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“Let me go!” Ochako begged, “I didn’t mean it!”
She was currently being towed by Mic-sensei to the Discipline Room, trying hard to break his grip on her wrist but to no avail. The usually upbeat man was uncharacteristically stern and silent, and it was Ochako’s fault.
“Uraraka-chan, what do you mean when you said that you couldn’t get ahold on the right materials?” Mic-sensei had asked, after dismissing the rest of the class.
“I..I didn’t have the chance to go to the bookstore last weekend, I’m sorry.” She bowed, shamefaced. “I-I’ll make up the work, please just give me another week, Sensei.”
Her English teacher looked at her, his gaze softening. “That isn’t the issue here, little listener. I am aware that you are a very good student whom I can always trust to finish her assignments. I just want to know if there’s anything the school can do to help you alleviate your… troubles?”
“I’m not in any trouble…” Ochako protested, her ears heating up in embarrassment and budding anger. “Please do not make such assumptions about me, Sensei. I’m fine.” She knew that her teacher was only being kind, but she absolutely hated people pointing out her financial woes. Yes, her family was poor – but the Uraraka family had always been able to make do, and Ochako refused to be pitied.
What happened was that 1-A was tasked with coming up with flashcards to help with the memorisation of their English vocabulary. To do that, they had to purchase the colourful blank cards from the store.
Which wouldn’t be a problem for anyone not named Uraraka Ochako – her dad’s business had hit another snag, which meant that his payslip for the month was barely enough to cover for the family’s essentials. Ochako couldn’t bring herself to ask them for more money; it wasn’t like she needed such frivolous tools to help with her studies, and this was the first time she didn’t complete an assignment. Ochako thought that she would be given a stern warning at the most.
Too bad Mic-sensei saw things differently; as if Ochako was long due for an intervention.
Ochako hated this. She was raised to be resourceful; to always make full use of everything in her disposal. It was a skill that came with a childhood fraught with scarcity, but she was beginning to regret not skipping a meal or two to get her homework done. Especially if it would have prevented Mic-sensei from getting on her case in the first place.
Mic-sensei’s face gentled even more, if that was possible. “Kiddo, I’m only asking because I care about you, and this isn’t the first time you have come to school without sufficient stationery. I am not doing this to make you feel ashamed; your Homeroom teacher and I are worried about you.”
Aizawa-sensei too? How many of her teachers had talked behind her back about ‘poor Uraraka Ochako’? The pitiful little girl who came to school with darned socks and a worn backpack?’ The thought of that was humiliating, and she felt the heat on her ears spread to her face as she puffed up in anger.
“It’s none of your business. Leave me alone.” She snarled; hands clenched tightly.
Her teacher’s eyes sharpened as his easy-going smile faded into a frown. “I understand that you are upset, little listener. But that is no reason to be so impolite. I just want to help you, Uraraka-chan.”
“I don’t need your help, so go away! Are you deaf?” That was a low blow, given that Mic-sensei was hard on hearing. But Ochako was on the warpath, uncaring of anything aside from making her teacher back off.
“… I’m sorry, I didn’t catch what you said?” Mic-sensei asked slowly, his hand already reaching out to grab Ochako. But she was heedless to the danger in his tone, her usual level-headedness clouded by fury and vulnerability.
“I said fuck off, you… stupid cockatoo!”
Ochako immediately regretted her words as her teacher spun her around and gave her two smacks over the seat of her skirt. She yelped, the back of her eyes burning at the stinging in her bottom; Mic-sensei was pulling no punches today.
Said teacher took her cheek in one hand, making so that they were eye-levelled. She couldn’t help but sniffle at the unhappy look on his face. “I tried to be nice because I know that this is a difficult conversation, but I will not let the disrespect go. And I am absolutely appalled by your language, young lady. Seems like you will benefit from a good old-fashioned soaping.”
Mic-sensei had ignored her subsequent pleads and protests, dragging her into the hallways. She whimpered upon realising that they had reached their destination, Mic-sensei locking the door of the Discipline Room behind them.
Unlike her first time, she wasn’t brought to the settee in the middle of the room; Mic-sensei had instead brought her to the entrance of the small bathroom. “Stay here,” He commanded, before disappearing inside. It didn’t take long before he reappeared, a freshly-lathered soap bar held loosely in one hand.
“Open up, Uraraka-chan.” Mic-sensei said firmly.
“N-no!” She shook her head frantically, tears flowing down her face. This can’t be happening, Ochako thought hysterically. How did things even get to this point?
