Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting and DragonRiderSayomi
This will be a Aizawa-centered fic, and it will get dark. I'm talking torture, PTSD depression and the like. So, just a warning.
Strong bromance between Aizawa and Hizashi is to come. ;D
Alright, so recently Sinikka has introduced me to this anime/manga, which I have been reading religiously for the last few days. XD Seriously, I am uttering consumed by it, especially Aizawa. So, wanted to take a crack at writing some fanfiction for it. Now, I am new to the fandom, so I may not be 100% accurate with things, but I promise to try my best, and I hope you all enjoy. :D
His pen tapped rhythmically against the table, increasing in speed as his irritation grew. Next to him, Hizashi sat there, carrying out the same task of grading papers, headphones in ears as he tapped his foot and bobbed his head with the beat, the rather loud and blaring beat. On the contrary, Aizawa's eye twitched with each and every note that filtered through his skull. And, despite all his exasperated sighs and glares, the other was unaware of the frustration he was creating.
Taking a deep breath, the man switched over to his computer, quickly typing something out before clicking send. With that done, he glanced over when he heard the 'ding' next to him, signalling the success of the transfer. Pausing from his own mini party, the blond's brows rose in curiosity as he read the name on the email and glanced over to the other. Seriously, they were right next to each other. Nonetheless, he opened the mail and began to scan over it, his lips pursing as he read the words:
If I wanted to listen to music, I would have gone to a concert. Turn it down, you're making my ears bleed.
His eyes narrowed and he glared over, leaning back to cross his arms. "What's wrong with a little music?!" he asked, voice unnaturally loud as he attempted to hear himself over his tunes. "If you have a problem with it, then you can just go- Hey, not cool!" he exclaimed as the headphones were effectively plucked from his head, exposing just how loud and obnoxiously he was yelling.
"You're too loud, and I would really like to get these graded without any distractions" the dark-haired man mumbled, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand and turning back to the task at hand now that he was able to work in relative peace. Although, much to his dismay, his pen hadn't been scribbling long before he sensed a face...far too close to his own, urging him to lean a few inches away. "You mind?" he questioned with a have exhale.
"You alright?" the other asked, catching Aizawa off guard. Where did that come from? He turned to meet the other's gaze, and he was actually being completely serious. "Usually you're pretty tolerable, but right now you seem a bit touchy," he explained in an accusing tone. "Look, if you're not up to it, I don't think going home will hurt, these tests aren't going anywhere."
The other blinked heavily a few times, at a loss for words for a few seconds. "I'm fine," he replied, taking his free hand to run through his locks, ruffling them slightly as he took a deep breath. "Just want to get this done so I can go home and go to sleep," he said, rather casually. Leaving it at that, he continued with his work, making it clear that that was the end of their conversation. And, with an unsure expression, and a concerned look in his eyes, the other did the same, not wanting to push it if it was clearly unwarranted.
They kept this up for another half an hour before Aizawa leaned back and stretched his arms with an elongated yawn. Pressing the palms of his hands against his eyes, he tried to will the oncoming throbs behind them from creeping up any further. He was used to being tired, but here lately, the struggle to stay asleep had been a real one. Almost every time, without fail, as soon as he was deep in slumber something, he didn't know what, disturbed him from it. Noises from outside, but there was never anyone, or anything, there upon inspection.
"You know what?" he said groggily after a few more moments, "I think you're right. I'm going to call it a day, I'll finish these in the morning." In one fluid motion, he pushed his chair out and got to his feet; it was going to be a long walk home, there was no doubt about that.
Hizashi turned to face him just as he approached the door. "Alright, man, see you tomorrow then. Don't stay up too late," he joked, offering a quick thumbs up as the other returned a small wave of farewell and a muttered "Yeah".
The moment that crisp evening breeze hit him, it served to breathe some wakefulness back into him. Taking a deep inhale of the refreshment, he went on his way, practically dragging his feet as he went, his shoulders slightly slumped. As he strolled onward, his eyes occasionally darted to the sky as the last of the light fled the area, being consumed and absorbed by the white specs that took its place. And, with the day turning its back on the world, along came his exhaustion once more. To his displeasure, he still wasn't even half-way there, that knowledge dragged an annoyed sigh out of his lungs.
He really needed to move close, or invest in a bike or something, these long and tedious walks were starting to annoy him to no end. But, with the promise of his bed, and maybe a cup of coffee, he kept his pace consistent and ignored his body's pleas for some sort of rest. Putting one foot in front of the other, his left paused mid-stride, his eyes cutting over to the side as he listened more closely. He could have sworn he heard something, but as he gazed towards where he thought it to come from, there was nothing within sight.
