Third person pov

It was only a matter of time before someone noticed. While people didn't take note of Touya, it was impossible to ignore the colorful man who came and went from UA's campus. He was clearly too old to be a student, which meant he had to be a teacher of some kind. To the press, this was a big deal. UA was at their most vulnerable. With the attack on the summer camp and the recent kidnapping of one of their students, everyone had their eyes on them. And that meant everyone had their eyes on this new teacher. Why had they risked bringing in someone new during these turbulent times? Who were they, and what were their qualifications? Could they even be trusted?

It had been a while since so many reporters swarmed near the gates of UA, hoping to catch a glimpse of the a student, a teacher, or better yet, of the new individual on campus. The photos of him they did have were all blurry and taken from afar, showing the man in a rainbow of different pigments. He wore suspenders, and neon knee socks that didn't match. The brightest sweaters that clashed with even brighter shorts. Rubber bracelets every shade you could imagine, and flashy shoes that lit up when he walked. Nothing about his outfit was professional or hero like, which only made them wonder more.

"We're going to have to ask you to leave the premise." Aizawa drawled, arms crossed over his chest. Present Mic stood by his side, shaking his head with a grimace. The police were on their way, but until then, there wasn't all that much they could do. Using force wasn't allowed unless they trespassed or made moves to attack. All they could do until then was sit and twiddle their thumbs. 

"We want to know who this man is!" The reporter nearest the front said instead of offering any real reply to Aizawa's demand, thrusting a blurry photo of Takashi forward. Mic made a big show of leaning forward and squinting at it, pushing his glasses further up his nose and making a confused sound. The reporters quieted, waiting diligently with their microphones held forward as far as they could without getting their arms chopped off by the gate. Hizashi hummed contemplatively, standing back up straight. Everyone held their breath collectively, hoping and praying they'd be given something.

"Don't know him!" The blonde man chirped after a tense second of silence. Aizawa turned his head to hide his snort of amusement as calls of indignation rose up. Most called blasphemy. The guy was impossible to miss. He was a pop of color against a relatively monotone world. He left the campus quite often, always coming back with grocery bags or boxes, or other such of the like. Some witnesses said they'd even seen him carrying moving boxes a few months back, which heavily implied that he was living on campus.

The public deserved to know what was going on here at UA! With All Might now retired, the world was on edge. Nobody needed any unwanted surprises rising up. They wanted as much information as they could get, and they wanted it now. With all UA had gone through, the public deserved to know! They had a right! It was a miracle UA hadn't been shut down all together. They were in no position to be keeping secrets.

"That's impossible! You have to have at least seen him." A woman frowned, taking a small step forward. Her camera man quickly grabbed her upper arm and shook his head. If the gates snapped up, they'd be shut out for good anyway. Better to keep the channel of communication open rather than cutting off their only possible source of information. However, it wasn't looking like these two pros would be cracking anytime soon. It was irritating. They wanted to know what was going on! These students here at UA were the world's future. They were just kids, and UA had a job to keep them safe.

"I don't see how it's any of your business. All you need to know is that we are taking all the necessary precautions to keep our students happy, healthy, and safe. Anyone we bring onto campus or already have on campus goes through a thorough background check, and a personality evaluation to see just what kind of person they are." Aizawa spoke. His words were soaked up greedily, but it was obvious the press wanted more. It wasn't everyday Eraserhead said anything for the cameras, after all. "We will go to any measure to ensure nothing that happened this last summer ever happens again. You don't need to concern yourself with all that goes on here. You don't need every tidbit of information."

"We have a right to know!" A man near the back shouted, causing an uproar.

"I don't see why you do! It's not like you attend here!" Mic's voice rose in volume, successfully overtaking their angry chatter. He quieted back down when they did. "Stop butting in, yo! If the students or parents want to ask questions, they're free to!"

