A/N: Hello everyone! Day... erm... What is it? 6? 7? 8? I really can't remember. Oof. Still on tiktok. Somehow, on day 3 or 4 of having a tiktok, I've already got 130 followers. Wha?? I have a feeling most of that is you guys~ Thanks! :) Glad you find my Aizawa cosplay so interesting. (Still in said cosplay as I update. Haha.

So... is it bad that I haven't eaten anything but half a pretzel today? And it's now 8:30pm, and I had a sandwich two days ago, and a handful of dry cereal yesterday? I'm kinda bad at remembering to eat, sometimes. oof. I love food, don't get me wrong—I just dislike spending money on food. And putting forth effort to obtain said food. Especially when I could be writing or sleeping instead. *shot*

Also! if you have fanart or something, send it to [email protected] (I know, I can't believe that it wasn't taken, either. But now it's mine. Oddly enough, Eraserhead was taken, but Aizawa was not. HA! FIRST!) I've been so impressed with all the Swan Dive fanart I've been getting!! Now I need to figure out how people on AO3 do those links.... *muttermuttermuttermutter*

Hope you enjoy this next chapter of Viridian! Now, about pairings... I've had several people across different stories ask me about this. As a general rule, I don't pair my MC with other people. Actually, Erasermic was my first time writing a romantic relationship out. Sooo... no worries, there. Izuku's not going to have someone for a while, if at all. Romance will never be a main focus of my stories. If it does happen to show up, it will be neither forced, nor intentional, nor a major aspect of the story. :) So please read on without worry! (Besides, pairing Viridian or the Robin's Nest Izuku would be a headache and a half due to time-travel and mind-age vs physical age. What's considered 'too old' and 'too young' in that case? Not touching that.)

As always, stay safe out there! Corona is getting worse in many places, and I hope everyone stays healthy. Jamba isn't doing much for their employees, but Chipotle gave us all a 10% pay increase for working in these conditions. :) I'm cool with that.

~~~

Shouta wasn't sure what to expect from this year's crop of students. Last year, he'd expelled his entire class, and he wasn't above doing the same to this one. He was already in a bad mood, and he blamed Viridian wholeheartedly.

That idiot had gotten himself seriously wounded about a week ago, when they ran into his crazy stalker, and he hadn't been replying to anyone on the group chat. Shouta had been unable to find him in any hospitals or clinics, meaning that the guy was either being treated by someone privately (he hoped) or was doing it himself—again. He hoped Viridian had just damaged his phone again. Maybe Shouta should get him a hero-grade phone instead? Those were durable as hell, for this exact reason.

With a sigh, he fished out his phone to send the vigilante another text.

LetMeSleep: @ViridianChaos, I swear to god, if you don't reply to one of us, I'm going to hunt you down after school and drag you to a goddamned hospital myself.

As if he hadn't already been driving himself up the wall searching every crevice of Musutafu he knew—he even searched the South Side each night!

Fury: Still no sign of him on my end, either.

Shouta wouldn't admit it aloud, but he enjoyed the man's company, and possibly even considered him a friend. Not that he'd tell anyone that.

So knowing that his maybe-friend was hurt somewhere, and the fact that he hadn't seen him on patrol for several nights put Shouta in a pretty foul mood. His fuse was short enough without having to deal with a bunch of unruly teenagers who think they're hot stuff.

He eyed his class from his position on the floor. The fluffy-haired kid, Midoriya, had noticed him instantly. That put Shouta on-guard, because he was in stealth mode—the kind he used on underground missions. Nobody noticed him in stealth mode. Seriously, what is this kid?!

He carefully nodded in acknowledgement of the brat before he stood up, garnering the attention of the rest of the class.

"Eight seconds. It took you all that long to settle down. Time is precious, do not waste mine." He sent them a level look, climbing out of his comfortably warm sleeping bag. "My name is Aizawa Shouta, and I'll be your homeroom teacher for the duration of your time here at U.A." He pulled out their gym uniforms. "Now put these on and meet me outside on the field." With that, he walked out, stuffing his sleeping bag into his pocket (because Hizashi was amazing and got him the kind that folds up into the size of a phone).