For a few seconds more, he held that position, staring at nothing until he chalked it off to his stressed mind and muddled imagination. Rubbing the back of his neck and mumbling to himself, he carried on, albeit much more wary of his surroundings. He didn't care if that made him paranoid or not, with all the happenings as of late, he wasn't willing to let his guard down, especially when alone as he was. Unknowingly, his pace quickened, his feet developing a mind of their own as they carried him forward with their own agenda.
Dark eyes scanned the areas in front of him as well as in his peripherals, keeping a sharp look out for anything out of the ordinary. Of course, deep down, he was sure he was unreasonable, but on the surface… He paused again, knowing for a fact that he heard steps this time, and he spun on the spot, only to be introduced to empty space once again.
"How long do you plan on hiding yourself?" he asked aloud, narrowing his eyes in anticipation. He was only a few feet from his apartment now, but if he were truly being followed, then leading them there was the last thing he wanted to do. His capturing weapon flared to life, as if it had a life of its own, at the sudden sound coming from behind him. Now, there was no doubt about it: He definitely wasn't alone out here.
His hands twitched at his sides as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end; he didn't know what it was, but something about all this was making him incredibly uneasy. "Why so jumpy?" The voice and question caught him off guard, eliciting him to spin on the spot and face the newcomer. In less than a second, his hair lifted from his features and a surge of energy currented through him at the activation of his quirk.
"And you are?" he asked, holding the man with his unblinking stare, unwilling to release his unwavering hold on the man. He didn't look like much, sickly, even, but that meant little in the world they occupied.
The other man said nothing, merely just stared back with a more than amused grin marring his expression. It wasn't befitting with the rest of him, coming across as out of place and forced. Then, after another couple of seconds, he finally opened his mouth, his pale and dimmed eyes glistening with an edge of sadism that made the hero's skin crawl. "Eraserhead," he greeted, his casual way of speaking only causing more unrest to churn in the man's core, "what a lovely surprise it is to see you here. I was just passing through, and wouldn't you know it?" He chuckled to himself and pressed the palm of his hand against his forehead in mock surprise. "Now, what's with that look? I'm not here to hurt you," he laughed, finding genuine amusement out of Aizawa's reactions to his presence. "But, I can't speak on behalf of the others."
Before he could question, or even process what was said, the man was forced to dodge a sudden attack from his left. Another came immediately after, and with all the debris and dust rising from the avoided attacks, he struggled to make anything out. With his vision obscured, he was provided with only one option, and that was to continue working his way back. He was given very little time to counter these attacks, it was like they knew...knew exactly how to deal with him. And, the next thing he knew he was up against a wall, his back pressed against it with nowhere else to go. But, he could see the attacker, a large, yet slow, individual who stood a few feet away, and he set him with his gaze. Breaths heaving, he stood straight, prepared to take another step forward.
However, another chill ran through him, right through his insides and a tingle trickled down his back. Then, it was there, an odd and unsettling pressure from within and his breath hitched. "You so much as twitch, and I'll squeeze the life outta ya," came a new voice, muffled and feminine. So, that made three of them then.
He found himself unable to move; not from fear, but from the sheer pain. He couldn't draw in a deep enough breath, his lungs refused to expand any further. "Well, you heard her," the first of the three shrugged, stepping closer. "Considering your life is literally in her hands, I'd do what she said," he suggested, now a few inches from the hero. "Unless you think you can survive two collapsed lungs."
Aizawa clenched his teeth and his nails bit into the palms of his hands. Slowly, he rotated his head, trying his damnedest to catch a glimpse of what was behind him. However, the moment he turned the slightest amount, the pressure increased, causing him to expel what little oxygen he had left in him. And, he struggled to draw in more, no, he couldn't take another breath. In a moment of panic, he instinctively kicked back, his foot only connecting with wall. It made no sense, not unless...unless they were going through the wall? His heart dropped as realization set in, and the meaning of the sensation he felt. 'Life is literally in her hands…'
"You get it now, don't you?" who he assumed the leader to be asked, stepping to stand next to him. With a tap against the wall, he ordered a joyful, "Hey, ease up will ya? Can't have 'em dead." That was all it took, and he instantly gasped in air, colors flashed across his vision as he took in greedy inhales.
"The hell...you want?" he asked between pants, the fact that the hold was still on him causing his heart to thrum against his ribs. He hated, despised, how he allowed himself to get cornered like this so easily; he wanted to blame it on the lack of sleep, but somehow, deep down, he knew that was nothing more than an excuse. These guys obviously had this planned, they had been waiting on him. Why, he had no idea, but he'd rather not find out.
