Shouta started straightening his desk as his students rushed out the door at the end of the day. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Deku talking to Uraraka briefly before parting with her at the door and walking back into the classroom. Iida hadn't been leaving with them the last few days, which was strange, but unfortunately not unexpected considering what he was going through.

Insead of getting something he'd forgotten at his desk like Shouta had expected, Deku made a beeline for him, grinning, "So... tonight's the big night, huh?"

Mina: Wait... (she gasped) oh my goodness this is going to be Aizawa-sensei's date!

Hagakure: I can't wait!

Aizawa(groaning): I'm going to go hide in my capture weapon now no one pull me out until this is over.

Shouta sighed, "How did you even know about that?"

"I know everything," Deku said innocently, "didn't you know?"

(everyone laughed)

Shouta deadpanned and Deku laughed, "Fine! Joke wouldn't shut up about it. She even started a new chat without you in it just so she had a place to scream."

Aizawa: Of course she did.

Joke: Oh. Of course I did.

"Of course she did." Shouta muttered.

Deku sat down on the desk and started kicking his legs out like a little kid, "So, where are you taking her?"

"Like I'm really going to tell you that." Shouta glared at him. "You'll try to follow us and get pictures for blackmail purposes."

Joke: And if he didn't Brave would.

"Me? Never!" Deku paused thoughtfully. "Brave totally would though."

Shouta resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "Exactly. Even Emi doesn't know where we're going yet, so it would be utterly illogical to tell you just so you can post it in the group chat."

Tsukauchi: Wait... Naruhata... oh I get it.

"Alright, keep your secrets." Deku stood and adjusted his backpack. "But for the record, if I did follow, you wouldn't even know I was there. Considering that you're the one that did my stealth training, if you noticed, it would kinda be your own fault."

(Everyone laughed)

Shouta glared at him, making Deku laugh again, "Fine! I promise I won't tag along on your date. But at least tell me you're planning on cleaning up a bit."

Shouta raised an eyebrow, "And what's wrong with what I normally wear?"

Midnight(snorting): You really don't know Shou?

Deku shrugged awkwardly, "It's just a little... grungy?"

"No offense, Deku, but I'm not about to take fashion advice from someone who thinks ironically labeled t-shirts are high fashion."

(everyone giggled and Midoriya went red)

Midoriya: I just wear them because they're comfy! I didn't say they were good!

"I never claimed they were high fashion..." Deku grumbled. "But please don't wear sweats on the first date!"

"So I can wear them on the second?"

"Oh, so you want there to be second?"

(everyone started giggling again and Aizawa somehow sunk even deeper into his capture weapon)

Shouta opened his mouth to respond before closing it again and frowning, hoping that Deku would miss his blush. From the satisfied look on Deku's face, however, he hadn't been so lucky.

"For your information, I actually was planning on cleaning up a little bit, not that it actually matters. Emi had seen me coming off a month-long mission when I hadn't slept for three days, so, logically, it doesn't matter how I look tonight because she's already seen me at my worst."

"Awww..." Deku smiled softly, "that's the most romantic thing I've ever heard!"

Aizawa: Problem child just stop already please...

"Shut up before I expel you." Shouta grabbed his sleeping bag from under his desk and headed toward the door. "Shouldn't you be trying to catch up to Uraraka? At this rate, she'll beat you to the station."

Deku's eyes widened and he stammered out a goodbye as he rushed toward the door, but paused with his hand on the doorframe, "Oh, and Eraser? Don't break her heart."

Mic: Yeah, don't you dare Shou.

Deku ran down the hall, leaving Shouta frozen back in the classroom. It wasn't her heart he was worried about.

Hagakure: Oh sensei's so adorable when he's like this.

Ochaco walked to the train station alone for her first time since coming to UA. It wasn't that she minded being alone, but, well, Iida had been practically avoiding them since the sports festival and Deku had said he needed to talk to Aizawa about something. She hoped it wasn't anything bad. She knew they were close, but there was still a part of her that was worried Deku was in trouble or something. It was just that Aizawa was so scary! He'd threatened to expel someone the first day and she could never really tell what he was thinking! He was just so strict that Ochaco couldn't help being concerned for one of her best friends. She didn't think she'd ever understand how Deku actually became friends with their teacher.

Hound Dog: He traumadumped and then got adopted. That's how it happened.

Aizawa(dying inside): Inui shut up.

But then again, Deku was really brave. The way he'd strategized against Aizawa that first day, and even stood against the villains at the USJ! He was always doing things that should be impossible with nothing but his brains, like when he destroyed the obstacle course at the sports festival. She hadn't really gotten the chance to tell him yet, but part of the reason she was able to go so hard in her fight against Bakugo was because of how Deku had inspired her in the first two rounds and made her feel like anything was possible. And he did all that without a quirk!

Inko: Yeah he definitely did.

The sound of footsteps behind her startled Ochaco from her thoughts and she whipped around to see Deku running toward her. She smiled as she waited for him to catch up. Looked like she wouldn't be walking alone after all.

"Sorry about that." Deku panted. "Ready to go?"

Uraraka nodded, "Is everything okay? What did you need to talk to Aizawa about?"

Joke(trying and failing to keep her blush under control): His date... our date... oh boy.

