Neutrality Order (TomBoo)

R.C. - Chapter 3

He didn't think silence could be worse than shouting. He was wrong.

Everything his class did was done in silence. Schoolwork, class-changes, watching, WAITING.

All silent.

And lonely.

And incredibly awkward.

Never before had 1-A been this quiet, and it even seemed to unnerve the teachers, Tommy noticed. Present Mic had the good measure not to make much in the way of call-outs, focusing primarily on individual written work. Cementoss and Ectoplasm followed suit, the two giving out quiet open-note tests rather than disrupt the bubble of silence in a way that might make it violently burst.

After math, Tommy remembered his extra lessons with Aizawa, and as soon as Ectoplasm was out of the room, he grabbed his bag and BOLTED.

The silence was suffocating, and the anticipation of waiting for someone -ANYONE- to say something was killing him. He needed to get out, to get his anxiety and frustration with himself taken care of with whatever Aizawa was going to have him do before lunch.

He almost ran into Aizawa in the hall and supposed the look on his face was enough for his teacher to guess how his day went. He wordlessly nodded for Tommy to follow him.

"You'll be taking a different lunch period than the others," he remarked, walking toward the staff break room. "Today you'll be lunching with me since you're new to it, but tomorrow you'll be lunching with the third-years. Connor has volunteered to eat with you on days he's attending school." He glanced at Tommy. "It's not just to keep an eye on you. He genuinely doesn't want you to feel lonely for lunch."

Tommy nodded quietly. "Alright," he said.

"After that lunch period, you'll come to the teachers' office and we'll begin our lessons," Aizawa continued. "You'll basically be having your hero lessons stretch an hour longer than your classmates', but we'll switch it up every so often so you'll be there at the gym or field everyone else's will begin with. Another prime difference is that your costume is in my possession, and we'll be working with it on-and-off as we go."

He walked into the staff break room where some to-go boxes were waiting, and shut the door behind them, gesturing for Tommy to take a seat and eat. The two sat in relative silence until at least half of the food was consumed before Aizawa spoke again.

"How did it go?"

"Ever seen a dumpster catch fire? That."

Aizawa made a noncommittal sound, fishing out a pepper from his meal. "I thought as much. No antagonistic behavior?"

"Other than Will looking ready to blow a gasket and only his squad keeping him distracted...not really." Tommy nibbled on some pork. "...no one's said anything."

Aizawa nodded. "Would you rather they do?"

"I think so," Tommy replied. "At this point, I'd WELCOME Will throwing a Howitzer at my head." He rubbed his face hard. "Maybe he'll grant my wish at practice today."

"Wish denied, problem child, today is strength and agility training," Aizawa replied. "And none of that hold-your-breath-while-training nonsense, just telling you right now."

Tommy blushed, nodding. "Yessir," he said. "...but can I start with thirty seconds and work my way up?"

Aizawa stared at him before sighing. "You're going to anyway, so I'll allow it," he replied. "But I'm going to time it, and I want a reason why."

Tommy chewed his lip before nodding; for all he knew, Aizawa already knew this particular stealth technique. "Alright," he replied, finishing up his lunch. "So what are we doing today?"