The grey man rounded to the other side just as the last of the dust subsided, revealing the entirety of the large man that had been previously assaulting him. His appearance, it was almost that of stone, his skin grainy and his features sharp. "Golem," the head guy called out, "cover his eyes, will you; they are far too troublesome to keep exposed like that."
He was helpless to do anything as a cloth was lifted, fluttering carelessly in the wind as it was held teasingly in front of him. If it weren't for the risk of having some of his organs ripped from his body, this would have been an easy fight. This is what he got for playing so sloppily into their hands though, if anyone was to blame for this, it was him, and the binding that was tied around his eyes was the result of that.
Just like that, the world was cut off as the material was secured in place, effectively blocking everything out. "As for what we want, well, it's simple really," he went on, his steps resounding off the wall behind him. "We just want to have a bit of a chat. However, speaking out here, in the open as we are, it's too risky. We can't have someone overhearin'. I'm sure you understand the severity of being caught in the open," he nearly purred, causing Aizawa to shudder. He couldn't help but grit his teeth against his own frustration. "Miss Houdini," he muttered, addressing the woman, "you know what to do."
"Roger that!" she replied gleefully, the strain on his lungs increasing instantly, this time even more so than the last as it squeezed any air out of them and prevented from any more being sucked in. Every gasp he took ended in failure, never able to get anything out other than a struggled wheeze or a strained whine. The agony it created was damn near excruciating as fire danced in his chest, its unrelenting flames reaching as far up as his throat. Nausea and dizziness both attacked at once, his racing pulse only causing the assailants to rage more.
His senses were balancing on the edges of unconsciousness as blood rang in his ears, deafeningly as all other sounds faded into the background, into white noise. This was it, there was nothing he could do anymore. As the strength dwindled from his limbs, and as his knees buckled, only then did the pressure release from his lungs. But, at that point, it was already too late; he couldn't get back up, his body denied him its cooperation. His fingers twitched, gliding over the pavement with their efforts to move. Croaks found their way out of his throat, but no words would form as everything was hastily slipping from his grasp. Before he knew it, all was snatched away altogether, abandoning him as he was dropped into the depths of oblivion.
The lot of them stood around the room, chatting amongst themselves as they all anticipated the start of class. Time moved on as the minutes ticked on, the 'tocks' of the clock growing louder as it was almost on the hour. And, as the minute hand reached its goal, signalling the beginning of class, all took their seats in preparation. However, the conversations continued without skipping a beat. They waited patiently, occasionally exchanging a few confused glanced between them as a few more minutes passed and still no teacher.
Though, it wasn't unusual for him to arrive at the last possible second, for him to take this long...it was jarring, to say the least.
"Think he just slept in?" Uraraka asked, her brows knit in subtle concern. Her hands were clasped atop her desk, thumbs twiddling nervously. "That's likely, isn't it?" she questioned, hoping someone would back her up on this.
Grinning to himself and leaning back in his chair, Kaminari propped his feet on top of his own desk and settled in. "Who knows, I wouldn't really be surprised, the guy already walks around like the undead," he commented, ignoring the lecturings of Iida about his choice of a sitting position. "I say, if he's not here in the next five minutes, then it's a sign we can all go home and take the day off."
There were a few agreements in the background, but mixed within the chorus were the few arguments and protests. "He could just be sick," Asui suggested, a finger to her chin and her eyes gazing at the ceiling in thought. "Everyone gets under the weather from time to time."
"No, if that were the case, you'd think he'd say something," Ashido replied, crossing her arms and sinking a little in her seat. She didn't have any ideas of her own, but she was fairly certain that wasn't the case. Then again, with the track record he had, she wouldn't put it past the man to do something like this and leave them in the dark. Her face fell with the memories of the few times he's already pulled that kind of stuff on them.
Sitting quietly to himself, Midoriya tightened his lips in a straight line, starring off towards the front of the room. This wasn't normal, not in the slightest. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen him at all, not even in passing. His worry getting the best of him, he called out to the others with a small "Hey." Almost immediately, the others fell silent in curiosity. "Have...have any of you seen him at all today?" he asked, looking to each and every one of them. And, with each dip of the head and aversion of a gaze, his heart dropped closer and closer towards the pit of his stomach. Not a single one of them had seen him, and none of them had heard anything. Looking to the clock, it was now five minutes passed the time he should have been there. He normally wouldn't be so uneasy by this, but for the amount of time he's been there, he'd never seen him come in late.