“This is your last warning, young lady. If I have to tell you to open your mouth again, I will add a spanking to your soaping. Do you want that, Uraraka-chan?”
She shook her head, crying harder. Her teacher sounded so strict, and Ochako knew that he wasn’t playing around. The displeasure in his tone was also tough to stomach. She loathed disappointing Mic-sensei, who had never been anything but kind to her.
That, coupled with the threat of a sore bottom was enough to make her open her mouth. The man’s eyes lit up with approval as he brought his hand up to her lips.
The first thing she noticed was the horrible, bitter taste, as her teacher proceeded to rub the bar into every crook and cranny of the inside of her jaw. The smell overpowered her senses, and it was easily the worst thing she had ever experienced.
She would much rather be belted than to deal with another second of this.
Her English teacher finished up, extracting the soap from her mouth with a stern order to not move. “Five minutes, young lady. And then we will have a conversation about accepting help and using polite language.”
Ochako whimpered, not liking the sound of that. She watched through blurry eyes as her teacher walked away, presumably to return the soap to the bathroom – and fought back the urge to gag. Zero Gravity was a wonderful, useful quirk, but it had the nasty side effect of making her more prone to nausea.
She could already feel her stomach churning in response to the repulsive taste, and the feeling of a sud trickling down the back of her throat was all it took for Ochako’s self-control to break.
Ochako doubled over, falling on her knees as she expelled the contents of her stomach. Out came a rancid mixture of soapy suds and the remainder of her lunch (soba and tempura shrimp), the acid burning her nose and throat and making her cry harder. The disgusting smell served to make her more nauseous, and Ochako continued to retch onto the grey carpets.
She sobbed in mortification and pain, willing for the shameful display to stop. Ochako was hyperaware of Mic-sensei’s presence and that the man was pulling her hair away from her face, preventing it from being stained with vomit. Her teacher was speaking, but she couldn’t hear anything over the pounding in her head and the sound of her own sobs.
Ochako ran one shaky hand across the floor, feeling the material. The guilt amplified further, if that was even possible. Wool is going to be so troublesome and expensive to clean, Ochako mentally wailed as she threw up the last of her insides.
After she was finished, she slumped over and weakly wiped her lips with the back of her hand. Her chest hurt, aching from the aftermath of throwing what felt like her guts up. The buzzing in her head was also subsiding, allowing Ochako to better focus on her teacher.
“I am so sorry, sweetheart,” Mic-sensei said, his voice thick with… tears? Ochako couldn’t muster up the strength to turn her head up to check; she was completely wrung-out. “I didn’t mean to cause you such distress, I should have made sure that you were fine before proceeding with the soaping. Stupid Hizashi, look what you’ve done, you hurt one of your kids – ”
The latter part of Mic-sensei’s spiel was in rapid-fire English, but Ochako could tell from his tone that he was flagellating himself. She felt so bad, it wasn’t her teacher’s fault – it was all Ochako. “I-I – ” She coughed, wincing at how rough her throat was. Her teacher immediately stopped talking, placing an arm around her to help her up.
“Shh, don’t talk first, Uraraka-chan. Let me get you some water, alright?”
She was lifted into Mic-sensei’s arms and carried over to the settee, the man stopping by to pick up a bottle of Pocari. Her teacher had unscrewed the cap before passing her the bottle, one hand supporting her admittedly weak grip.
Ochako was soon done with the drink, gratefully leaning into her teacher’s hug. “It’s not your fault, Sensei.” She insisted, albeit less firmly than she preferred. The hand carding through her short, brown hair was calming, and Ochako had to fight the sudden wave of sleepiness. “I just have a very weak stomach, it’s a side effect of my quirk.”
“But still, I should have been a lot more careful, kiddo. I never wanted to cause you any distress, you are very dear to me.” Her teacher said quietly, placing his chin on the top of her head. The sincerity in his voice made her more guilty; he didn’t deserve to have Ochako treat him so callously, not when he was only asking from a place of concern.
“I-I’m sorry for being mean,” She said, lips wobbling. “I am just very self-conscious about my family’s situation; I never wanted to hurt you.”
Mic-sensei squeezed her tighter, and Ochako could hear the smile in his voice. “I know, little listener. And we will discuss this more in a bit, all I want you to do now is rest, okay? I promise that your teachers and I do not judge. We are all very fond of you and just want to help make things easier for your family, Uraraka-chan.”
Ochako nodded timidly, allowing herself to be lulled by her teacher’s soothing touches. It didn’t take long before sleep claimed her, and Ochako’s last thoughts were that she was in good hands, and that things will be okay.