Sonzuku and Dadzawa Oneshots

99BY (Extra-Goodbyes Don't Have to Hurt)

Midoriya stands on the stage. The rest of his grade sits in the audience, waiting for his speech. His teachers sit in the general audience, in the bleachers, with the families. "Thank you all so much for the opportunity to learn and grow. I know I will miss this school, as will my peers, as we explore our roles as rising heroes. Best of luck to everyone with their future, and I hope we can meet again! Plus Ultra!"

A chorus replies, "Plus Ultra!" Everyone excitedly rushes off. Midoriya, waving his mom to his car, goes to say goodbye to his teachers.

He ends with Aizawa. "I am going to miss you a lot, Aizawa-sensei. You are the best teacher I have ever had. Thank you for caring." He hands each of the teachers a letter and then leaves.

Aizawa opens the letter for the first time when he is at his favorite secluded cafe. He sips on some tea, not wanting to drink coffee before it is necessary.

Dear Aizawa,

I am writing this one paragraph at a time. One for the end of each year at UA. As a freshman, I have to admit you scare me sometimes, but I doubt that will change in the future. It is a good kind of scare, don't worry. It shows me you care. Thank you for being here for me, and the rest of this class this year. We appreciate it, even if we show it in odd ways. Let us hope for better years ahead! (P.S. Do you know about One For All, yet? I should have told you already, but I am scared to betray All Might's trust.

As Aizawa reads it, he feels overwhelmed by the trust and morale Midoriya showed. "Oh kid. Don't you worry. You are on the way to becoming number one." As if proof of his words, various advertisements lie around the city showing a certain person. A prominent and loved rising hero.

The next time Aizawa looks at the letter, he is at his apartment, alone. He wants to be able to have privacy, knowing the letter is full of admiration.

Hello, again. I am surprised I have yet to forget about this. It is much easier to write down your feelings, I think you should know. I began writing the other teachers' letters last week. It is probably favoritism that I started yours much earlier than theirs. Oh well. I know this year has been especially tough on you. The villain attacks are getting to everyone and you are the only one in class keeping us together still. To be honest, I am shocked only ten students in my grade dropped out this year, three being from our class. I hope they are doing well by the time you receive this letter. I know they are doing well for now, at least the three from our class. We still text each other. They miss you and thank you for giving them the chance to realize they do not want to become heroes. Sometimes, I wonder what life would be like if I didn't want to become a hero. There is no use dwelling on such thoughts, however. I am sure I will want to be a hero until the day I die. This paragraph is getting long, so I am going to cut it off soon. Thank you for everything. I know it hurts, but you are there for us anyway. When I make it big, all of the jelly packets you can imagine will be yours.

"Still so soft. He didn't even mention the talk." Aizawa speaks much softer, "I'm glad he told me about One For All."

When Aizawa first reads the last paragraph of the letter, he is at work, surrounded by people he trusts. It has been a rough morning for him so far.

For the final time in this letter, hello. I just want to say that, even as I sit here writing this in your class, I miss this. I miss UA, my teachers, my peers. I cannot say it enough. Even so, I am glad we can make our own paths in life. When I make it to retirement, you better be there. I have my life largely planned out, now. It may seem somewhat depressing, but I know it is what I want. I want to work as a hero for twelve years before retiring. I might get another job with heroics. I want to find another just once I am done being a professional hero for sure. I want to hang out with my friends and family. I want to help people. It seems so simple, but I know it won't be. There are other goals mixed in, but this paragraph is not meant to be the longest. Thank you! I cannot say it enough.

Best,

Midoriya Izuku

The letter manages to get him through that day. He knows he has people who care about him, but very few people share how much they care.

Just over three years later, four years after Midoriya graduates, Midoriya shows up at UA in the teachers' lounge.

"Midoriya?"

"Hey, Aizawa-sensei! I work here now!"

A few weeks later, Aizawa writes Midoriya a letter to show his appreciation.

Dear Midoriya Izuku,

It was a wonder seeing you and your classmates grow older. The letter you wrote was very kind. I would think now that we work together, you would stop calling me Aizawa-sensei. I am grateful for the respect, but I am not your teacher anymore.

No one has ever told me before, directly or indirectly, that I am a good teacher. Knowing that you believe I am is very heartwarming. It also makes me thankful we went after the Aldera School District. Who knows what they could have done?

Seriously, after everything, thank you for being such an amazing student, person, and hero. You have helped many people and I am sure you will continue to do so when you retire.

At the rate you're going, I would not be surprised if you retire before me, in fact. I am sure if you do, I will be seeing you around more often at the police stations, since you seem to think that helping as many people as possible means neglecting your needs, such as sleep. (Yes, I know I am a hypocrite, but I have to be sometimes. You have no such excuse.)

I really do appreciate everything you do and have done. I know your other former UA teachers and classmates feel the same.

It really is easier to tell people things through letters. I might have to try this more often.

Sincerely,

Shōta Aizawa