Slowly, the others began to understand the severity of the situation, and how utterly out of character this was for him. The idea of him sleeping in was starting to make less sense as well. If that were the case, he would simply sleep during class. He wasn't sure if he was just overreacting because of all the increased villain activity as of late, or if something was actually up, but either way, it was unnerving.
"I think we should tell someone," he muttered, mostly to himself, but a few around him hear it loud and clear.
"Tell them what, you idiot?!" Bakugo asked, swiveling around in his chair with unexpected speed. "What, you wanna tell someone that your teacher is a little late. Oh no, it must be the end of the world," he muttered, rolling his eyes and turning back away before he could lose his temper. Instead, he tapped a single finger against his desk and grumbled to himself in annoyance. What the hell was with him, always butting his nose into things that he had no business butting into. It honestly made him sick just thinking about it.
As Midoriya was about to question things further, finally, the door slid open and he let out a sigh of relief, but that momentary comfort was shattered the moment he looked upon the person that entered. "Midnight?" he questioned in confusion. "W-Where's Aizawa-Sensei?" he asked, brows knit in suspicion.
For a moment, the woman said nothing, but a flash of uncertainty was seen on her features for a split second, long enough for some of the others to notice. "About that, due to Eraser's absence, this class as been canceled for the day," she announced, tone flat and somewhat forced. Taking a deep breath, she glanced between the lot of them. "Do not worry, he just hasn't shown up, we have no reason to become alarmed as to why that is," she explained, offering them a warm and reassuring smile, but the gesture never reached her gaze.
No one replied, no one was sure what to say or how to react. "What do you mean, 'just hasn't shown up'?" Iida asked, on his feet a moment later. "As in he hasn't been seen all day, or as in he just hasn't shown up here?" He already knew the answer, they all did, it was clear as day, but there was a part of him that didn't want to believe that.
Her lack of an answer was clear enough. "I hope you all understand, and we apologize for the inconvenience. But, we ask that you all return home for the day. Though, we expect to see you all back here on Monday, understood?" she asked, keeping up a professional appearance and never allowing the authority to slip from his grasp. This wasn't the time to allow her stable demeanor to falter, not in front of so many students. Besides, Mic was already on his way over to Aizawa's place. And, until there was news from that, there was no reason to become uneasy.
"And please," she added before exiting, "it's very important that you all let us figure this out. This is a matter that is best left to us," she advised, an unusually serious tone to her words. She was completely serious about this, and hearing this did nothing to appease their concerns. Tha air stagnated as she left them to themselves, the weight of it nearly crushing and suffocating. What the hell was going on? None of them could muster up the will to speak after hearing that, frozen in place as the news settled in and replayed in their heads. Now there was no doubt about it, something was definitely wrong.
He didn't want to admit it, but the closer he drew to his long-time friend's place, the more Mic's pulse picked up. He's never had to do this before, never had to drop in to check if the guy was alright; it was odd, and he hated every bit of it. Normally they were just casual visits, and always when he invited himself. This was nothing like those, and something about it read as an invasion of privacy to him. Sure, he may have been intrusive and occasionally inappropriate, but never did he stick his nose where it wasn't welcomed.
As he drew closer, the more he had to manually move his feet, it was as if they knew this was wrong on every level and were trying to spare him of whatever it was he would find. But, he couldn't stop, and his mouth became unnaturally dry when he was just a few minutes away, and his chest tightened as his gaze picked up on something in the distance. It was just sitting there in the middle of the sidewalk. There was this nagging sureness that he knew exactly what it was too. However, he'd keep telling himself it wasn't until he could really see for himself.
Every step from there was like a drum beat against his ribs, and this nervousness that enveloped him was something he hadn't known for a long time. He held his breath in anticipation as he finally reached it. There was no need for him to look more than he already was, for he knew with every fiber of his being that this was Eraser's capturing weapon, lying in a pile on the pavement. Stepping even closer, despite his better judgement, he crouched down to gather the material, his movements locking up as he bundled it up.
"Wha-" he muttered, emerald gaze widening and the rusty-colored stain that lied underneath. His breath caught as he recognized the unmistakable sight of blood, soaked and dried on the ground. Slowly, his attention lifted from the specs to Eraser's apartment, and he swallowed the lump in his throat as the taste of bile touched the back of his tongue.
He had to be completely certain. He already had all the answers he came here for, but he had to be one hundred percent sure that this was real. Scooping up the rest of the fabric, he wrapped his left arm firmly around it and blankly, autonomously, strolled towards the man's home. There was no way his blood could have ran colder than it already was. He was numb, more fearful that he'd been in years. He was always fine when faced with an enemy, but the fear that someone he cared for was in potential danger, it was something he couldn't accept so easily.
