Author's Note: heyo!
first off: if you're not a regular reader of my fics you should know that i don't follow all canon details of any fandom i write for. i change certain things if i want it to be that way. like the tech thing of the naruto-world. canonically, it's a hotch-potch of different eras–screen devices exist yet they use brushes to write. it's weird. i don't care for it. so i will not follow canon in that aspect. please no more "but naruto should know what a tv is!" outrage.
second: i... don't like bakugo all that much. i find him obnoxious and i write him as such. there is no bashing, though, don't worry! just– he's gonna be very much a side character in all this. focus is on izuku and naruto only.
if any of these are not your thing, i understand! i just wanted to let yall know so i don't end up upsetting anyone's read later on. all that said, i wasn't expecting so many of you to show an interest in this story. thank you for all the reviews and favourites and whatnot! much appreciated. :))
now, read on!!
"Tea?"
Aizawa stares flatly at Nedzu. "Can we skip the kitty party rituals for one fucking day?"
Nedzu's mouth twitches upwards in an indulgent smile and he nods at Izuku. "Tea?"
"Which one is it?"
Iida nudges him in subtle reprimand–apparently, it's inappropriate to consider someone's courteous offer of a hot beverage these days.
"Which one do you want?"
Izuku takes a seat beside Todoroki, withholding a groan when Bakugo plops beside him. Iida's being a stubborn idiot with the erect posturing and his at-ease stance beside Aizawa-sensei's chair.
"Herbal," he replies. "So, you know about the intruder, sir?"
"Of course," Nedzu states, his beady eyes scanning the screen of his large computer before passing on a cup of steaming tea to Izuku. He turns towards Aizawa, clasping his hands in front of him. "Now, tell me, what exactly happened in their dorm?"
Aizawa recounts the events from prior that evening, briefly going over the conversation they'd shared with Naruto. Izuku chimes in to talk of the stranger's sudden appearance and how none of them had heard the main door open till Aizawa had shown up.
"So you think his quirk is teleportation?" Nedzu asks though whether his question is directed at Aizawa or Izuku– it's not clear.
"I think so," Aizawa says, slumping into his swivelling chair. "Makes the most sense to me. How else did he just materialise inside the dorm or vanish without a trace?"
"He didn't vanish without a trace," Nedzu says with a self-satisfied smile. Sometimes, Izuku thinks the principal can be a bit too all-knowing, almost omniscient in the way his eyes know what someone is about to say before they ever say it. It's quite creepy, if he's being honest here.
"What do you mean, sir?" Iida asks. "Do you know where he is?"
Nedzu waves a paw, as if dispelling the enquiry as something inconsequential. "We'll get to that later. Izuku, tell me, what do you think Naruto's quirk is?"
Izuku stiffens. He doesn't know why. It just feels weird that the principal would ask his opinion, of all, even after getting Aizawa's thoughts on it. But this is a discussion about a quirk and he's never been too good at curbing the hypotheticals in his head and figuring out how someone's powers might work. So when he speaks, he's really just musing aloud.
"I think... I don't think it's teleportation. Not the typical kind we know of, anyway. When Aizawa-sensei first tried of capture him, he seemed to have replaced himself with a pillow. He called it the, um, substitution jutsu. And that kinda makes sense, right? He's substituting himself with another object that acts as his end point for displacement," he frowns, chewing the inside of his cheek.
"But when sensei used his cancellation quirk on him– he could still teleport. So either sensei's quirk activation was a bit slow or Naruto's quirk is immune to outside influence of any kind. Likely, the former. Also, when he disappeared by the end– no object took his place in the dorm. There seems to be something missing... maybe teleportation is his quirk and he can sort of tweak around and adjust it to act as something more? Like the mutual replacing."
Izuku can feel Bakugo's glare on him but he doesn't give it much thought. He's too busy staring at the grainy wood of Nedzu's unrefined desk. His rambling has always been a source of self-consciousness for him– he knows it can be annoying for people around him but he can't break out of that old habit. He only hopes Nedzu doesn't think his thoughts are stupid or baseless.
"Uh... " Izuku utters, remembering something else. "There was like a passing breeze and some smoke when Naruto vanished. Maybe the substitution thing doesn't have to only be solid objects? Maybe he displaced the air from where he teleported to?"
Nedzu finally inclines his head, his face taking on a thoughtful look. Aizawa stares at him but it's not the typical, dry condescending stare that makes him feel two feet tall. It's a probing stare. He is sort of used to that one, too. Whenever he goes on tangents talking about quirks around sensei, he is subjected to that stare.
