This fic is the result of a small, scrapped segment of Heroic Pains. It originally talked about Todoroki's abuse in the hands of Endeavor, which Aizawa discovered due to our favourite Icyhot's alarming behaviour during a spanking. Hence, this fic is one that explores the idea of a 'spanking gone wrong' instead of the standard discipline trope. Please enjoy and I am looking forward to hearing from you all!

Reverie

rev·er·ie

/ˈrev(ə)rē/

noun

a state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts; a daydream or

a fantastic, visionary, or impractical idea.

"Class is dismissed for the day. Remember to do your Hero Ethics essays, it is due next Monday. Todoroki, stay behind."

The classroom dissolved into a cacophony of noise after Aizawa-Sensei finished the last class of the week. Shouto's classmates made their way out, proclaiming to each other their plans for the weekend. He kept his head facing forward as he tried to shrug off the curious glances. However, he did not miss the sympathetic looks from Midoriya and Yaoyorozu, and a grim one from Iida.

Shouto would be lying if he said that he did not know what this was about, or that he wasn't scared. It has been a week since the class had moved into the dorms and was threatened with expulsion over the Kamino Ward incident. While the majority was let off with a stern warning, the five of them that actively participated in Bakugou's rescue were given additional penalties.

They were each assigned long essays as a form of reflection, and were put on dorm duty for the next month or so. Which was fair, if not rather lenient in Shouto's opinion. But he had noticed that each one of his fellow miscreants had been told to stay behind after class this week. The bi-coloured teen initially thought that it was just Aizawa-Sensei driving the point in with a personalised lecture, but he had noticed something more concerning.

Yesterday it was Yaoyorozu who had been asked to stay behind after their final English class, Aizawa stopping by to bring her to his office. When she re-emerged in the common room, there was a tell-tale limp in the teenager's gait and residual tear tracks on her face. Her usually pristine uniform was slightly rumpled and eyes firmly locked onto the ground. Surprisingly, Sensei was there to escort the Vice-President to her room with a hand on her back, glaring at anyone who was about to approach the duo. That did not dissuade the class from discussing what happened after the pair left.

Kaminari and Ashido were the most vocal in proclaiming their sympathies for their 'precious Yaomomo', wanting to go up to her room with snacks before getting stopped by Iida. It was actually an uncharacteristically guilty-looking Bakugou that had set off the alarm bells in Shouto's mind.

"Tch, Ponytail was definitely capable enough to withstand a whooping from the Caterpillar. Don't bother her with your useless drivel, extras!"

A whooping. Beating.

It wasn't like Shouto did not know that corporal punishment is used in UA, but he didn't think that he would ever experience it. Being born to an abusive father where disobedience was swiftly and brutally dealt with had led to him protecting himself from getting into trouble. The entire Kamino Ward incident threw a wrench in his plans though.

It wasn't like he did not know that what they did would get them into serious trouble, but at the moment all he could think of was the guilt of not being able to get to Bakugou in time. It seems like his rationality has finally caught up to him, now that everything has worked out fine.

"-odoroki. Hello, Todoroki?"

He snapped out of his stupor to see Kirishima and Midoriya looking at him with concern. "What?"

"Midoriya and I were discussing and we were thinking… It is likely that you will be next in line to get punished by Aizawa. Since Iida, Midoriya and I already took our turns." He grimaced, rubbing his bottom before continuing, "Yaomomo obviously just had hers, which looked bad by the way. And I have never seen Sensei acting that protective over anyone he just disciplined – He was even carrying her bag, what if he was feeling bad for being too harsh – "

"Maybe it's because it was Yaoyorozu-san, Kirishima-kun. Aizawa-Sensei is particularly fond of her, I think he just wanted to ensure that she settles down comfortably." Midoriya reasoned.

"The point I was trying to make here is there's only Todoroki left, Midori! Good luck Todobro, it hurts a ton."

"I'm going to my room."

