nodded. "Wonder who she's worried about. Maybe that Iida pup. Nezu mentioned I'd need to be dragging him in to have a bark sometime soon. He's been hiding his depawssion well from what I've heard."

"Alright... how do I... combat that?" Harper knew she couldn't fix it, but she'd been pushing against Iida's depression since day one. And though it wasn't doing much, especially with the huge Tensei set back, it was still something. Or it had been before today. He'd get there. As for Aizawa, was he trying to fit some sort of stereotype? Was he expected to be cold, calculating, level headed, and exhausted, so that's how he acted? It was possible.

"It's no walk in the park, that's for sure, pup. It depends on who this dog is. Be an ally to them. Celebrate the part of them that was discriminated against, maybe try to get them to take pride in it, or you can show pride towards it. Accept that pawrt of them." Hound Dog said thoughtfully, taking a bite out of his steak. "Whoever this is has their tail tucked for a reason. That reason could be old trauma, or it could be something fresher. You've really got to try and draw it out of them. Show them it's okay, and that there's nothing wrong with it."

Harper's headache was in full swing now, because how the hell was she supposed to do this? She shoved some french toast in her mouth, staring down at her tray of various foods. Should she really get mixed up in something like this with a teacher? As far as she knew, she was the only one who'd seen this part of Aizawa. But surely he must have slipped up a few times, especially at first. And the only one close enough to him to have maybe witnessed that was....

Harper let out a sigh. 

"Great." She tilted her head back to look despondently at the ceiling. "I've got to talk to Mr. Mic." 

Hound Dog cocked his head slightly, his tail swishing slightly. "Pup looks like someone just stole her favorite ball!"

Harper scrubbed at her eyes. If only things were that simple. But these days, they never were. And as much as Harper hated to admit it, she was quickly coming to accept that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LITERALLY one person: I wish someone would draw Aizawa smiling a not-creepy smile. Like a legit happy one.

Me, who can't draw and has no time on their hands to do so anyway:

It doesn't even look cheerful???????????????????????????? Someone like shoot me between the eyes pls. And yes I only used two layers suE me