"You all forgot something," Bakugo says. "That fucker was obsessed with the dorm TV. I thought he'd smooch the damn thing."
"Seriously, Bakugo?" Todoroki asks, blinking slowly at the blond. "You think that is relevant to this highly productive discussion?"
"What the hell does that mean? Of course it fucking is."
Nedzu chuckles to himself and only Aizawa and Izuku seem to notice. The creepy factor just keeps on increasing.
"No, it isn't," Todoroki replies matter-of-factly. "What is with your animosity with the stranger anyway? Do you feel the need to one-up any blond person you cross paths with? Is that why you keep insulting Denki?"
Izuku carefully refrains from snickering. Todoroki is clearly in one of his psycho-analysing moods.
"Huh?" Bakugo responds. "What the fuck."
"Yes the fuck," Todoroki says. Aizawa looks at them, unimpressed, while Iida frowns at them in disappointment. "Is your ego so fragile that you desperately try to outdo anyone that has the barest likelihood of being compared to you?"
"I will bash your skull in," Bakugo says, hissing through his teeth, leaning over Izuku's torso to threaten Todoroki's personal bubble. "You fucking know I will."
"Bakugo!" Iida chides sharply. He looks way too scandalised for someone who's spent months on end hearing Bakugo's casual cussing and daily death threats. Izuku thinks his reaction kind of compensates for their teacher's lack of one. "Behave yourself! You're in the principal's office!"
Nedzu looks too engrossed in his computer to care.
"You seem to be way too calm, considering there's been a huge breach of security," Aizawa says to Nedzu. Izuku had almost forgotten their urgency and panic amongst all the silly bickering. Naruto can be a new recruit of the league of villains for all they know– he should remember that.
Nedzu hums lightly, one paw holding the neck of his computer, the other holding the side. He turns it at an angle so all of them can have a clear view of the screen. It shows a small window displaying the scene outside corridor B-12 in clear, colour view. It's empty. Then, Nedzu presses a key and the display slides to the right.
Izuku's eyes widen as he takes in the scene before him. The CCTV footage shows the Multimedia Room on fourth floor of the main building. There's a gigantic blackscreen TV covering the front wall. Opposite it are rows upon rows of seats where students usually sit and watch educational documentaries, lecture series, fighting analyses and the occasional movie.
Right now, the seats are all empty save for two. Occupying a chair on the very first row sits Naruto, legs thrown across his right arm rest onto the chair beside him. He seems to be staring at the screen.
Aizawa stands up. "You've been watching his every move this whole time."
Nedzu nods, shifts the computer to face him again. "Yes. He seems to be content with just sitting there. I've put the room on lockdown, already. He tried to open the doors, failed, then settled down. But if his quirk really is teleportation, it seems he's unbothered more than he is cornered."
Izuku meets Aizawa's eyes. "He's waiting for us?"
Aizawa shrugs. "Maybe. There's only one to find out. Let's go."
Todoroki and Iida walk on either side of Aizawa as he leads their ragtag charge towards the elevator. Nedzu hangs at the back, leaving Bakugo and Izuku in the middle.
As they walk, a muscle spasms in Izuku's right hand's finger. He glances at it and presses down on it. It has settled already by the time he looks up again to find Bakugo staring at him.
"Fucking pain twitches?" Bakugo asks. Izuku wonders why he's whispering. He is thankful for it anyway.
"Yeah," Izuku says, remembering the moment of horrible pain he'd experienced right before Naruto had appeared in their dorm.
"That was freaky," Bakugo says, turning his gaze forward again. "I thought you were having a heart attack or something."
Izuku smiles. "Nah. Just some residual pain from morning's practice. Didn't realise I got my ass kicked so bad."
Bakugo snorts and they say nothing more.
Izuku feels a knot in his stomach though, because he'd lied.
That pain hadn't come from any spars or villain fights. That pain had been unadulterated agony. And he'll be a fool to ignore the coincidence of it happening right before...
Nedzu punches in the code and the huge swinging doors open up. Naruto looks at them, still relaxed, eyes fixed on Aizawa.
"Good. You're back," Naruto says pleasantly, as if he isn't the sole subject of their collective suspicions and wariness. "I have questions."
Nedzu hops onto the elevated platform across him. "Perfect. Because we have some, too."
Naruto cocks his head at the principal then looks at them again. "Whose summon is this? He looks kinda lame."
Bakugo barks out a laugh at that. "I fucking know right."
Aizawa sighs. It's going to be a long, long night.
Author's Notes:
thank you loads for reading!! i hope you enjoyed it. as always, feedback is welcome and i wish everyone a wonderful day ahead!
