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"I'll see you in a few hours, yeah?" Hizashi asked, fingers seeking out Shouta's hand.
The two of them were preparing to switch off patrol duty, an unfortunate but, luckily, somewhat rare scheduling in which they spent a majority of the night away from each other, one in bed without the other and vice versa. They were switching around 1 in the morning, three hours after curfew. Three hours after every student should have retired to their dorms for the night.
"Of course," Shouta replied quietly, bringing Hizashi's hand to his mouth before detangling his fingers to bring them up to his partner's hair, entwining them there instead. "Get some rest. I'll be there before you know it."
Hizashi's smile was tired and fleeting, guard lowered and vulnerabilities bared in the quiet of the night. He leaned towards Shouta once more, for just a moment, indulging in a short kiss before stepping back and turning to head to the teacher's dorms without another word. Shouta watched him go, waiting until the last tendril of blonde hair disappeared around the corner before he started off in the opposite direction.
His job was to patrol the dorm building and its outside, keeping it safe from villains and other potential harm, and with everything that had been happening lately with the rise of organized crime and the League of Villains, it was important now more than ever to ensure the student's safety. Shouta meandered around Height's Alliance for awhile, sweeping his eyes over room after room and paying extra attention to look outside the windows for intruders approaching the entrance. After awhile, he made his way to the floor of the common room, eyes immediately going to the floor to ceiling windows along the opposite wall. He took a survey of the common room quickly, making his way towards the windows and peering out of them, more out of a sense of duty than actually expecting to find anything.
But nothing could ever just go smoothly, could it?
Shouta's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of a familiar green lightning illuminating a small body and outlining a just as familiar mop of green hair and freckled face. Raising an eyebrow, Shouta took another step forward, inclined to observe a few seconds longer before taking any action, and he was glad he did when he noticed another figure before Midoriya, caught in the light of a streetlamp, tall and lanky.
He watched a short exchange take place between All Might and Midoriya, watched as Midoriya sprinted up to All Might's back before drawing up short, throwing out an arm in a desperate attempt to connect. All Might stopped walking, said something quietly, and resumed at the same pace. From where he was, Shouta couldn't see either of their faces, but he could practically feel the air change around them, like something once strong had snapped, something once alight had exploded. Nonetheless, he watched, still, as Midoriya turned tail and began to sprint the opposite direction through the forest behind them.
"Christ alive," Shouta muttered.
A student ignoring curfew was one matter, one that Izuku Midoriya had never seemed to have much respect for in the first place, but actively leaving the entire campus, into a neighboring forest no less, was another. It was no longer about breaking the rules; it was about safety, and for all the hot air Shouta blew about not caring about his students, he would never let one of them endanger themselves.
All Might didn't seem to be going after his student, and so, irked, Shouta began to sprint down the emergency exit stairs and out the front doors of Height's Alliance. He passed All Might on his way, noting the dire countenance he sported. Shouta shoved a communicator into his hand as he passed.
"You're taking over patrol. Press that button if anything's amiss. It will alert the other pros."
"Aizawa-?"
"I'm going after your student," he hissed, "since you can't be bothered to." Without another word, Shouta took off down the same path he'd noticed Midoriya flee down. He had no problem mouthing off to All Might, had always found it hard to respect him, could never relate to or understand him. They had different views and different methods, but it hadn't escaped him how close he and Midoriya were. How close they'd always been, since the very first day of school. Whatever had transpired between them would have affected the kid greatly.
Despite not noticing Midoriya using his quirk when he'd run off, Shouta knew that that didn't mean he hadn't begun to at some point. If so, he was in for a long night of searching, but in the end, it was the sound of soft crying that led him to his runaway student. Unsurprising. He should have expected it really. What he didn't expect was the ache in his heart as he actually laid eyes on Midoriya, knelt on the ground, palms up beside him and head hung.
"Midoriya."
The only answer Shouta recieved was a defeated sob.
Midoriya had been acting strangely ever since joining Sir Nighteye's agency. He'd been distracted in class, absentminded in hero training, and despondent with his friends. Shouta didn't know why and hadn't tried asking, but if something upsetting had happened during his work study, Shouta couldn't figure how All Might fit into that. The only connection was Nighteye's past as All Might's sidekick.