Shouto had run off to his dorm room, ignoring Midoriya's worried look in favour of containing his racing heart. It was unavoidable, he had thought bitterly, that he would inadvertently screw up in the end. Maybe Aizawa would not be as bad as his father, as Yaoyorozu seemed to have recovered by morning. Plus, he knew that Sensei genuinely cares about 1-A, the USJ had proven that – But Shouto was so tired of being hurt by the adults that were supposed to protect him.

Would he leave marks? Scars? Beat Shouto until he was puking blood and bile? Or tell him that he was worthless and more trouble than he was worth?

The teenager wryly mused that he was about to find out.

The classroom has finally cleared out with the exception of the both of them, Aizawa having taken a seat at the table beside him. He wears the same haggard look as always, but the stern, sharp gaze had Shouto on edge.

"Todoroki, I know that you are aware of the reason why we are here today. I am astounded at your disregard for authority and willingness to disobey orders, especially since I expect so much better from you. No more of this appalling behaviour."

Shit. Aizawa looks even more pissed with every sentence. Shouto could feel his fear rising, hunching his shoulders in an effort to look smaller.

"UA has always been very open about the fact that we use corporal punishment for the more serious offences, and I would say that Kamino fits within the description. However, since this is your first major offence, I will only give you three strokes of the cane as opposed to six. The rest of your discipline will be meted out by my hand and over my knee."

Shouto might have stopped breathing. A cane? Memories of Endeavor using a thick metal rod on his back went through his mind. When Shouto got especially mouthy, he would heat up the rod with his quirk. He still had the scars on from that particular encounter. Shouto really hoped it would be the bamboo cane - While being no slouch, at least that only leaves cuts and welts.

While Sensei did not have a strength or even an offensive quirk, he knew that the man had enough physical strength to leave lasting damage. Even his fists could leave bruises that would make training difficult, and Shouto was certain that he would not be able to walk after today. The stern expression on Sensei's face did little to quell Shouto's panic.

"Come here, Todoroki."

He couldn't help but flinch when Aizawa reached out, presumably to guide him to the straight-backed chair placed at the front of the classroom. "Kid, you are just making things harder for yourself. Just accept your discipline and we can all move on from this, yeah?"

Accept? Move on? Easy for Sensei to say. He is not the one who is about to get hit! The mounting terror led to Shouto's mouth moving without thinking.

"No. I refuse."

"Excuse me?"

Crap. Aizawa looked shocked, before his face turned grim. "I am going to pretend that I did not hear that. You need to take responsibility for your actions, Todoroki. Come. Here. Now."

Shouto shook his head frantically, getting up taking small steps back from the irate teacher. The sight of his teacher towering over him unsettled him more than he could admit. "I don't want to!"

"Todoroki, stop being so stubborn. You know you deserve this, kid."

"Todoroki Shouto, cease this childish behaviour and take your punishment like a man!"

He could already hear his father's words echoing through his head, moments before he was grabbed and whipped for insubordination. It was perhaps the fear of Aizawa informing Enji of his unwillingness to cooperate that spurred his legs to move towards his teacher.

"That's better."

Aizawa-Sensei has taken hold of his shirt sleeve, gently tugging him towards the dreaded chair. The older man took a seat, guiding a jittery Shouto to bend over his knees. The boy tensed as he felt his teacher undo his zipper, before deftly pulling down his slacks to rest around his knees. He vaguely wondered if Aizawa could somehow hear his heart pound.

"Since this is your first spanking, I am going to go easier on you by letting you keep your underwear up for the first part. You are allowed to squirm and cry, but any attempts to stop your punishment will result in your underwear being taken down, and penalty strokes given. Are we clear?"

Shouto was relieved for the show of mercy, and determined to be good in order not to invite more harm to himself. However, the fear remained. Would Sensei use his fists? Hit him till he was begging for mercy?

"Yes, Sensei."