Now, there he was, standing directly in front of his friend's door, staring at it with his hand raised as he prepared to knock. He fought with the tremble that wracked the limb until he dug up enough courage to finally tap on the wood. The sound echoed in his skull as it went unanswered.
"E-Eraser, come on, man!" he called, knocking harder. "Quit screwing around, I know you're lazy and all, but this is ridiculous," he joked, all humor drained from the ramblings. There was only one thing to do now, check it out for himself, but he was so utterly terrified of what he might find once in. This was for Aizawa though, and keeping that in mind, he fished the spare key from his pocket, the one he was 'trusted' with a while ago.
In his head, it all happened in slow motion: the turning of the key, the creak of the door as it swung open, and then the dark interior as light spilled in from his entering. "Hey!" he called out, his voice bouncing off the wall and coming back to him. It was really empty, he wasn't in there. Eraser, his friend, was gone, and not a single one of them knew where he could have gone. There was no time to think about things now, he had to fill the others in, they had to search for him and get to the bottom of this before it could escalate too far. With shaking fingers, and a trembling arm, he dialed the first number that came to mind.
As soon as it was answered, he fought to get words to come out. "H-Hey," he stammered. "It's about Aizawa...he's not here. I found his weapon outside his apartment, and...and there was blood."
There was a near unbearable throbbing in his head, pounding in time with his heartbeat which pulsed at an uncomfortable rate. He was nauseous, and with the pain that was in his skull, he wouldn't be surprised if he had a concussion. Aizawa tightened his eyes shut and groaned to himself as he slowly came to. And, along with it surfaced the memories of what happened. With the occurances flooding back in, his eyes snapped open, but still, he was surrounded by darkness. That was right, they blindfolded him, wanting to avoid his quirk at all costs.
Whoever these guys were, they knew enough about how he fought. He never got the chance to get his bearings, as soon as his waking up was noticed, fingers intertwined painfully in his hair and his head was yanked up, forcing him to face forward. A heated breath brushed against the side of his neck and a chuckled ticked by his ear. "You sure took your time waking up." It took everything he had to suppress a shudder from traveling through him.
"I...suppose you have a reason...for taking me?" Eraser asked, voice hoarse and throat sore. He gave his hands a tug, only to find them bound behind his back. And, it was at that moment he became aware that he was sitting in a chair. "Why cover...my eyes when...I'm tied up?" he asked, a slight undertone of mocking in there.
A single finger caressed his right cheek, a searing pain trailing after the appendage. Much to his disappointment, he couldn't hold back the hiss that followed suit, but he was sure his skin was burning. It didn't stop until the touch pulled away, leaving him shuddering from agony and his breath coming in pants. "It's hard to get answers from you if I can't use my quirk," he answered as if it were that simple.
"Acid?" Aizawa wheezed out as he tried to convince himself to calm down. Them seeing him so worked up wasn't going to do him any favors.
"You catch on quick," the man replied, running his thumb back over the burn wound, finding amusement in the way the hero flinched at the connection. "Yes, that is my quirk, if you must know. I can secrete an acid from my hands. It's not a very useful ability, but it has its...uses.
"It's quite potent too," Miss Houdini added on, sounding proud to be on his side. "I've never felt it for myself, but I've seen it at work. And, let's just say, no one has been a fan of it." He couldn't see, but he could hear her walking around in circles now, strolling steadily around him. After last night, after finding out what she could do, just having her near was enough to put him on edge.
"Don't worry, she's not going to do anything without me telling her so. If we wanted you dead, we would have done so already. But, you're of no use to us unless you're able to talk. As for other functions. They're not important. We just need that pretty voice of yours unharmed.
So, that's what this was about, it was information they were after. But, he knew, the moment they had that, they would no longer have a need for him. All he had to do was hold out long enough for others to realize he was missing. He could do that much. He didn't have a choice in the matter. Instantly making up his mind, he mentally prepared himself for the worst of it.
Surprisingly, Eraser smiled despite the situation he was in. He was well aware of the danger he was in, and yet... He wasn't sure if it was from his nerves, the pain clouding his mind, or his definite head injury, but it was there and the grasp on his hair was jerked again. "Keep smiling while you can," the other man replied, his own voice betraying his enjoyment.
"Now, how about we get started with those questions, shall we? Tell me, what do you know about All Might?"
Anyway, please let me know what you think, I will definitely be continuing this. But, it still doesn't hurt to get feedback. XD All is welcomed and appreciated.