Chapter Text
Kan Sekijirou never really had major issues with his students. He ran a tight ship. He never found himself having to intervene the amount Aizawa had to for his class, and for that he was thankful. His students never came to him before or after class to talk about serious issues with classmates or academics because there never were any serious issues. So, when Shinsou Hitoshi hunted him down in the teacher’s lounge with a terrified look in his eye the morning of the last day of classes before winter break, Kan was more than a little concerned.
Shinsou had transferred into his class at the beginning of the year by Aizawa’s recommendation and Kan’s insistence. He seemed uninterested in making friends at first, but eventually he warmed up to the class and them to him. Kan assumed if there was an issue, he’d have heard about it by now.
The look in Shinsou’s eye made him the most unsure that he’d ever been.
“What can I help you with, Shinsou?” he asked as the boy made his way to Kan’s desk. Shinsou shifted nervously from foot to foot. His eyes looked a little red and puffy, like he’d been crying. This was definitely worse than Kan thought.
“I-uh.” Shinsou cleared his throat. “I have a problem. About break.” Okay, so not what he was expecting. Kan gestured to a chair on the other side of his desk, inviting Shinsou to sit. The boy did, quickly and quietly.
“What’s the problem?” Kan asked softly. Shinsou scratched the back of his neck and looked down.
“You know my… um… housing situation. Right?” he said to the table. Kan nodded. When Shinsou was accepted into his class, Nedzu scheduled a meeting to talk about the boy’s situation. He’d been in the foster care system for about ten years, bouncing from home to home. As of the beginning of the year, he was in a more stable environment, having been at the house for three years. Kan had even met the parents and they seemed kind.
“Yes, I’m aware,” Kan said. Shinsou nodded, still refusing to look him in the eye. His breathing looked a little shaky.
“What’s wrong, Shinsou?” Kan asked as gently as he could. Shinsou shook his head, as if he was clearing his thoughts, and looked up.
“It turns out my foster mom was using,” he almost whispered. “She had problems in her teens, apparently, but-uh she’d been clean for over fifteen years. Her husband-um… he reported her this morning. My worker told me I can’t go back. So could I… is there a way for me to stay on campus over break?” Kan’s heart ached for the boy. It was so easy to forget that his heroes were just teenagers. They were kids.
“I’m so sorry, Shinsou,” Kan said, moving around his desk to be next to the boy. He crouched down to look him in the eye and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You shouldn’t have to deal with this.” Shinsou nodded, looking like he was fighting back tears. “I’ll go talk to Nedzu now and get something arranged. You can stay here and wait for me if you’d like.” Shinsou shook his head.
“No, thanks, though. I’m going to head to class.” Kan nodded.
“Okay, kid. I’ll get this sorted before the end of the day. I promise.” Shinsou nodded a final time and left the lounge. Kan let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in.
“Shit,” he whispered once the boy had left.
Aizawa didn’t like eavesdropping. He tried not to. But, when the one kid who wasn’t exactly His Kid but everyone knew was His Kid came into the teachers’ lounge looking like he was about to cry, Aizawa couldn’t help himself.
“Kan,” he said, catching the man before he left the lounge. “I apologize for eavesdropping, but I think I might be able to help.” Kan folded his arms and sighed.
“I should have figured you were listening. He’s your kid as much as mine. What do you have in mind?” They began the walk to Nedzu’s office.
“Hizashi and I will be staying on campus for break. We don’t think Eri’s ready to travel just yet. If you and Nedzu find it acceptable, we’d be happy to let him stay with us in the guest room. Or he can stay in his dorm and we can check up on him,” he said as they walked. Kan didn’t say anything and Aizawa couldn't read his expression. Finally, he sighed.
“I’ll bring it up to Nedzu. This might take some time, so could you pop in my homeroom if I’m not back?” he asked, giving nothing away. Aizawa nodded.
“Of course. Let me know what happens.” Kan disappeared into Nedzu’s office.
By the end of the day, Shinsou was a nervous wreck. He didn’t eat anything at lunch, despite Monoma and Tetsutetsu’s insistence, and he couldn’t focus on anything in his classes. He wouldn’t be surprised if he failed some of his exams.
Thankfully, at the end of the day, he didn’t have to hunt down Kan. The man found Shinsou himself. They spoke in the empty classroom after everyone left. Shinsou was surprised to see Aizawa coming in and leaning against the wall next to the door.
“So, we have a solution…”