"Let's begin. Kid, a word of advice – Don't tense your bottom."

The teenager was about to ask what he meant when the first swat landed. Smack! Shouto yelped in shock, hands already reaching back before remembering Aizawa's warning. He held onto the chair's legs instead.

"Good, you have been listening. Control yourself, Todoroki. Keep your hands occupied."

Shouto nodded, still reeling from the force of that single smack. He knew that Sensei was strong, but experiencing it first hand was another matter. The teen could only hope that his teacher would only use his open hand, instead of his fists. He squeaked as his bottom was peppered with more spanks. It hurts!

"Todoroki, you already know the reason why you are in this position right now, so I will cut the lecture short." Aizawa sternly said, hand coming down in quick succession. "What you and your accomplices did were nothing short of irresponsible and dangerous."

"I'm sorry, Sensei!" Shouto tried to keep his whimpers down, afraid of pissing off Aizawa and making the situation worse. The increasing burn in his bottom and fear of the punishment getting truly violent makes it difficult, though. His teacher has a very efficient spanking technique – Giving each cheek several sharp swats before moving on to the other, thereby allowing the pain to build up.

It really hurts! Shouto could not help the few tears that escaped when Aizawa gave a series of particularly harsh swats. He hoped that Sensei would not see his momentary weakness and hold it against him.

"The next time you decide to run into enemy territory with no hero equipment and against orders, I swear to All Might that I will take your pants off and spank you in front of the entire class. Are we clear?"

The mortification was enough to break through Shouto's panic for a moment. "Yes sir, we are clear! I-I'll never do this again, I promise!"

"I trust that you will, Todoroki. Let's wrap this up."

Shouto gasped when he felt Aizawa lift his right leg up, grasping the man's leg to maintain his balance. He cried out in pain as his teacher spanked his sit-spots, unable to withstand the sharp pain on his sensitive undercurve. It felt like an eternity before the Erasure Hero finally stopped.

The teenager was still catching his breath before he felt Sensei grasp his upper arm, guiding him to a standing position with a firm 'Do not move'. He could only stare confusedly as Aizawa rummaged under the desk, but that confusion soon turned into horror when he pulled out a long, thick rattan cane.

Oh right, the caning. Oh no. Shouto could already feel his slightly subdued panic surging again. Memories of his father using it on him came to the forethought, and he had to dig his nails into his palms to stop himself from trembling. He could almost taste the searing pain as the implement cut into his flesh, leaving welts and occasionally blood behind.

He could not keep himself from flinching when Sensei flicked it experimentally through the air, freezing when the lidded coal eyes were trained on him. "As I mentioned previously, you will be receiving three strokes from the cane in order to make the lesson stick. I will need you to remove your underwear for this, as I have to make sure that I do not accidentally use too much force."

Not use too much force? What is Sensei talking about, Shouto thought somewhat hysterically. Isn't the man trying to make Shouto hurt as much as possible? However, try as he might, the teenager could not make himself move.

Aizawa must have thought Shouto's lack of movement to be an act of rebellion, narrowing his eyes. "Todoroki, I have been more than patient with you, and you are smart enough to know that this is going to happen no matter what. Take your bottoms off, or I will make you regret it."

A pause. Shouto is still frozen, looking at his teacher. The look of anger and impatience on Aizawa's face was enough to dredge up repressed memories. His panic has now reached an all-time high, and he could barely focus on breathing properly.

Focus, Shouto! Do as he said, do not make things worse for yourself –

His eyes registered movement, flickering to his very pissed, very done teacher who strode forward, brandishing the cane –

Shouto remembered being pinned down by a heavy, bruising force. His scarred face pressing against the ground, stained with dirt and blood. Hellfire licking his arms and back, melting through his feeble ice. Endeavor's sneering that it was Shouto's fault that he was being punished. A whistling, cutting sound before deepsearingburninghurtnononofatherplease –

Shouto knew no more.

