"Do you drink tea, Midoriya-kun?"

Izuku jumped at the question, turning towards Present Mic as if he had the answers before stammering,"I..um..yes?"

Nedzu laughed, the sound edged in steel, but his eyes didn't move from Izuku's face. "That wasn't a trick question, Midoriya-kun. I seem to have a weakness for it myself." He made a sweeping gesture at the seat in from of Recovery Girl's desk. "Why don't you have a seat and share a pot with me."

Aizawa had seemed intimidating the first time Izuku had shown up at his door, but that was nothing compared to the feeling he had as Nedzu watched him, waiting for him to answer. His skin crawled, the feeling that Nedzu was somehow able to pick him apart with just his stare and a smile increasing with every second that ticked by.

"Shouldn't you wait for Shouta to have this conversation?" Present Mic asked, the waver in his voice doing nothing to calm Izuku's own worries.

"I have some things I would like to discuss with just Midoriya-kun first," Nedzu responded just as calmly as before. "But don't worry. Aizawa-sensei and I will be have a conversation of our own once Recovery Girl has cleared him, and he's gotten some rest. Head injuries are nasty things, and we wouldn't want to do anything to disrupt his recovery. Now while Midoriya-kun and I are having our discussion, why don't you take Bakugou-kun to the teachers' lounge. There should be some leftover food there, and he can call his parents and let them know he's okay. I'll see about getting them home as soon as we're done here."

It was a testament to the finality in Nedzu's voice that Bakugou didn't argue with being sent away. He simply shot Izuku another look, letting him know that he wouldn't be forgetting that Izuku had promised a better explanation, before allowing Present Mic to lead him from the room without a word.

When the door clicked closed behind them, Izuku turned hesitantly towards Nedzu who was still watching him, hands crossed, at the desk. "Now why don't you take a seat, Midoriya-kun, and we can get this over with. I'm sure your mother is very worried about you. The sooner we have you back home, the better."

"Yes, sir," was all that Izuku could say under the weight of Nedzu's stare and he moved slowly towards the chair. Nedzu didn't speak when Izuku sat, and he shifted in his seat as the principal turned away from him at last to prepare their drinks, his movements slow. Deliberate. It was almost as nerve wracking as his stare, and by the time Izuku had a steaming cup of tea in front of him he felt like the nerves building in his throat would choke him.

Nedzu wrapped his hands around his own cup, his gaze shifting back to Izuku. "You are in your second year of middle school, are you not?"

"How did you know that?"

"The teachers here sometimes forget, but because they aren't active heroes full time I am made aware anytime one of them is involved in an incident," Nedzu paused to test his drink, his face scrunching when he decided that is was still too hot. "I can a call the moment the police were informed about your kidnapping."

"They thought Aizawa-sensei was my dad," Izuku found himself saying. "That's why they took me."

"Not all villains can be evil geniuses." Nedzu replied with a shrug. "And a good thing for the pro heroes that they aren't."

Izuku twisted his cup on the saucer. "That's what Present Mic said."

"He's a smart man. There's a reason I recruited him to teach here, after all. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Are you going to tell Aizawa-sensei that he can't train me anymore?" Izuku asked, surprising himself with how flat the words sounded when he spoke. His grip on the cup tighten. Izuku knew that Aizawa hadn't advertised the fact that he had taken on a student outside of Yuuei, but he had never really sat down and considered what would have happened if he had. He hadn't known Aizawa very long, but he trusted him. Respected him. What would he do if he couldn't see the hero on a regular basis anymore?

The time before his training with Aizawa began seemed like a lifetime away. Incompetent though they were, Izuku had been kidnapped by villains and escaped, had fought one of them and won. His dream wasn't the unattainable thing it had been before he decided to find Aizawa, and with each training session, with each skill he added to his repertoire, he felt closer to making that dream a reality. If Nedzu put an end to their sessions, would Izuku be able to adjust to the way things had been before? He didn't want to know the answer either way.