Aizawa was sure there'd be another outburst of the irritating variety. He could see them wind up, and saved his sigh for when they started trying to justify their idiotic actions. They never burst out with their arguments, however. Gazes were drawn to somewhere behind him. A hungry light lit up in their eyes, and Aizawa felt the color drain from his face almost immediately as a wave of questions came forth from the teeming crowd. Both he and Mic turned just in time to see Takashi bounce up, all smiles.

"What are you doing here?" Aizawa hissed. Takashi beamed up at him, hands clasped behind his back. All Might had shown up and counted as both a teacher and a hero, so after telling him he was in charge of babysitting Touya until someone else took over, Takashi had set out on a mission. He needed groceries and cough syrup. Hagakure was insisting she wasn't sick, but he could tell, even without seeing her! He wasn't a parent, nor was he a woman, but the maternal instinct was still there. And it was ringing.

"I need to make a grocery run! Sato is out of baking supplies, Hagakure is getting sick, Bakugo ran out of chili powder, and we don't have any food in the fridge unless you count Aoyama's gourmet yogurt and half a bottle of ketchup. Even I can't cook with that!" The brunette cheerfully chirped at him. Mic and Aizawa both stared for a moment as he smiled, clearly not seeing the issue at hand. He just wanted to get what his kiddos needed! And some more socks for Touya. He still had plenty, but Takashi knew you could never have too many socks! Seeing his face light up would make it worth it.

"It's really not safe for you to be leaving right now." Mic admitted, gesturing towards the frenzied hoard of reporters. "They're here for you, you know."

Takashi cocked his head. Here for him? Oh goody! They could fuck right on off, then! He had places to be and errands to run. He was supposed to stop by a cafe to meet Fuyumi and Hawks just to say hello, then he was swinging by the apartment to drop off a few photographs for Rei, after which he'd need to get Kaminari's ADHD prescription from the drug store. Momo was also out of her favorite tea, which came from a imported goods store on the nicer side of town. Honestly, Takashi probably needed a car for this. Beggars couldn't be choosers, he supposed!

"It'll be fine! I'll just talk to them, and then they can go away." Takashi assured.

"That's really not how the press works. I suggest you wait until the police arrive." Aizawa advised. He was dutifully ignored, of course. Takashi wasn't what some might call a 'little bitch'. In fact, he liked to think he was quite formidable! Touya constantly called him badass, but they were soulmates so it almost didn't count, even if it was really, really sweet! But Takashi could be a cripple with two types of cancer and Touya would still compliment him, thus making it a lot harder to believe. Still adorable, though! Takashi showered him in kisses anytime he said it.

"Don't worry! It'll be just fine." Takashi assured brightly before stepping forward. The press stilled slightly, clearly waiting to see if he'd talk. All of them bombarding the man with questions all at once wouldn't do much good. Besides, it was interesting just to look at him. He seemed undeniably nice, with a bright smile and clothing that radiated both sunshine and happiness. He was short, with a certain bounce in his step that made it seem like he was seeing the world through rose-tinted glass, while they were stuck living in something far more drab. Everything about him just seemed lighter, from his sparkling eyes to his mismatched shoelaces.

"Who're you, sir? Do you work here?" A reporter near the front finally rattled off, unable to wait even five seconds. Takashi clapped his hands together gleefully.

"I do! I'm Eraserhead's teaching assistant, actually! It's my job to provide him with help, as well as give the students extra protection." Takashi answered honestly, which was a bit of a surprise. They were expecting him to deflect. "My name is Takashi, by the way! I was a pre-school teacher before UA, but met the principal on the whim. He offered me a job, and I couldn't turn it down knowing the students here need my help!"

It was only half a lie, but the press ate it up hungrily as he shone like some sort of beacon before them. He was upbeat and didn't waver as the reporters all hurriedly wrote down his exact words, taking note of his name and such. 