"Shit!"

Aizawa Shouta barely jumped back in time to avoid the blast of ice aimed at him, which also had the effect of blocking Todoroki from his line of sight. He quickly activated his quirk at the teen, who looked visibly panicked when he couldn't call his power to the forefront. Shouta sidestepped the large ice shield, taking slow steps towards Todoroki. The sight of his student cowering away from Shouta was enough to make the budding irritation subside.

Shouta could not bring himself to fault the boy, not when he realised that he likely lost control of his powers due to his fear. The teacher did realise that his student has been unusually high-strung and stressed throughout the entire punishment, which is why he was willing to let the disobedience go. He initially chalked it to a lack of experience with corporal punishment, but the terrible fear in Todoroki's eyes made it evident that that was not the case.

From the start, Shouta has noted Todoroki as one of the students suspected of having a less than ideal home life. Of course, he had read the kid's file – A mother locked in a psychiatric ward, a father who is the Number Two Hero, and siblings many years older than Todoroki. All these, together with Todoroki's lack of social cues made Shouta think that it was just a case of his student not having enough parental attention growing up.

Never in a million years would he have suspected severe abuse, but looking back, the signs were all there. The unfamiliarity with positive attention from peers, his hunched posture, inability to maintain prolonged eye contact - Shouta is kicking himself for not noticing the glaring hints, and enabling matters to escalate till this point.

He also noted that he has never seen Todoroki express this much emotion - The mismatched eyes were blank but lidded with terror, and tears were streaming down his cheeks. The child managed to back himself into the corner of the classroom, wrapping his arms tightly around himself. Shouta's heart broke when he heard his student's frantic muttering.

"I'll be good, Father. I'm sorry for being so weak, I'll do better. I-I promise that I'll work harder during training so p-please don't… don't use the cane. Please…"

The teacher knew that he needed to get Todoroki to calm down, worried that he would send himself into a full-blown anxiety attack. He slowly crouched down in front of the teenager, who whimpered. His quivering has also gotten worse. Shouta had to stop himself from pulling the child close.

"Todoroki." No response. "Todoroki. Shouto."

That got a reaction. Todoroki jolted; his uniform shirt clenched tightly in one fist. "Shouto, this is Aizawa. You are currently in UA's 1-A classroom with me. Endeavor-Your father is nowhere near. I promise that you are safe, and I am not going to touch you without consent. Nod if you understand, kid."

Shouta held his breath, sighing in relief when his student eventually nodded. He could not help but give Todoroki a small smile. "Thank you. I need you to calm down, you are breathing too quickly. I do not want you to end up choking and hurting yourself. Can you try to follow my breathing? I promise I will not touch you."

A few tense moments passed where Todoroki tried to imitate Shouta, his wheezing eventually starting to calm as he copied his teacher's actions. The boy's face is finally regaining some colour and clarity, although he still looked exhausted and stressed. Shouta could empathise.

"Good boy, Todo-Shouto. You did very well, and I am very proud of you, kid." The Erasure Hero could help but praise, knowing that the child did the best he could considering the circumstances.

"Sensei, why am I on the floor?"

Well, no use sugar-coating things. "You had a really bad panic attack, kid. You were trying to get away from me, and used your quirk in the process. No harm done." He added, noticing Todoroki's horrified and ashamed face.

As much as he wished that he could let his student rest, he knew that he had to address the elephant in the room. "Let's get you up from the floor, kid. I doubt it is very comfortable."

Todoroki stared at Shouta's extended arm, looking every bit like the vulnerable child the Hero was starting to see him as. His student was too young, too innocent to be plagued with such demons. He seemed to be warring with himself, biting his lip before hesitantly reaching out. His teacher grasped his hand, ignoring the slight trembles and slowly guiding him to Hagakure's desk.

His student winced as he gingerly sat down, evidently feeling the effects from Shouta's hand spanking. Even that felt like an eternity ago, after the shock and worry from witnessing the aftereffects of Todoroki's trauma.