"I should. You aren't a student at Yuuei, and you've already been target by villains because of your association with Aizawa. As the principal of Yuuei, it is my job to take responsibility for my teachers actions, and yet I had no idea that you even existed until tonight." Nedzu paused to pour himself another cup of tea. "For all of these reasons, I should stop this before it gets out of hand."

Izuku opened his mouth to protest, unsure of what exactly he could say to change Nedzu's mind, when the principal's wording caught up to him. "You should?"

"Drink your tea, Midoriya-kun," Nedzu said in answer.

Izuku hurried to drain his cup, the liquid burning down his throat. Nedzu poured him another cup as well.

"Right. I should. But I'm curious." Nedzu's eyes narrowed in Izuku as he leaned forward. "You are quirkless, are you not?"

"I am."

"Hmm. And do you know anything about Aizawa-sensei's reputation here at Yuuei, Midoriya-kun?"

Izuku shook his head. "I heard that he was a tough teacher, and he is, but I spent more time tracking down his apartment than I did talking to his students."

The calm expression on Nedzu's face slipped. "Tracking down his apartment?"

"That's how I was able to ask him to teach me," Izuku explained.

"We'll...We'll come back to that," Nedzu said finally, taking a long drink from his cup. "What I meant by that was, do you know the reputation Aizawa-sensei has for expelling his students?"

"He has a reputation for expelling students?" Aizawa expected a lot from his students, and when they had first started meeting he had made it clear that if he ever felt Izuku wasn't working to his full potential then the sessions would end, but Izuku had thought that was only because he wasn't one of his students at Yuuei.

"In the time he has been a teacher here, Aizawa-sensei has expelled over one hundred students. In fact, he just put in a proposal for the expulsion of most of his current freshman homeroom. Now we don't just expel these students because he asks, of course. Each case is reviewed by myself and several other teachers before going through, but not a single recommendation made by him has been overturned."

"Why are you telling me this?" Izuku asked.

"Because I want you to understand that I trust Aizawa-sensei's ability to see potential or lack thereof in his students. In each of those cases, Aizawa-sensei was right. Those students were not taking the program as seriously as they should have. It would have only been a matter of time before their actions led to injuries to themselves or their fellow students. If he sees enough potential in you to train you himself then I will trust his judgement. And that is why, although I should put a stop to these lessons, I will allow them to continue."

Izuku had been so sure that Nedzu would tell them to stop that when he didn't Izuku wasn't sure how to respond. He stared at Nedzu open mouthed as he struggled to find his voice.

"Of course there will be paperwork that needs to be done, but we can worry about that once I have had my talk with your mentor. Now let's back up here for a moment," Nedzu said. "You mentioned going to Aizawa's apartment."

"Like you said, I'm quirkless, but I still want to be a pro hero," Izuku answered slowly. "I like to keep track of people's quirks. Outline the mechanics of how they might work, their strengths, their limitations, things like that. When I was looking at how Aizawa-sensei fights I realized that, in a way, he was like me. His quirk puts him on an even playing field with his opponent, and at that point it's a matter of who has better training outside of their quirk. I might not be able to nullify other people's quirks the way he can, but I thought, if I could take what I already did analyzing people's quirks and get better at it...If Aizawa-sensei could teach me how to fight like he did…"

"You could still be a hero," Nedzu finished. "I have to say, I'm impressed with your reasoning. I hadn't looked at his quirk like that before."

Izuku shifted in his seat at the praise, looking away from Nedzu's sharp gaze. "I knew that I needed to do something big to make sure he didn't say no before I could finish my pitch. So I showed up at his apartment."

"His apartment that no one outside of a few trusted friends even knows exist," Nedzu laughed. "Yes, I can see how that would keep him from simply slamming the door in your face."

"And then I showed him the notes that I kept and he agreed."

Nedzu picked up his drink again, still chuckling. "I think we can expect great things from you, Midoriya Izuku. I look forward to seeing what you can make of this opportunity."

Izuku didn't get to see Aizawa again before he left.

"He's asleep right now, and I'm not planning on waking him until I have to," Recovery Girl said when she returned just as Izuku was finishing his second cup of tea. "I'll need to keep him here tonight, but he'll be free to leave in the morning. I'm sure you'll hear from him then."