"Are you a hero?" Someone asked as Takashi stood there patiently. He wasn't on a time crunch or anything, but he needed to be back by dinner. Lunch Rush would, obviously, handle lunch. It was a school day after all! Touya would be able to scrounge something up if worse came to worse, though it might take raiding some of the other dorms to do so. Kirishima and Sero would jump at the chance to cop food from another class, deeming it a 'secret mission' or something fun like that! Takashi thought that was adorable.

"I'm not! But my quirk is quite suited for protection detail." Takashi smiled. Behind him, Aizawa and Mic were tense. Takashi was choosing to reveal himself to the world, and thus the League. The press held their breath, hoping he'd elaborate. Takashi did aim to please! He continued, "I have a quirk called 'Rage'. The angrier I get, the stronger I become! I have pretty great control over it, and I've got plenty of patience! But if anyone ever dared try to harm the staff or students here..."

The tension rose as his eyes bled from green to red, his smile suddenly seeming far more menacing. Mic snickered behind his hand as the reporters and cameramen alike all backed up slightly. Takashi's momentary lapse into his tightly-leashed anger passed quickly as he shoved the ever present rage that boiled inside him back into the box he usually kept it locked inside. So long as no villains-- or Endeavor-- showed up, that's where it would stay! Unless he needed it to carry the groceries. Who knew it could all get so heavy!

"O-Oh, I see. And what is your opinion on the League of Villains?" This question came out meeker as Takashi walked forward.

"Oh, if they show their faces around here, I'll absolutely throw them through a wall!" Takashi chirped out joyfully. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some shopping to do! These kids won't make themselves dinner, let me tell you that."

Aizawa and Mic watched them part without issue, staying quiet as Takashi walked past them. A few looked like they had questions, but gripped their notepads tightly in lieu of actually asking anything. Takashi had given them the information they wanted, nothing more, nothing less. They could ask about the students, but he'd made it abundantly clear how protective he was of them. Aizawa felt himself grin slightly. His class was in good hands. While he didn't condone anything Touya had done in his time as Dabi, he couldn't deny he was glad it had brought the pair of soulmates here to UA. 

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

Endeavor hadn't taken a day off in all his time as a hero. Everyday, he patrolled as long as his office would allow him. Too long and he'd get sent home. The sheer abundance of vacation days he'd managed to rack up was ungodly. He almost had enough to take a full year off, full pay. Of course he never would. He was dedicated to his work. It was his entire life, aside from his children, but he'd certainly fucked that up. Maybe that's why his agency was so shocked and taken aback when he'd informed them that he wouldn't be coming in today. 

You see, Enji was having somewhat of an existential crisis over here in the corner. He was at his office at home, his hulking figure hunched over his laptop. For once his flames were shut off, though it wasn't like there was anyone around to see them. He knew both Fuyumi and Natsuo were on the premise, but Fuyumi was in the process of moving out, and Natsuo kept to himself as much as possible. So much so that sometimes the redheaded man had no idea he was even in the house.

The amount of tabs open on Endeavor's laptop was horrifying. He was actually surprised he hadn't crashed the desktop yet, if he was being honest with himself. He'd spent the last five or so hours pouring over the device, researching to try and find the small someone he'd ran into. He'd pulled up tabs on all the nearby university buildings, looking at any rosters they had available. If he could just find out which one his soulmate went to, he could call in a favor and get their information, or simply show up to confront them.

He wasn't sure why he was looking. His soulmate had appeared to be small and pathetic, and on top of that, was a male. He was everything Endeavor had previously been against! But there was this ache in his chest. He'd never felt such yearning for something-- not even for All Might's Number One spot. He just had to find this person. There was a hole in his chest he hadn't even realized was there, and it was absolutely killing him. He hated it. He hated this, but maybe if he found them, they could come to some sort of... arrangement. They didn't have to be involved in any way. Just so long as Endeavor knew where they were and could... he didn't know, pat their head sometime? Yes, maybe then things would be fine. Soulmate bonds required daily physical contact to stay healthy and strong.