As he made his way outside, he felt his phone buzz.

ViridianChaos: Sorry I've been offline for a bit. My phone got damaged when I got hurt. No need to worry, I'll be back on patrol within a night or two~ I didn't even have to stitch myself up this time! And Eraser, it's not like you could find me if you tried. :P

Shouta let out a breath of relief, alongside a sigh of irritation.

Fury: Damnit, Viridian! You're legally helping us, now. If you get hurt, we can let you see actual medical help! We won't even make you remove your mask.

ViridianChaos: Sorry, old habits die hard. Besides, I've got someone to help patch me up, so don't worry so much~!

LetMeSleep: Yes, well, we don't want you to die, so let us help you when you're fucking hurt. I swear you're as bad as my first years.

ViridianChaos changed LetMeSleep's name to Dadzawa

Dadzawa: What is this?

ViridianChaos: I thought it was clever. Since you're like the dad of our little group.

Fury: Then what am I?

ViridianChaos: The mom. Want me to change your name too?

Fury: Forget I asked.

Shouta hid his smile in his Capture Weapon as he pocketed his phone and waited for his students. That was one weight off his shoulders. Maybe he wouldn't expel his entire class. Maybe.

Midoriya was the first kid out there. It'd taken him only a minute or so to come running out to meet him (and Shouta noticed something slightly off with his gait, like he was hurt). He raised an eyebrow. Though he'd implied that time was of the essence, most kids didn't pick up on that. Midoriya, once again, seemed to be the exception. I have the feeling I should get used to this...

He impatiently shifted from one foot to the other as the other 19 students slowly trickled out, talking amiably amongst themselves. He resisted the urge to glare/sigh.

He started speaking, giving his usual speech about how the system was illogical for disregarding Quirks and pretending everyone was equal. One girl, Uraraka, if he recalled correctly, had the guts to interrupt him and ask about orientation.

"We don't have time to waste on pleasantries like that. I've got three years to make heroes out of you, and every minute counts. U.A. is known for its freeform education. This applies to teachers, as well. That means I can teach you however I want, and I don't have to stick to government-issued standards." He waited a moment to make sure nobody else was going to interrupt him.

"You're familiar with these tests, you've been doing them all your life. Ball throws, endurance runs, grip tests, toe touches... This time, you can use your Quirks."

He called up Bakugo, the kid with the second highest score in the Entrance Exam. Normally, he'd call up the kid with the highest score, but Midoriya was Quirkless and thus pointless for the purpose of this demonstration.

He watched the familiar looks of awe as the children realized that they'd be allowed to use their Quirks however they saw fit.

"This is going to be fun!" Ashido squealed, making Shouta twitch. Oddly enough, he noticed Midoriya send her a glare of his own.

"Fun? You think this'll be fun? All right, then, let's up the stakes. The person with the lowest score across the board will be expelled." He smirked into his Capture Weapon as the class dissolved into panic. Midoriya clenched his fists in... was that anger? Determination? No, it was something more... Desperate.

Before Shouta could look any deeper into his student's unusual reactions, his ears picked up someone crying about how unfair this whole thing was. He was about to open his mouth when he heard Midoriya laugh.

It was a dark laugh, humorless. It sent a chill down Shouta's spine. "Unfair? Hate to burst your bubble, but life is unfair. You think hurricanes and earthquakes are fair? Bombings? Villains? Listen, I know yo- we're kids, but that's no reason to be so naïve. As heroes, it's our job to make things fair. We take the brunt of the unfairness so the civilians can rest easy and pretend that life is kind and they can stay blissfully ignorant of the pain and death we'll face every day." He must've noticed that the class was staring at him either wide-eyed or in complete disregard.

"He's right." Shouta spoke up, startling the class. He wasn't going to lie. The kid's speech worried him more than he was willing to admit. But he was damn good at keeping his expression neutral, so he decided to pick up where he left off. "It's a hero's job to level the playing field. Villains won't go easy on you just because you're having an off day. You can't take sick-days as a hero, either. Once you debut, you're in. And the only way out is retirement or death." He made sure the kids at least heard him, even if they didn't yet understand. (He ignored the eerie stare of Midoriya, how those eyes understood what he'd said, because it made his concern for the child spike again).