There had been no arguing with the stern set to her eyes, and Izuku had allowed himself to be led to the teacher's lounge where Present Mic and Bakugou were waiting. After a quick scan, Recovery Girl cleared them to leave, and Present Mic had volunteered to drop the boys off. Nedzu had seen them off with the promise that he would be sending the paperwork Izuku would need to fill out with Aizawa in the morning.

The moment they were back in the quiet of the car and leaving Yuuei's campus, Bakugou turned around in his seat to glare at Izuku. "Answers, Deku. Now. I want an explanation."

"Not now, Kacchan," Izuku answered without looking at him. Now that he knew that Aizawa would be okay and that Nedzu wouldn't be ending their training sessions all Izuku wanted to do was get something to eat and go to sleep. "It's a long story and I'm tired. I'll tell you later."

"You promised me answers," Bakugou growled. "I did just get kidnapped because of this."

"I never said when," Izuku yawned. "And you got to fight a villain. Really, you should be thanking me for the opportunity the threat to my life gave you."

Present Mic hummed from the front seat. "I'm beginning to see why you and Shouta get along, Midoriya."

"Deku-"

"Let him rest until we get back to your street, Bakugou-kun," Present Mic interrupted. "You two have been through a lot tonight. Answers can wait until you've both had a good night's sleep."

The rest of the car ride passed in silence, Bakugou grumbling but not arguing with what the pro hero had said. When they pulled up in front of his house Present Mic got out to walk Bakugou to the door. He must have taken Nedzu up on the chance to call his parents because the door swung open when they were only halfway up the steps, and Bakugou Mitsuki tackled her son, ignoring his struggling as she pulled him in for a hug. Izuku could see her say something to Present Mic, and then the hero was smiling, making his way back towards the car.

Izuku moved to take the now vacant seat in the front, and then they were pulling away, Bakugou still fighting his mother's hold on the front stoop.

"Izuku!" He barely had the door open before he heard his mother's voice and found himself wrapped up in a hug of his own. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm okay, Mom," he said, returning her hug as Present Mic stepped in behind them.

"The people who took him have been turned over to the police. It seems Bakugou Katsuki was also taken, but neither of them were hurt, and I've dropped Bakugou off at his house already."

"And Aizawa-san?" She asked, not letting Izuku go.

"Minor concussion, but Recovery Girl took care of him. With her quirk he'll be fine by the morning. He'll probably come straight here once he's given the okay to leave."

Inko released Izuku long enough to pull Present Mic in as well. "Thank you for saving him."

"No thanks necessary," he said, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I'm glad I finally got to meet Shouta's student, although I wish it could have been under better circumstances. We'll have to talk again later, kid. I've got some stories about Shouta's early hero days that I'm sure you'll appreciate."

"Really?"

"Of course!" Present Mic winked. "But if he asked, you didn't hear them from me! Now I'll let you rest. I'm sure I'll see you again soon."

When the door closed behind him Inko dragged her son to the kitchen, pushing him towards a chair while she fretted. "I'm sure you're hungry. I mean I know it's late, but you missed dinner, and then there was the stress from everything that happened! I was so worried, Izuku! So worried! Tell me everything that happened while you eat! Unless you don't want to eat, I'm just assuming that you're hungry. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, Mom," Izuku answered, smiling as she hurried to put something together. "Dinner sounds great."

Aizawa arrived early the next morning, a cup of coffee in one hand, a thick stack of papers in the other. It was only that fact that kept Izuku from tackling him again the moment he realized who was at the door.

"I can't thank you enough for going to save him, Aizawa-san," Inko said when they were all seated at the kitchen table just as she and Izuku had done the night before.

"They were after me in the first place," Aizawa answered, pulling at the scarves that were once again wrapped around his shoulders. "I should be apologizing for getting him involved. If I had been more careful-"

"It was not your fault." Inko's voice hardened. "And I don't want to hear you blame yourself for what happened again. Everyone's okay now, and they were arrested. Do not put that burden on yourself." She glanced at Izuku and then back to Aizawa, smiling. "The way I look at it, you've probably kept him out of danger these past few weeks by keeping him from tracking down villain fights on his own. Let's just leave the blame with the people actually responsible."