Shouta took a seat beside the teenager, the latter's hand still warm in his. He hopes that Todoroki is getting some comfort from the physical link. "Kiddo, we need to talk about what happened. I understand that it might be overwhelming especially since you just came down from your panic attack, but as an adult that is responsible for you and genuinely cares about your well-being, I need to know what caused such a reaction."

"It was nothing, Sensei. I just got shocked by your… implement of choice. I apologise for the trouble I caused you due to my lapse of judgement, and I will accept my punishment with no complaints." Todoroki rehearsed blandly.

After everything, Shouta could not believe the fuckery he was hearing. "Bullshit." He seethed. Todoroki tensed. "Shouto, you have been terrified this whole time – I thought that it was simply because you had no experience with being disciplined physically… But at that moment, you were literally cowering away from me. I didn't mean to scare you, or cause you to panic, and I am very sorry that you had to experience such fear with me."

"It's okay, Sensei. I… I know that you would never deliberately hurt me. I trust you."

"I'm glad to hear that, Shouto. That being said, I really need to understand what is going on. Please, kid. What is happening with Endeavor?"

"Nothing, Sir. My father is the soon-to-be Number One Hero. He did not do anything wrong; everything was for my own good." Todoroki said flatly, as if he was reciting the words from memory.

"What did he used to do when you got into trouble?" Shouta asked. It seemed to be the wrong question to ask, judging by how his student's eyes grew distant. "Todoroki?"

"When I screw up, F-Father would use his belt or cane. If he was really angry, he would also use his fire. It's my fault for not being strong enough, Sensei. If I am stronger or better at training, I would not be punished."

Shouta was livid.

How dare Endeavor beat his child and still claim that it was for his own good? The Erasure Hero is no pushover - He definitely agrees with being strict and firm with his own students to ensure that they grow up to be well-adjusted, disciplined adults. What Todoroki went through was not tough parenting, but physical and emotional abuse.

He wanted to storm off and get Todoroki Enji arrested immediately, but he knew he had to correct his student's dangerous line of thinking first. Todoroki had stubbornly averted his eyes, and Shouta might have thought that he was unaffected if not for the nervous fiddling with his tie.

"Shouto, look at me. No, Todoroki, this is important."

Certain that he has gotten the kid's attention, Shouta began speaking. "First things first, you are NOT responsible for anything that monster has done to you. You are a kid, and you are not expected to be perfect at everything you do. That is why we train, and this is why you are required to go to school. Nobody deserves to get beaten for not performing well - This is on your father and his selfish ideals, nobody else."

Shouta squeezed his student's hand in comfort. "I am not one who gives out praise lightly but you are doing so well, Shouto. You are one of my top students, and not only are you strong, you are also so kind. The entire Stain incident, and even Kamino Ward - Even though you should have thought things through better, your actions were ultimately done out of concern for your fellow classmates." He paused, gently thumbing away the few tears that escaped from his student's eyes.

"I would be so proud to call you a son, Shouto. Any sane person would, you are such a great kid, and you will become an amazing Hero one day. I'm sorry that Endeavor could not appreciate that."

Todoroki burst into tears, almost jumping into Shouta's waiting arms. The teacher expertly maneuvered his student so that his sore bottom was not brushing against anything, before holding the kid close and soothing him. "Everything is going to be okay, Shouto… Just let it all out… I promise you'll be fine, kiddo…"

"He already said that he would do better, for Mom, 'Yumi, Natsuo and me… My sister always wanted us to be a family. Since he's trying, I should just let things go and move on, right Sensei? If I can push myself to be better, maybe he would… be nicer to us? Nicer to me?" Todoroki sobbed, his eyes filled with desperation and pain. Like he really wanted Shouta to tell him that everything would work out fine. Shouta's heart went out even more for the kid.