Without further ado, he started the assessment. He'd honestly expected Midoriya to lag behind a bit, what with him lacking a Quirk. Not that he'd expected him to necessarily be dead last (because there were plenty of people in this class with Quirks that couldn't be used here), but he certainly hadn't been expecting him to place in the top six.

His physical capabilities were shocking, and the fact that he actually outlasted everyone in the endurance run had him reeling. Because though the kid looked utterly exhausted after the run, he'd had this look in his eyes. Like he had something to actually lose if he'd stopped. And for a moment, Shouta swore he'd seen the fear of death in those eyes, but he shook it off.

Midoriya was definitely concerning him. Just what had this child been through? Because it was looking like his initial thoughts on the kid were accurate—he truly did look and act like a soldier. When Shouta had him do something, he'd do it to the best of his abilities. He was pushing himself far harder than the other students were. It was as if Shouta had threatened to kill someone dear to him if he'd failed the assessment. (He prayed that there wasn't some villain who was holding someone hostage over Midoriya's head with the instructions to make it into U.A.)

There were also several times that Shouta noticed he would wince, or flinch (especially during the toe touches). Again, he suspected that the kid was hurt. Though the winces were minor, so Shouta doubted it was anything major, as kids this age tended to have fairly low pain tolerances. Then again, Midoriya might have an abnormally high pain tolerance, for all he knew.

But if Midoriya had gone to the hospital for anything, then Shouta would've been informed, so either it was nothing serious, or the kid was an idiot who didn't get an injury treated (not unlike a certain vigilante). Either way, unless something drastic happened, like he broke a bone or started bleeding out, he wasn't going to draw any unnecessary attention to the kid. He'd give him a slip to see Chiyo after class if the kid wanted to.

There was an incident, while Kirishima was doing his ball-throw... Bakugo had been glaring at Midoriya all morning, and he finally seemed to act on it.

"Deku." Shouta blinked at the nickname (he vaguely noted the red-head, Kirishima, blink in recognition at the nickname). The way he said it indicated that it was an insult. He was sensing a history here that he didn't like. "I don't know how the hell you cheated your way into U.A., but someone like you shouldn't be here."

"I got in the same way as you—by passing the Entrance Exams." Midoriya answered back. He didn't seem intimidated by the other boy, which made the blond even more angry, but Shouta noticed the clenched fist of the Quirkless child. He didn't seem scared, but there was obviously some sort of trauma there. Bakugo started to fire up his Quirk as he made to throw a punch, and that was all Shouta needed to see.

He erased Bakugo's Quirk, and restrained him with his Capture Weapon.

"That's enough. I will not tolerate infighting in my class. If you're going to fight, do it in a spar. This is your only warning." He blinked and released his hold on the simmering student. They seem to have some negative history. I'll need to keep an eye on them both. And I swear, if this kid starts bullying anyone, I'll have him expelled faster than Nezu can make a cup of tea.

Shouta also mentally noted to talk to Hound Dog about getting Bakugo anger management classes.

Finally, he showed the results. Mineta was dead last. Honestly, Shouta didn't like how he'd been oogling the girls in the class, and though his record was clean, he had the feeling that someone had pulled a few strings to make it such.

Said kid was now on the ground sniveling and crying like a pathetic infant. I might've actually spared him, if he'd had the decency to handle this graciously. But I honestly can't imagine this kid ever becoming a hero. His potential is zero.

"Mineta. Head to the front desk to fill out your paperwork. You're Expelled." He stated firmly, and a few students looked at him wide-eyed.

"Y-you mean you were serious?!" Yaoyorozu gasped in shock.

"What part of 'last place is expelled' was unclear?" Shouta sent her a mild glare. "I have no qualms about expelling students who have zero potential. And you all may have proven yourselves to me today, but if I catch any of you getting complacent, I won't hesitate to cut you. I've expelled third years before." He warned, taking no small amount of pleasure in watching them stiffen. Good. Be afraid. Let that motivate you to do better.