"Hey, kid. It's past curfew," Shouta said, taking a step closer.
"I know, I'm s-," he hiccuped. "I'm sorry." One of Midoriya's arms came up to cover his eyes, though his shoulders didn't stop their shaking. Suddenly, tendrils of lightning began to light up along Midoriya's skin, his quirk becoming unstable as his cries intensified. Shouta was all at once thankful that the path had streetlights along it, because that green/red glow would have been unsettling in the black of night. An out of control quirk was bad enough as it was.
"Hey," Shouta snapped, harsher than he'd intended. "Ease up on that or I'll erase your quirk. Come on back to the dorms."
"I ca-, can't," Midoriya sobbed. He curled up on himself as his quirk rampaged his body. "I feel so, so horrible."
Shouta knelt down by his student, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I understand. I'm going to erase your quirk now, alright?"
Midoriya nodded, and all at once, the green and pink ringlets coiling around his arms and across his back evaporated, and Midoriya slumped over in defeat, tension bleeding from his muscles as his quirk left him. Uninhibited now, without fear of losing control, Midoriya began to cry harder, turning into Shouta's hand. The hand Shouta had steadying Midoriya's shoulder turned to a hand across his back, and turned from there, into a full on hug.
Sighing, Shouta placed one hand on the back of Midoriya's head and held him to his chest, sitting fully on the ground now with the kid curled up sideways in his lap. He was holding on for dear life, bawling loudly into Shouta's scarf and gripping desperately at his black sweater with his fists. Shouta rubbed his back up and down with the hand not supporting his head. "Alright, kid," he muttered. "Alright, you're alright. It's alright. Take it easy."
"It's not alright," Midoriya stressed, curling harder into Shouta's scarf, seeking comfort there. "All Might's gonna-, and it's all my fault, and-" he dissolved into sobs again.
So something was going to happen to All Might. Did it have to do with his retirement?
"I'm going to blink now, kid," Shouta warned, and felt as Midoriya's shoulders tensed. He blinked, and watched as Midoriya's quirk lit up again, just enough for lightning to begin to flare across his skin before quieting down again as Shouta's eyes opened. Midoriya relaxed into his arms once more, encouraged by the weight of Shouta's palm still rubbing soothing circles over his back, though his crying didn't let up.
"Now what's this you were saying about All Might? I was under the impression that you and Bakugou had already worked out any qualms with All Might regarding blame and feelings of responsibility." Shouta pulled back a little from Midoriya, aiming to look in his eyes, but Midoriya was intent on staying where he was, holding tighter to Shouta's scarf and tightening his arms.
Midoriya shook his head into his teacher's chest. "It's not, it's not about that. I can't tell you."
Shouta's eye twitched. "Of course you can't. Regardless, I can assure you that nothing regarding All Might is your f-"
"He's going to die!" Midoriya gasped out, finally, and then collapsed into horrible, keening cries once more. "He's gonna die, All Might's gonna die, he's gonna-, he's. He-" Midoriya wailed, and when Shouta blinked in shock, eyes closing for just a moment, Midoriya's quirk went haywire, cords of blackish green coming off his skin to wrench his arms, and Shouta grappled to reign it in, feeling his hair lift from his ears and his shoulders as he erased the kid's quirk again.
Midoriya didn't seem to realize what had happened, was still crying intensely into Shouta's scarf, which was becoming increasingly damp.
Shouta tried not to be shocked, tried to accept that severe emotion could sometimes escalate quirks to new heights.
"Easy, kiddo. Midoriya," Shouta tried, when he realized that Midoriya wasn't hearing him. "Midoriya. Midoriya. Izuku."
Midoriya looked up, finally, tears still coming hard and fast down his face, and Shouta placed a hand on the kid's cheek and neck. "I understand if you can't tell me. But I'm sure that whatever happens to All Might will not have been your fault, okay? No, look at me," he said, when the kid tried to hide his face again. "All Might is a grown adult. Whatever choices he made that make you think he's going to die, he will have made of his own volition, and I can guarantee that All Might feels the same. Don't take yourself down that road, okay? The consequences to an adult's actions are never your fault. You are a child. Do you understand?"
