Midoriya was late.

If this had been his students at Yuuei Aizawa wouldn't have been concerned. They were rarely on time, rarely prepared. He thought giving them Midoriya's notes would help. Show them that they didn't know everything. If someone who had never met them, who had never even seen their quirks in actions, was able to to pick apart their strengths and weaknesses, they would realize what could happen against a real villain. What would they do if a villain analyzed their quirks the way that his "consultant" had? It hadn't changed anything with the class though, just served as a reminder of how special Midoriya really was.

Midoriya had never been late before.

Every other session the middle schooler had arrived at least ten minutes early, a mixture of excitement and nerves. Midoriya was always ready to learn, and he focused on everything Aizawa had to say with an attentiveness that the pro hero wished he was used to, not only taking in the information but immediately trying to apply it. He had grown so much in the few weeks they had been meeting, and Aizawa continued to find himself surprised by the boy who had shown up at his apartment out of nowhere ready to prove himself.

Today though, the minutes had ticked by and Midoriya never showed. Aizawa had no real reason to be worried. Midoriya was still a student, after all, it was possible he had just been delayed after class by a teacher or another student, but he couldn't shake the feeling, and with every minute that passed without Midoriya's sudden appearance his dread grew. He had just started reaching for his phone when it rang, the low beep he had set for Midoriya Inko echoing in the empty warehouse.

Inko spoke the moment he picked up. "Izuku!" She said hurriedly, her voice watery. A hand tightened around Aizawa's heart. "Izuku's been kidnapped!"

Aizawa's students liked to joke that their teacher had no emotions, but the look of fury that twisted his expression at Inko's words would have had them cowering. "You know for a fact he was kidnapped?" he asked, his tone a calmness he didn't feel.

"They-They left a note and-"

Aizawa gripped the phone tighter as Inko's voice broke.

"Aizawa-san it's addressed to you."

One Hour Earlier

Izuku should have known that nothing good would come from Kacchan's attention. There was always a tension between the two ex friends. Too much had happened for them to not be constantly aware of the other's presence. Izuku knew Kacchan would deny it, but there had been a time-before quirks and pride had gotten in the way- that they had been inseparable. Izuku understood Bakugou Katsuki in a way that no one else did, and although the status of their friendship might have changed that fact remained the same.

Of course that meant Kacchan knew Izuku just as well.

A lot of their classmates tended to write Kacchan of as an idiot. He was loud, a bully. He always seemed to act first and think about the consequences later. They heard the angry words he said and assumed that was all there was to him. It didn't matter that Kacchan consistently ranked number one in their class. Izuku knew better though, and so he should have known that if anyone was going to notice that something was going on with him it would be Kacchan. He was too observant to miss Izuku's change in attitude and the fact that he tended to disappear immediately after school now.

When Kacchan first confronted him about it, Izuku panicked. He stuttered, the words making no sense even to him, before blurting out Eraserhead's name and running. He had kicked himself as soon as he got back to him apartment for telling Kacchan the hero's name, but there wasn't anything he could do about it then. All Izuku could do was hope that Kacchan would drop it all the while knowing that wasn't going to happen.

Then Kacchan attempted to follow him to one of his meetings with Aizawa, Izuku had never been more grateful of the roundabout routes the pro hero had given him to the warehouse. It had been easy to give his classmate the slip. Far easier, he noted, than it would have been before his lessons with Aizawa started. That didn't solve the original problem though.

Kacchan knew something was going on with Izuku, and he wasn't going to stop until he got an answer he was satisfied with. If there was one thing the two boys still had in common it was that they were stubborn to a fault. So yeah, Izuku should have known that things would escalate quickly when Kacchan didn't get the answers he wanted. He wasn't a patient person in general, and even less so when it came to Izuku himself.

The next confrontation came quickly and painfully, and Izuku found himself still on the school grounds long after he would have normally left, trying to clean the blood off his face. There would be no hiding the spreading bruises from Aizawa, but at least he wouldn't get as many stares on his walk to the warehouse.

School had been out long enough that once Izuku got off the main road the streets were empty. Already running late, he paid no attention to the person walking towards him until he stopped right in Izuku's path, almost knocking him off balance.

"I'm so sorry!" Izuku said, righting the bag on his shoulder. "I should have been paying more attention to where I was going. Are you okay?"

The man was dressed casually, his hands tucked in his pockets. Izuku felt sure he had seen the man before somewhere, the orange shade of his short cropped hair hard to forget, but he couldn't place where. "I'm fine, Midoriya Izuku, but I'm afraid I'm going to need you to come with me."

Izuku took an immediate step back, glancing over the man again warily. His eskrima rods were tucked into his backpack. Aizawa had wanted Izuku to get use to the feel of the real ones, but there was no way he could reach them in time. Not when he had no idea who this man was or what quirk he had.

The man smiled crookedly. "You really don't have a choice here, I'm sorry, but if you come without a fight I can promise you won't get hurt."