"These next three years, we're going to push you to your limits and beyond—Plus Ultra style. Keep showing me your best, and you'll become heroes one day. Now go, and make sure you grab your syllabus on your way out." He waved his hand in a shoo motion as he walked away.

"Oh, and Midoriya." The kid froze for a moment, looking uncomfortable. "Here. If you're hurt, go see Recovery Girl." He handed over a nurse pass.

"R-right. T-thank you, sensei." He bowed awkwardly before leaving Shouta to grab his syllabus. Interesting. He seems to hold little faith in teachers. It's likely that nobody bothered to stop the bullying before.

He entered the Teacher's Lounge with a heavy sigh, even as Present Mic greeted him boisterously. "Sooo... Do you still have a class this year?"

"Yes, I have 19 students remaining." Shouta announced, and several of his coworkers relaxed.

"You were right terrifying last year, when you came in after the first day announcing that you no longer had a class to teach." Snipe chuckled.

"No kidding. I thought you were joking until Nezu confirmed it." Midnight shook her head. "So who'd you expel?"

"Mineta Minoru." Shouta poured himself a cup of coffee as he curled up on the couch next to Hizashi. "Kid has no potential as a hero."

"Isn't that a little harsh?" All Might's brows knitted together in concern.

"We have a tough job. If someone doesn't make the cut, it's better to send them home crying than dead." Shouta defended his decision, making the other man wince.

"I suppose I see your point." He conceded. "How'd the Quirkless kid do? Did he pass?"

"Midoriya placed sixth, actually." Shouta ignored the look of shock that painted the Number One Hero's face. He wondered if perhaps the man had something against Quirkless people, but then All Might smiled a little. Or maybe he's biased. I'll need to make sure he doesn't treat Midoriya differently than his classmates—negatively or positively.

Shouta hesitated before pulling out his tablet. Whenever he performed assessments, Nezu wanted him to record his class. Mostly, it was so that he could justify any expulsions that occurred, but it was also to record their progress. "But the kid's... interesting. And concerning."

"Oh?" Hizashi leaned in closer. "Concerning how?"

"I'm not sure... He's..." Shouta paused, trying to find the right words. "There's something off with him. Like he's been through..." He shook his head. "I'll just show you."

His coworkers gathered around. It wasn't often that a kid had left Aizawa Shouta at a loss for words, so they were intrigued.

When he pulled up the video, they heard Shouta's explanation about expulsion, and how one kid called him out on being unfair. A few staff members snorted in amusement at that.

But then Midoriya laughed. And just like Shouta, the pros in the room felt a chill run down their spine. That laugh was dark and heavy, filled to the brim with something they couldn't quite name.

"No kid should laugh that way." Ectoplasm shuddered as Thirteen nodded. It made their heart hurt. It was so... desolate.

"Unfair? Hate to burst your bubble, but life is unfair. You think hurricanes and earthquakes are fair? Bombings? Villains? Listen, I know yo- we're kids, but that's no reason to be so naïve. As heroes, it's our job to make things fair. We take the brunt of the unfairness so the civilians can rest easy and pretend that life is kind and they can stay blissfully ignorant of the pain and death we'll face every day."

Shouta turned off the recording, leaving his coworkers speechless. "See what I mean? Something deeper is going on here... kid sounds like he's speaking from experience."

"That's strange." Midnight's eyes were narrowed. "He said 'I know we're just kids', but I think he was going to say 'I know you're just kids'..."

"Maybe you should show this to Hound Dog." Thirteen suggested.

"I plan to, but I wanted to give you all a heads up. I don't think Midoriya's up to anything bad, but it's entirely possible that we're dealing with a traumatized kid, here." Shouta sighed as he laid back on the couch. He didn't want to deal with this. He wanted to expel his class again. The free time last year was amazing.

Either way, he was stuck with this class for now. He just hoped that whatever Midoriya was dealing with wasn't something that would come back around and bite them all in the ass.