"I'm sorry, kiddo. I cannot, in good conscience, let you go through anymore of this. People like your father… They don't change unless it is for their own benefit. Enji had already abused you for years, even if he did promise to be better… You and your siblings do not deserve to live in constant fear of screwing up. It's not healthy, Shouto."

Todoroki looked lost. "Where would I go after that, though? My mom is currently in long term care, and my siblings are barely making enough to be out on their own. I-I don't want to be a burden to them."

"You do not have to decide now, Shouto. I just want to let you know that all of your teachers here at UA will be more than happy to give you the support that you need. I will personally ensure that we will get you out, and that is my promise to you. Right now, I want you to follow me to Recovery Girl - To ensure that you are fine from the panic attack just now, and to do a general welfare check."

"That is not necessary, Sens-Okay." Todoroki mumbled, cowed by Shouta's stern gaze.

"Good kid." With one last hug, Shouta guided Todoroki into standing before quickly redressing the boy. He could not suppress a smile when the kid winced as the uniform slacks passed over his sore bottom, but got concerned when he saw that Todoroki looked unsure. "What's wrong, Shouto?"

"W-What about the rest of my punishment, Sensei? I still have the caning left… " This kid has no sense of self-preservation, Shouta thought fondly.

"I think that I can trust you not to make such asinine decisions in the future, is that correct?" He waited for his student to nod. "Good. And I honestly do not feel comfortable disciplining you in a physical manner anymore, Shouto. Not after all of these revelations."

"It's just a one-time thing, Sensei! I'm strong enough to take it, and it isn't fair to the other students…" Todoroki argued, but the effect was diminished by the pout on his face.

"I don't think you will need to worry about my creativity when it comes to handing out discipline, Kid." Shouta said dryly. "Shouto, the whole idea of discipline is to ensure that we correct your actions, so that you will be able to think clearly and make better decisions in the future. Pain is not the main lesson here. And in your case, I worry that your past experiences will lead to me causing more harm than good if I continue spanking you." The Erasure Hero bent down, squeezing his student's shoulder.

"Trust me to want the best for you, okay Shouto?"

"Okay, Aizawa-Sensei. I really trust you."

"Good. Let's go see Chiyo."

Things somehow got better after that.

Shouto was originally hesitant to see Recovery Girl, knowing that there were some… Lasting damage caused by all those years of training with Father. However, he decided to trust in Sensei and come clean for the first time.

He didn't expect Aizawa to look so furious when Shouto took off his shirt and exposed his burn scars and healing bruises, though. Shouto knew that his teacher cared for and wanted the best for him, but still he was overwhelmed by the sheer anger directed at Enji. Recovery Girl was upset as well, but she at least hid it under the guise of documenting and caring for the more recent injuries.

Aizawa-Sensei later brought him to see Principal Nedzu, who immediately took measures to remove Shouto from Father's home. This included talking to law enforcement officers and the like, including one Detective Tsukauchi who was apparently All Might's friend. Temporary custody was given to U.A, and Aizawa had offered to let Shouto stay with him and his family for time being, until his living situation was resolved.

'His family' included Mic-Sensei and one Shinsou Hitoshi from Gen-Ed, who was apparently his recently-adopted son (Shouto knew that there was something going on, see Midoriya?). It was rather nice to have company, especially since the other boy was also quiet and knew not to probe.

In the meantime, Sensei was working on getting formal custody released to Fuyumi - After Shouto had a long discussion with her that led to even more tears from both parties - While also filing for financial support to enable his sister to support the both of them.

Todoroki Enji is awaiting trial for multiple counts of Spousal and Child Abuse, and Shouto could not bring himself to think too much about it for the time being. As Sensei and Hound Dog had put it, it is alright to take one step at a time, especially with regards to his recovery. Shouto is confident that he is on the right track, anyway.

At this moment, Todoroki Shouto is on his way back to the dorms from Hero training, and he has never felt lighter.