Never had Aizawa foreseen the day where he would have to do something like this in order to cover his back. It felt more like risk than reward, and Aizawa lamented his decision to let Momo live. The girl had, surprisingly, proven herself to be more tight-lipped than most of the men he kept in his ranks, and he both admired and resented that. If she was prone to talking, it would've been easier to decide not to let her live. And not to stick his neck out to keep her breathing.
He couldn't use his own men to guard Momo, that was for certain. And, while he knew that Yaoyorozu Asao had his own team of men, they had been a disappointment on fulfilling their duties both times that Aizawa had needed to sneak onto the property. So it had to be Heroes. Fucking Heroes.
Knuckles knocked on the door, and it trembled in its frame from the force. Aizawa's jaw locked, fists closing, before loosening to slump down toward his desk, staring at the stack of exams in front of him.
"Come in."
The door opened and All Might's silhouette filled it from frame to frame. The Hero had to duck his head to walk through, and he filled the space. Aizawa had to admit the lug had presence; he came into a room, and took all the light.
That was fine.
Let him take it.
"You needed me?" All Might asked.
Aizawa pushed the papers away with the heel of his palm, and nodded.
"Principal Nezu said he gave you the forms from the work studies. I wanted to see when you'll be sharing those with me."
"I can bring those by first thing in the morning," All Might offered, and Aizawa nodded. "I began reviewing them. Everyone did as you'd expect. Almost everyone."
Then, there it was, the hiccup in the Hero's speech. Aizawa latched onto the momentary silence that the Number One lapsed info, tapping his fingers on the desk. The stack of papers dampened the sound.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Yaoyorozu — she abandoned her work study. Refused to accompany to a location, although I think the location was inappropriate for a student to be in. But, she also missed the last couple days of classes."
Aizawa exaggerated his exhalation and pushed himself away from his desk, and reached down to grab his rolled sleeping bag from underneath. He opened it and draped it over his shoulders, and leaned back into his chair.
"The Yaoyorozus are in a situation right now," Aizawa eased. All Might's expression turned puzzled and concerned, like the buffoon he was. "My information is all second hand. But there have been threats of violence — and not just against Yaoyorozu Asao. Also his wife, and Momo."
All Might's face hardened, and it was exactly the reaction Aizawa had been digging for. He needed to be careful now with what he'd found. What lay in the hole was fragile and precious — a step afoul and his mens' betrayal would be the least of his concerns.
"What's being done about it?" All Might asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"My understanding is Yaoyorozu wants it handled quietly. And I know he has his own security, but it isn't the resources he'd have if he brought the authorities in…" Aizawa's voice began to trail. Then, "And I assume his security detail is spread thin handling the situation."
He let his body language change, again lapsing into uninvested indifference as he straightened the papers in front of him before putting them away in the drawer. He laid his sleeping bag over the back of his chair as he got up from his desk and retrieved his car keys from a drawer.
"Where are you going?" All Might demanded.
Aizawa stared at him, empty. "Home."
"But what about Yaoyorozu? That's our student and she's in danger."
There it was. All Might's weakness, exposed at the joint. The man just couldn't stand the idea of leaving people defenseless, Class 1-A had suffered for it more than once. Aizawa felt only disgust and contempt as he looked up at All Might.
"If you care so much," Aizawa said, "then go watch their house yourself. Or send someone to do it."
All Might seemed to consider, while Aizawa continued to gather his things to leave. He didn't let his expression betray his apprehension as he waited for victory to fall into his palm.
"I would need to let them know how I found out about the situation, and inform them that I or someone else would be on the premises."
"If you really want to go help out, do it. I will handle informing Yaoyorozu of your intentions, since we know each other through mutual acquaintances."
A blatant lie; he intended no such thing. All Might, however, seemed satisfied with the proposition, and nodded his head.
"Very well. I will handle this."
Good. His hands were clean of this then, and having a Hero at the Yaoyorozu estate would also ensure that Momo did not attempt any more visits to his home. He was already bankrolling her future in blood; he didn't need to be worried about where she was and whether she was trying to participate in her own rescue, so to speak.