"My fault or not, he's still going to d-" Midoriya choked, but he seemed to have cried himself dry, because no more tears came down his face despite the horrible look of desolate anguish in his eyes. Shouta got the feeling somehow, that there was more to this story. So much more, but there wasn't much he could do about that now.
"Hey, hey. No need to grieve somebody who isn't even dead, alright? For now, All Might's still here. You can talk about this with him tomorrow and sort this out then. For now, we're going to go back to the dorms, and you can get some rest. Do you need me to call Nighteye and let him know you need the day off tomorrow?"
Panic replaced the misery in Midoriya's eyes. "No-! I can't-, I don't want to fall behind, I have to get stronger!"
"There's plenty of time for that when you're feeling well enough. I have half a mind to make you stay behind for running off after curfew, but I'll leave the decision to you. I want you to be logical about this, kid. When making your decision, think about what your mind and your body need, not what your heart wants. Okay? It's okay to need a break once in awhile."
"Mr. Aizawa-"
"Let me know tomorrow morning. It's too late to call Nighteye now either way."
"But-"
"Tomorrow."
Midoriya sighed. "Yes, Mr. Aizawa."
Shouta let out a breath, releasing his hold on Midoriya's quirk for the final time now that he had calmed down. He still had that anguished look on his face, but he seemed too tired to cry about it much more. Shouta patted his shoulder one last time and begun to stand, hoisting the kid onto his back as he did so. "Alright. Let's get you back to the dorms."
Midoriya melted into Shouta's hold, adrenaline having worn off and exhaustion seeping in. He rested one temple against the base of Shouta's neck and went still. They'd barely made it halfway back before Shouta recognized his breathing evening out and he'd fallen asleep.
"Problem child," Shouta muttered.
All Might was still posted at the front doors when Shouta came by with Midoriya in tow, but the former hero didn't seem to shocked to find his student in such a state. "Is he alright?" was all he asked, quietly and regretfully.
"He's going to need to have a talk with you soon. Me too, in fact."
"Sure," All Might sighed, placing a hand on the sleeping Midoriya's head. "I apologize for all the trouble," he added, though he didn't take his eyes off of Midoriya as he said it.
"Much appreciated," Shouta said, unable to tell himself if he was being sarcastic or not. "I'm taking him back to his dorm. Goodnight, All Might."
"Good night, Aizawa."
Shouta had just returned to the floor where the student dorms were and was in the process of lowering Midoriya, sleepy and disoriented, to the ground, when he heard footsteps padding softly down the corridor.
Looking up, Shouta met the calculating eyes of one Katsuki Bakugou. "What's wrong with Deku?" He demanded, immediately. There was nothing angry or violent about his demeanor, just resolute and mildly curious. Shouta was finding that this disposition was one increasingly more common in his previously aggressive student. Maybe thanks to his friends, or his teachers, but it was becoming more and more obvious that Bakugou's hostility and antagonism was transforming into good natured determination and resolve.
"He was out past curfew. Again." Shouta turned to address Midoriya. "You, go straight to bed. We'll talk more about this in the morning, understand? If you need anything, you have permission to come find me either on patrol or at the teacher's dorms. Don't hesitate if you feel yourself or your quirk getting out of control again, okay? I'm here to help."
When Midoriya nodded his understanding, accompanied by a quiet 'thank you', Shouta took his leave. He squeezed Midoriya's shoulder before turning to go.
"It's to bed with you too, understand, Bakugou?" He said on his way out.
"Yeah, yeah," he heard his student mutter. Shouta didn't bother staying to police their conversation, but lingered just long enough to catch the few words exchanged between them.
"What did Mr. Aizawa mean about your quirk? And what were you doing out past curfew?"
"Nevermind that, Kacchan, I need to talk to you. It's about All Might."
"Don't be so loud, idiot. Tomorrow. I couldn't bear trying to talk to you when you look so pathetic."
"Hah. Night, Kacchan."
"Whatever, Deku."
Shouta stayed hidden around the corner to hear one door shut, and then another, before checking the time to find that he was due to be back in bed with Hizashi three minutes ago. These students were going to be the death of Shouta Aizawa, and his marriage.