A/N: Mild spoiler warning...I know I said I wouldn't spoil the manga but I lied. This, however, doesn't give any major spoilers to the plot, it just hints at things...read ahead at your own risk.

Also, like I said, if you have any prompts, i'd be happy to write them. I'm just not the best about updating as my stories get longer.

Anywhoo...enjoy!

OoOoOoO

He had gotten pretty good at laying low.

Of course, Midorya couldn't just disappear with a quirk like One for All, but he managed to at least stay off people's radar- never in one city more than a few days, constantly traveling, paying in cash and randomizing his schedule through the day.

Ironically he learned that from Eraserhead.

But try as he might to be distant from the life he had left behind, he couldn't help but need a place.

So, he got an apartment. It was small, dingy, on the third floor of a building that was at least 20 years old. It was barren and yet still cramped. There was barely any furniture in it, but it was makeshift home….at least until he was able to go back to his real one.

Midorya had been in Tokyo for a week. He was exhausted, and the three flights of stairs to his front door ensured that he was wheezing by the time he made it to his door.

He unlocked the front door and stepped inside, immediately sagging against the wall.

Something clinked in the kitchen. He tensed, OFA stirring in his veins, but when he rounded the corner, he huffed in disbelief.

"Really Midorya?"

"Eraserhead?"

The man had one door of the fridge opened, and his eyes narrowed at the empty shelves. The fridge light wasn't working. Midorya flipped on the kitchen light.

"Leeks?" The man pulled out the vegetable, giving the boy a 'the hell is wrong with you' sort of glare.

"They're good for you-" he replied defensively.

"They're moldy." Aizawa grumbled in disgust and tossed them in the trash. "Do you not eat?"

"I was in Tokyo."

The man glared at him. On the counter next to the fridge was a paper bag, one Midorya hadn't noticed at first. Aizawa began pulling things out. "You go get cleaned up. I'll cook."

It was so….strange. Not the fact that Aizawa had actually found him-the man was known for his work. No, it was weird that he was in his house trying to cook him dinner.

"Well? Go on."

Midorya skittered to the bathroom, leaving Aizawa to shake his head at him from the stove.

It was easily the fastest shower he'd ever taken. Curls still soaked, he threw on clothes and returned eagerly to the kitchen. Aizawa had just finished cooking when he walked in, and his stomach rumbled at the smell.

The man was impassive, stoic. The entire time he served their plates, Midorya wondered what he was thinking.

"How did you find me?"

Aizawa set his bowl of food in front of him and removed his scarf and goggles before grabbing his own bowl from the counter. "You're not exactly subtle."

"You've been following me?"

"I haven't been doing anything. All-Might on the other hand-"

Izuku choked on his noodles at the implication. Had the sidekicks at All-Might Agency been tailing him?

"The man is worried sick." Aizawa muttered quietly, taking a bite of his own food. Isuku eyed him a moment.

"Are you here to take me back?"

Aizawa paused, chopstick hanging into his bowl.

"Not unless you want to come back." He was obviously thinking through what he wanted to say. "Although, I can't promise you'll graduate at this point."

Midorya nodded, but his heart sank. He had known, since going rogue, that the odds of everything returning to be the same were very slim. Every day he played vigilante, the gap between him and his classmates grew bigger.

In truth- the last few months on his own had taught him more than he could have learned at UA, and that wasn't through the fault of Aizawa or All-Might or anyone really. He needed this...to learn from his predecessors and to protect his friends from the league at the same time.

And yet…

The aching in his chest didn't subside. Every time he came home, he half-expected his classmates to be waiting, drawing him towards dinner or training or study sessions with goofy smiles on their faces. And every time he found his house empty, it became a little harder to smile.

"I get it." Aizawa set his chopsticks aside and looked at him. The expression on his face was ever neutral, but his voice had a habit of betraying how he was really feeling. "All-Might told me about your quirk. I get that you want to protect them, but do you really think going rogue is what's best?"

"Of course I don't, but what choice do I have?!" Midorya slammed his chopsticks down on the table so hard that his bowl became unsteady. The chair fell behind him as he stood. "I have to keep them safe. They've all gotten hurt because of me. You got hurt because of me-"

He had been trying not to think about it, and with Aizawa sitting, it wasn't like the limp in his gait was obvious. But every night, he lie awake, thinking through the same scenarios over and over, a list playing in his head of every person he'd ever hurt. And the guilt….the guilt never really ended.

The man was just looking at him, not really surprised. It was like he was waiting for Midorya to let it all out.

"I don't know what to do." The words were out of his mouth before he thought about them, but the relief of finally saying it took some of the weight off his shoulders. His sore and battered arms trembled. Tears rolled unbound down his cheeks.

He shut his eyes, heard the scraping of the chair across from him. Before he could react, a hand on his shoulder was pulling him in.

Buried in the fabric of Aizawa's shirt, he sobbed until he felt empty, like the emotions of the past few months had finally exploded and this was the aftermath. He clung to the shirt even after, feeling the reassuring heart beat beneath.

Aizawa, although he tried to avoid affection, just let him cry, one arm wrapped around his shoulders and the other hand buried in his curls.

"You're still just a child, Midorya." He finally murmured when the boy had gone quiet. "It's not on you to save the world by yourself. Nobody blames you for anything."

Izuku must have realized he was still being held by the very same man who didn't hold anybody, much less his students. He took a step away, rubbing his tired eyes.

Ultimately, Aizawa couldn't make the choice for him, although he had his opinions on the matter. But...he could at least offer it. That single way out, the exit to take off the burden. He'd already discussed it with Nezu almost as soon as he was cleared to return to teaching. He just had to hope Izuku would come to that conclusion on his own. He couldn't force anything on him.

"What do you want to do, problem child?" Aizawa stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking at the boy expectantly.

Izuku sniffled once, and with a watery voice, he said exactly what Aizawa hoped he would say.

"I wanna come home."