Saving Me [Monoma x Reader]

1o. Surprise Visit

I had a lot to think about once I got home. I couldn't push myself to train today since we had the Battle Trials and Recovery Girl told me to rest, but I still wanted to take a walk and visit the vista point where Dad used to take me. I wish he were still here. Today's events replayed through my mind, and I so badly wanted to hear his voice, to hear what he would say.

Dad... what should I do?

Leaning on the iron rails and taking a sip of juice from a can I bought from a nearby vending machine, I gazed into the millions of lights that dotted the landscape. It was like looking into a sea of stars.

"Nice night out, huh?"

My head jerked to see where the voice came from. "M-Mr. Aizawa?" I choked on my juice, sputtering and attempting to wipe the spillage that flew out from my mouth. What the hell was he doing here? Not to mention, it was really weird seeing a teacher outside of school. Well, at least it was for me.

"So... you're Higyou's kid."

I blinked in shock. "Wh-... what? How-" My eyebrows knit together. "How do you know... my dad?"

I don't know if it was because it was nighttime, or if it was because he was exasperated, but the bags underneath his eyes looked especially saggy today. "We worked together on a few missions."

"Er... I don't mean any disrespect, sir, but uh-... he never talked about you."

Aizawa let out a weary sigh. "Sounds about right. The missions we did together were more on the quiet side."

"Uh... huh..." Now that I thought about it, there were some things that Dad couldn't share with me because of matters of confidentiality, so it made sense why I heard about some of Dad's other colleagues, but not others, which I guess included Aizawa. Dad also wanted me to have Mom's family name instead of his to prevent any potential messes with villains, at least until I was old enough to be a hero and fight on my own.

"He never told me your name, but he did tell me that he had a kid. I didn't figure it out until today, when I watched the recordings from your class's Battle Trials."

He watched my recording? Oh... oh no no no. Is he gonna chew me out for losing? IS HE GONNA KICK ME OUT?!

"I saw how you barreled towards Todoroki at the end, and that's when I knew. Higyou moved like that, too. The resemblance was too uncanny to be a coincidence."

"And... and you're telling me this... why?"

"Look kid, don't get me wrong. I don't play favorites, and I'm not gonna cut you any slack in school just 'cause you're the kid of a friend."

What was he getting at? And "friend"? Was he close with Dad? How did he find me? How did he know about this spot? How did he know I'd be here?

I had so many questions, but I couldn't even move my mouth to ask any of them since all of the speed in my body rushed to my heart. It beat like a wild drum as I tried to figure out why Aizawa popped up out of the blue and was talking to me about my dad.

"But if you really wanna be a hero like Higyou was, then you should actually follow what he stood for."

What he stood for? What's he-

"Heroes never prey on the weak," he began to quote. "We raise them up, so that they may be strong with the rest of us, because it is when we are together that we are truly victorious."

My eyes grew. Aizawa had just repeated Dad's words verbatim, the ones from so long ago that I had carried with me every single day.

"It's what we do as heroes, [L/N]. We save people. We save the weak. Now the question is," he delayed his next few words as his eyes honed in on me, "Will you save yourself?"

I felt as if a lightning bolt had struck me in the chest.

"Don't ask if I called you weak, because I did."

I choked on my spit this time. I was beaten up enough today as it was. Twice. Did I really need to deal with this, too?

"You may think that I haven't noticed, but I know when students in my class are being brats."

Oh great. Don't tell me...

"If you're gonna let guys like Bakugo step all over you, then you have no place at U.A."

HE'S KNOWN THIS WHOLE TIME.

"I won't fight your fights for you because you all need to grow up and settle things for yourselves. You won't become heroes if I'm holding your hand."

Okay. OKAY. Aizawa said he doesn't play favorites. SO, he sure as hell better have had this conversation with Midoriya, too, because Bakugo doesn't just pick on m-

"And no, I don't need to have this conversation with Midoriya, because while he has his own flaws, he can at least stand up for himself."

I wanted to tear my hair out and throw my juice can into the trees.

I swear, this man SEES all. HEARS all. I bet he friggin' SMELLS all, too!!!

I wasn't even training this evening, but I was sweating bullets.

"So, with all of that being said, are you gonna pull yourself up, [L/N]? Because if you don't, you'll drag the rest of your classmates down."