"Nothing important, just... well, I shouldn't really talk about it without his permission." Deku started walking toward the station and Ochaco fell into step beside him.

"If you're trying to make me worry less, you're not doing very well." She pouted.

(everyone snorted)

"Sorry." Deku smiled sheepishly. "It's nothing bad, I promise!"

"If you say so... " Ochaco huffed. "So what do you think of the essay Midnight assigned? It's killer, right?"

Midnight(pouting): Aw it's changing scenes.

Shouta fiddled with his bun again as he walked the last block to Emi's apartment. Despite what he'd told Deku, he really wasn't sure what he was supposed to wear on a date. He hadn't really bothered much with socialization since... he shook his head. He really shouldn't be thinking about Shirakumo tonight, though if he were still around he'd probably be teasing Shouta relentlessly that he was finally going out with a girl. But he hadn't even wanted friends after that, so a girlfriend had been completely out of the question.

Momo(subdued): Oh poor sensei...

Mic(chuckling sadly): Yeah he'd definitely be teasing you wouldn't he?

Aizawa(closing his eyes): Yeah...

It didn't help his nerves that Shouta knew how bad his fashion sense was. He had more sweatpants in his closet than should probably be legal, and it had taken almost a half hour of digging until he found a pair of jeans that didn't look too worn out. They still had a few holes in them, and the black had faded to a dark grey, but they still looked acceptable and they were soft enough that Shouta wouldn't be uncomfortable the whole night, which was a necessity.

Mina: We should probably get sensei some better clothes.

Midnight: Eh we've tried for the past ten years. I don't think you'll do much better.

He'd debated whether he should wear a t-shirt or something nicer before finally just throwing on a dark blue button-up that Yamada had given him for his birthday a few years back. Emi was very fashion forward, and the last thing he wanted to do was embarrass her, so erring on the side of nicer was probably his best bet.

Mirko: Yeah probably.

Hawks: I don't think you're one to talk about dating advice.

Mirko(playfully punching him): Oh shut up bird brain.

By the time he'd finally finished getting dressed, it had almost been time to leave, so he just pulled his hair back into a messy bun at the nape of his neck and called it good. As much as he knew it was illogical to worry about his appearance, he hoped it was enough.

Joke: It's fine, yeah.

He took a deep breath before stepping up to the door and knocking. He could have just had Emi meet him at the cafe, but Recovery Girl had spent the last week since learning of Emi's existence trying to literally knock some respect for tradition into his head, so he was picking her up.

All Might(wincing): Oof I do not envy you, Aizawa.

Recovery Girl(crossing her arms): Well someone's got to remind the younger generations about tradition.

They'd take the train together and then...

His train of thought was interrupted when Emi opened the door. She looked at him in shock and Shouta was starting to wonder what he'd done wrong when she smiled.

"Well you clean up nice, don't you?"

Snipe: Yeah he does... never thought I'd see him like that.

Vlad: I don't think the press conference when we were rescuing Bakugo counts do you?

Ectoplasm: It doesn't.

Shouta swallowed thickly, "You too."

Emi laughed and closed the door behind her, "You're cute. So where are we going?"

She'd opted for a light pink dress with a ruffled skirt that fell to just above her knees and a halter neckline that was perfect for the warm evening. If Shouta was being absolutely honest, she looked... really good. Shouta forced himself to stop staring and offered her his arm like Recovery Girl insisted he do. Emi looked surprised, but took his arm with a smile and let him lead her down the sidewalk.

Hagakure: Oh this is so cute.

Momo: I think Aizawa-sensei's dying though. (everyone looked and sure enough he looked like he wanted to do nothing more than sink into the ground and wither away, making everyone giggle)

"We're going to one of my favorite cafes, actually. I hope you like cats."

Tsukauchi(smiling): I knew it.

"Wait." Emi stopped walking and dramatically brought one hand to her chest. "Is the ever stoic Eraserhead really taking me to a cat cafe?"

Aizawa(muffled): Apparently... the Hotta brothers are never going to let me live this down.

"Are you done?" He deadpanned.

"Almost." Emi grinned. "I didn't know you were such a softy, Shouta."

Mic: Ah but he is.

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I'm sure. Because the way we practically adopted a teenager wasn't a dead giveaway."

"Well, in your defense, Deku is pretty cute."

(Midoriya started sputtering but stopped when Inko patted his head and reaffirmed that yes he was adorable)

"He had potential."

Emi giggled, "And we're back! Nice to know there's a heart of gold buried underneath all that cold rationality."

"And underneath that , is a smaller, more shriveled heart incapable of human emotion."

Dabi(rolling his eyes): Yeah, sure.

"You're a real riot, Shouta, you know that?" Emi slapped him lightly on the arm and Shouta wondered if hearts were supposed to skip beats like that? He should ask Recovery Girl, because that couldn't be healthy. It just seemed so illogical to have the body respond to attraction like that.

Recovery Girl: Oh it's normal.

Nezu: Still don't understand why that happens to humans though...

"It's in Naruhata, so we'll have to take the train, is that alright?"

Emi nodded and they walked the rest of the way to the train station in comfortable silence.

Mina(pouting): Aw rats it cuts there!

Midnight: Hush, dear, we'll be back here soon and then we can continue watching Shou wilt away and die in his scarf.

Aizawa(groaning): Someone kill me already...

Shigaraki: Okay.