This couldn't be happening. He already knew his name, must have known where he went to school, but why would someone do so much research into him? He was just a normal middle schooler as far as anyone knew. He hadn't told anyone about his lessons with Aizawa and as far as he could tell Aizawa hadn't told anyone either. This man, whoever he was, had to know though. Maybe not the exact circumstances, but he had to know there was a connection between Izuku and the pro hero. There was no other reason anyone would want to kidnap Izuku.

"If you think I'm just going to go with you, then you're an idiot." Izuku said, backing away slowly. He had gotten a lot faster since he started training with Aizawa. If he could just double back, make it to the school grounds...It all depended on whether on not this man was working alone or not. One person Izuku might be able to outrun, but two?

The man sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I told Rave this was a bad idea. Going after a pro hero is dangerous enough without dragging his kid into it too." Izuku didn't have time to worry about the man's mumbling, but he tucked the name "Rave" away in the back of his mind incase it became important.

"Now don't try to run, kid, I don't want to have to use my quirk on you. It's not a pleasant experience from what I hear."

This was the kind of situation he and Aizawa had talked about. He knew nothing about this man's quirk, and that didn't leave him a lot of options. If he ran then he might leave himself vulnerable. The man wanted to capture him, so turning his back on him might just be the opportunity he needed. The only other option was to fight though, and could Izuku really handle that yet? Less than a month of training and he was already being confronted by a villain with a grudge against a pro hero.

He needed to stall. That was the best option. Stall long enough to figure out what to do next. "Why are you after me?"

"Honestly? This wasn't my idea. I wouldn't even be involved in this part if my quirk wasn't so ideal. I have nothing against you personally, kid, but Eraserhead? I've got a lot of issues with him. My brother seems to think that the best way to get to him is through you. So here we are."

"Your brother?"

Footsteps sounded behind Izuku, and the man tensed, cursing. "I should have just grabbed you and left."

Izuku grinned. "Probably should have." Someone was definitely coming, and as long as Izuku wasn't the center of the man's focus he would probably be able to get them both away. As long as-

"What the fuck is going on here?" Kacchan asked, finally rounding the corner.

Izuku stared. "Kacchan! Stop! We need to-"

"Was what I just heard right?" Bakugou demanded, turning towards the man. "Did you just say you were going to kidnap him?" His hands crackled as small explosions went off. The man eyed the fire with a wide-eyed panic.

Izuku tried to pull Bakugou away, but the other boy just shook him off, glaring. "What the fuck have you gotten yourself into, Deku, that someone's trying to kidnap you?"

"Is now really the time, Kacchan?" Izuku snapped, "We need to-" The words stopped as a sickly sweet smell filled the air around him.

"I'm sorry boys, but this has gotten out of my control." Asahi said, rolling his sleeves up.

Izuku could just barely focus on the gas that seemed to be coming from his skin before his vision blurred. Kacchan seemed just as affected, wavering on his feet.

"What the hell?"

The words were barely out before he and Izuku both crumpled to the curb. Asahi sighed again, pulling out his phone. "I've got him, Rave. Another boy showed up. They seemed to know each other, so I had to use my quirk. We've got plenty of time before they wake up."

As soon as Aizawa had assured Inko that he would be over to their apartment as soon as he could, he hung up and immediately made another call.

Aizawa wanted to throw something with each unanswered ring, but losing his temper wouldn't solve anything now. He needed to see that note and find whoever had taken Midoriya. Everything else would have to wait.

They finally picked up on the last ring. Aizawa cut in before they could even say hello. "Emergency. Meet me at this address." He carefully listed out the Midoriya's apartment before hanging up without bothering to wait for a response. He would come, Aizawa knew, and now all he needed to do was get there as fast as possible.

Whoever had taken Midoriya was going to realize just what a mistake they had made, of that Aizawa was sure.

Inko answered the door the before Aizawa even knocked. "Please, Aizawa-san. Please find Izuku." She had been crying, but her voice was steady when she spoke. Aizawa had never been more grateful of his ability to keep his face expressionless than in that moment.

"We'll find him, Inko-san." There was no other option.

She led him into the living room. "This man says he's with you?"

Hizashi was already seated at the sofa, a glass of water in hand. Leave it to Inko to still worry about the comfort of a guest when her son had been kidnapped. It was easy to see, in that simple gesture, where Izuku got his strength from. "He's with me."

"Yo, Shouta. What's going on?" Hizashi asked, glancing between Aizawa and Inko. Hizashi had never heard Aizawa mention the Midoriya's, but he wouldn't have called him if it wasn't serious. The tension in his friend's face, only obvious to Hizashi because of how long the two had known each other, made his blood run cold. Aizawa's expression hadn't been that grave in a long time. "Midoriya-san said it would be better for you to explain."