Goddamnit. I just jinxed it, didn't I?

Shouta swore he heard the universe laugh.

Linekunhere!Ican'tbelievesomeonewantstousemeinastory!Imean,thisauthorhasnoownershipofme,I'mliterallyjustabunchofwordsstrungtogetheronboldanditalics.Butwhateverworks,Isuppose.

Izuku sighed as he made his way through the mounds of trash. He'd managed to slip away without having to socialize with anyone. He felt a little bad, because he was pretty sure that Kirishima was GayAFanimeBoi's brother, but he was emotionally exhausted. Not only was he around Aizawa (which he was used to again, because of the constant patrols as Viridian), but he was also constantly in the general area of Hizashi. He even glimpsed Power Loader, and that was hard.

Yeah, he was not in the headspace to talk to people. But school was done, and he was blessedly alone. He smiled lightly to himself as he kicked open the door to his camper. Now, he could...

Keigo was lazing on his couch with a bag of potato chips and a laptop streaming Netflix.

"Welcome home." Keigo greeted.

"Tadaima." Izuku deadpanned. "Why are you in my house?"

"Calling it a house is a bit of a stretch, don't you think?"

"Don't you have an agency to run?" So much for alone time.

"They can handle themselves." Keigo waived him off. "So how was the first day of school?"

"Pretty good... Though I think I pulled my stitches." Izuku pulled up his shirt with a wince.

"Damnit, Zu! That was almost healed!" Keigo groaned. "Come here, let me look."

With a sigh, Izuku removed his shirt completely, allowing Keigo to assess the wound. He realized idly that this was the first time Keigo had been able to see his entire torso without it being covered in blood.

"God... Izuku, you have so many scars..." Keigo lightly trailed his fingers over one that stretched from his left collarbone to his right hip, causing Izuku to shiver lightly. He'd gotten that nasty one from a White Nomu.

"I've been through a lot of shit, Kei."

"One day, I hope you'll trust me with the whole story." Keigo answered after a long moment, and Izuku let out a sigh of relief. He was beyond grateful that the other man didn't press the issue. "Now hold still while I fix the damage you did by running around like an idiot."

"Hey! I'll have you know that Aizawa made me run around like an idiot!"

"Only because you didn't inform him of your injury."

"Oh, and I suppose you have a good cover story for this?" Izuku gestured to the injury and all the scars that adorned his torso.

"Uh..."

"Exactly. I can't just say 'oh, yeah! Please ignore all these scars! I can't really explain it right now, so forget you saw anything.' I doubt a single teacher at U.A. would let this go."

"Well of course not." Keigo shook his head. "Most heroes wouldn't let it go. A 15-year-old kid with this many scars is not okay."

"I should probably come up with some kind of cover story, shouldn't I?"

"I mean, with your luck, you'll end up in Recovery Girl's office by the end of the week."

"Yeah. I just hope I don't have any flashbacks." Izuku muttered under his breath.

"Flashbacks?"

"Er..."

"I've known you for how many months, now? I've never seen you have a flashback."

"It's different when I'm Viridian." Izuku explained. "When I put on the mask... It's like I'm dissociating a bit. Like my mask protects me. I'm not Midoriya Izuku, anymore. I'm not the Quirkless freak or the useless subhuman that everyone calls me." He ignored the wince of the winged man. "I'm the Vigilante Viridian. I'm strong, and I can fight crime, and... and what bothers Izuku doesn't bother Viridian... My past can't haunt me as easily."

"So your triggers don't send you into flashbacks when you're in your vigilante mode, but when you're in your civilian mode...?"

"Yeah. It's strange, but I suppose I'm just that kind of messed up, you know?"

"I don't think you're 'messed up'. I think it makes you human." Keigo pulled Izuku into a hug. "Don't ever call yourself a freak or a subhuman. I don't care what other people say. Quirked or Quirkless, it's who you are that matters."

"H...Hey, Kei?"

"Yeah, Zu?"

"I'm glad you're my brother."

"So am I."