Aizawa looked away. "If you're sure-"

"I am."

"Right." Aizawa cleared his throat, gesturing to the stack of papers laid out on the table in front of him. "I hadn't mentioned that I was training Midoriya at Yuuei because I wanted his accomplishments to be his own, but now that Principal Nedzu has been made aware of the situation if these lessons are to continue we need to make them official."

"If?" Izuku asked. Did Aizawa not want to teach him anymore after what had happened?

"I told you before we began that we would only move forward with your mother's permission," Aizawa explained. "Given the incident yesterday and this paperwork, I need to make sure that you are still okay with this, Midoriya-san."

Izuku turned to his mother, eyes wide. He had seen how nervous she had been last night. If Izuku continued with his training and got accepted to Yuuei he would be in a lot more dangerous situations in the future.

"You don't have to look at me so concerned, Izuku. I know this is your dream. I may not like the fact that you could get hurt doing this, but it isn't my place to stand in the way of something that means so much to you." She gave him a watery smile. "Of course you may continue learning from Aizawa-san. Now what kind of paperwork has Nedzu-san sent us?"

"Recommendation registration of Yuuei happens much earlier than normal registration, and all of the first year slots for Midoriya's year have already been filled, but Principal Nedzu has decided to create another one. One this paperwork is submitted, he will be conditionally accepted to the hero course, giving me permission as his mentor to train with him outside of my role as a teacher at Yuuei. When the official entrance exam rolls around he will have to pass the academic part as well as attend a demonstration for Nedzu and a few other teachers on the admissions board."

Izuku had to have heard that wrong. There was no way. "Recommendation?"

Aizawa shrugged. "I was going to ask anyway, but whatever you said to Nedzu impressed him. He made the suggestion before I could."

"Izuku!" His mother cried. "How exciting!"

"We still have a long way to go with your training before then, so don't think that you can slack off because of this. The acceptance is only conditional. You still have to pass the final demonstration, and I won't have some slacker get in under my name. We have a lot of work to do still, Midoriya."

Izuku grinned. "When can we start?"

Bakugou hadn't wanted to hear anything but an explanation from Deku when he approached him, but the message his classmate had brought him from the pro hero that had come to save him made him pause. Deku had seemed happy as he passed along the note, not at all like someone who had finally realized the uselessness of his goal. Maybe knocking that Asahi guy out had gone to his head, or maybe he was too stupid to realize what the pro hero meeting with Bakugou meant, but either way he didn't care.

Eraserhead wanted to speak to him, and Bakugou wasn't about to let a chance like that pass.

The warehouse he had been directed to sat at the edge of the city, and from the outside it didn't look like much, old but well maintained siding making each building as forgettable as the next, and the doors screeched a high pitched metal on metal sound as he slid them apart to step inside.

Along the far wall sat several exercise mats, a rack of weights, and a row of other equipment. He could see where the room split off into another part of the warehouse down the hallway, the set up just like the one at the warehouse he and Deku had been taken to just a few nights before. Aizawa wasn't there. Maybe he would just poke around a bit, get a hint at what Deku had been up to here, and-

"Don't touch my stuff."

Bakugou spun around at the hero's monotoned voice, arms flailing as he tried to keep from falling over. "Deku told me you wanted to see me." He said calmly, trying to maintain whatever impression the pro had of him before he almost fell on his face.

"Deku?" Aizawa repeated, and for a moment Bakugou felt sure that his eyes had flashed red. "I'm not familiar with that name."

"Uh-" For once Bakugou was speechless as the slow realization of the mistake he might have just made crept up his spine. "I mean-"

"Have a seat, Bakugou," Aizawa said. "I think it's time we have a talk."

AN: Up next week: Bakugou and Aizawa have a chat and Aizawa takes Izuku to see a specialist

Thanks to everyone who commented on the last chapter!