"For the last month I've taken on training a second year middle schooler, Midoriya Izuku," Aizawa said. "He's got a lot of potential in terms of his observational skills, but he doesn't have a quirk."

"You've been training a student outside of Yuuei?" Hizashi said, stunned. "And he's quirkless? What did he do get your attention?" With how well known Aizawa's high standards were, this kid had to have done something really impressive to garner that kind of reaction out of him.

"He showed up at my apartment." Hizashi let out a low whistle.

Aizawa moved on quickly. Hizashi would have to be filled in on everything later. Aizawa didn't have time for that now. He would have prefered to keep him from knowing about Midoriya until after his student had taken the entrance exam, but he couldn't risk Midoriya's safety when he didn't know what he would be walking into. Backup was a necessity, and there wasn't anyone Aizawa trusted with this more than Hizashi.

"You said on the phone they left a note?"

Inko nodded, holding out the crumpled paper in her hands. "Someone slid it under the door while I was out. All it has is your name and an address."

"Who else knew that you were training with Midoriya?" Hizashi asked, leaning over to see the writing over Aizawa's shoulder.

"I didn't tell anyone."

"Izuku didn't either."

Hizashi hummed. "They must have been watching you. Saw the two of you together somehow. Whoever took him, it's clear they want a fight."

"That's fine then," Aizawa said, turning to reassure Inko. "If it's just about getting to me they have no reason to hurt him."

"But, Aizawa-san, will you be alright?" Aizawa was often thrown off by the way the younger Midoriya cared for him, but the worry in Inko's voice-this time for his sake- still caught him by surprise.

Hizashi threw an arm over Aizawa's shoulder. "Don't worry, Midoriya-san. I'll be there to make sure they both get back okay."

Tears welled up in Inko's eyes again. Aizawa looked away. "Thank you. Thank you both."

"Of course, Midoriya-san." After all, Hizashi wanted to meet the boy who had inspired such a reaction from Aizawa himself.

When Midoriya woke the first thing he realized was that his hands were tied behind his back. His head throbbed, and he struggled to focus through the fog. Kacchan, already awake, struggled beside him.

"Fucking hell, Deku." He growled. They were situated close enough together that Izuku could feel the heat from the small explosions Kacchan set off as he spoke, but whatever their binds were made of must have been fireproof. His quirk seemed to have zero effect. "I'll say it again. What kind of shit are you involved in that someone would want to kidnap you."

Izuku ignored him, trying to take in their surroundings. They were in a warehouse much like the one he and Aizawa trained in, but he could tell from the size and the color of the wood that it wasn't along the same area of buildings. Boxes lined the walls, filling the open space like a maze and making it impossible for him to see more than a few feet in any direction. Plenty of places they could hide until they found a way out.

It seemed like the people who grabbed them had also neglected to go through their things. His bag sat not far from where they were tied. All they had to do was get free before the man and whoever that person he had mentioned, Rave, returned.

"Oi, Deku. Don't fucking ignore me."

Getting free might not make a difference though if they were caught before they got out, hiding place or not. That man's quirk. Izuku had seen quirks like that before on the news, the most famous being the pro hero Midnight. It had been so fast acting, the moment he realized the gas was there he was already falling asleep. There had to be limitations on what he could do with it, but prolonged exposure wasn't an option. Maybe the gas was less effective after each use. Maybe he couldn't control it in a large area like the warehouse.

The unknowns weren't things Izuku could plan around, and they could make the difference between whether they escaped or not. At least Aizawa would know he was missing. The moment Izuku didn't show for their sessions the hero would have to know that something had gone wrong. With no way to tell how much time had passed since he and Kaachan were taken, Aizawa could already be well on his way to finding them.

The blast of a much larger explosion ripped Izuku from his thoughts. "Kacchan! You're going to bring them back!" He wondered for a second if Kacchan had thought about where that explosion would hit him or not, but dismissed it.

"I want answers, Deku. What. The fuck. Is going on."

Izuku opened his mouth to answer, but an unfamiliar voice spoke instead.

"Asahi wasn't supposed to take you too." A different man than before said, coming into view. Though taller than the man from before(Asahi?), they were clearly related. The bright shade of his air vibrant even in the dim light. "He should have just used his quirk and gotten it over with."

"Who the hell are you?" Kacchan demanded, pulling harder to get his hands free.

"Doesn't matter. What's important it what I want. Eraserhead. Dead." He stepped forward, crouching down in front of Izuku. "He killed someone very important to me, Midoriya Izuku. I hate dragging kids into this mess as much as Asahi, but unlike him I've accepted that it's necessary. You're dad has to pay for what he did, and if taking you is the only way to see that he does then so be it."

Izuku had a retort ready, but the words died as what Rave said registered.

"I'm sorry. My what?"

AN: I really appreciate everyone who commented on the last chapter! To those who pointed out the mistake I made, it should be fixed now.

Next week: A confrontation

Let me know what you thought!