When you met your soulmate, being with them stabilized you emotionally. That was another reason Endeavor was so diligently looking. Would it help him with his anger? Could it make him a better person? Because he had lost his kids, and while he knew he'd probably never get them back, he had to try and be better than he was for them. Maybe they would never talk to him again, but he had to try. He had to. He owed them that and so much more, so if he had to be gay with a soulmate half his age to achieve what he was setting out to do, then so be it. And who knows. Maybe he'd somehow be... happy along the way.

Another thing was his position as the Number One hero. It both concerned and excited him. On one hand, his soulmate would be a weak point for him. Being with Endeavor would put them in danger, and it would also put Endeavor in danger. Soulmate bonds were strong. He could see that now that he actually had one. It wasn't a myth or something exaggerated. The mere idea of someone harming that small someone-- someone he didn't even know-- made a rage unlike any other bubble up inside him. 

On the flip side, however, having a soulmate made you stronger. Your quirk naturally got more powerful when you had a healthy relationship with your destined half. Endeavor was who everyone was looking and counting on right now. All eyes were on him, whether they be the eyes of civilians, other heroes, or the villains. They all wanted to see just how close he could come to All Might. Having a soulmate would apparently help him with that. It intrigued him. He didn't want to use this person, obviously. But if he did find them, and if they did manage to get together... well, there was no telling what his life would become. For better, or for worse.

Endeavor sighed and shook his head, exiting out of one of the many tabs he had open. He wasn't in the gymnastics program that he could see, so it was on to dancing. Dancing... the idea made his nose scrunch up. What if his soulmate was a theater student? He didn't have anything against the industry, but he was... well, he was Endeavor. He didn't feel like he'd mix very well with a dancer, but he really didn't know much about how soulmates worked. Maybe he'd enjoy everything about them regardless of his own interests.

The university of the theater arts wasn't the best one in Japan, but it wasn't the worst. It offered a whole plethora of financial aid, which made it popular with lower class individuals looking to pursue a career in that field. Luckily the place was pretty big on photos and making their website look nice and pretty, meaning there was a whole gallery for Endeavor to scroll through. The place did have a yearbook you could order, but Endeavor didn't want to wait four to five months just to get a book that had all the same photos their website did.

The large building holding most of their dance studios was around where he'd run into the small someone, so there was a chance this was where they went. Endeavor's chest squeezed tighter with anxiety. He wanted so badly to find them, and he didn't even know them. It made no sense in his mind! How could he already be so attached to someone he hadn't even really met? Every time he thought back to the small someone, he failed to view them in anything less than a perfect light. It was a bit trippy considering he found flaws in everyone and everything, including himself. To suddenly find someone who was literally his definition of flawless was...

Endeavor stopped, eyes going wide. He clicked on the photo to enlarge it, zooming in on the face grinning dopely in the background. His heart rate shot up. The photo was in relatively poor quality, but he could still somewhat make out their features. There was no mistaking that hair and frame. This was without a doubt who he was looking for. Right there, just like that. This was them. He could barley make out the curve of their nose, but his breath was stolen from him nonetheless. His eyes shot to the bio of the photo. 

"Left: Akimi Takaro, Middle: Eika Saro, Right: Uri Sanaka, Background Left: Benko Sen, Background Right: Hoshi Kansai." 

Endeavor felt a giddy grin stretch across his face as he blindly felt for his phone, eyes never leaving the name. Blood rushed past his ears, nearly deafening, but he welcomed the sensation as his heart soared. A satisfaction he'd never felt before swam around in him, filling his entire being alongside the undeniable happiness he felt. He clumsily dialed the number he needed, bringing it up to his ear as he stared in awe at the photo. He was half tempted to hunt down whoever was in charge of the site and thank them in person for listing not just the names of those in the foreground, but those in the back too.

"Endeavor? Is that you?" A gruff yet perplexed voice came through after a few rings, and Endeavor released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Yeah, it's me." Enji answered, tone oddly light. "I need a favor."