He would've liked to spend the last couple weeks in one long, extended state of inebriation — but he didn't have that luxury. Instead, after Kobayashi had taken Momo home, he'd taken a cold shower and made a pot of coffee to sober up for class. Momo's absence was immediately noticed by the other students — and forgotten just as fast, by everyone but him.

After classes he'd gone to the syndicate's hideout and sulked behind his desk until the small hours, wishing someone would say the wrong thing and give him a reason to let off some steam by resorting to violence. It wouldn't do any good in the world, but it would make him feel better.

Days dragged by. Momo didn't come back to UA. Her absence was increasingly noted across the week; Iida and Todoroki both asked about her privately after class.

Then it subsided.

Then, it was normal that Momo was gone.

He'd considered whether he should still try to pull her application from Shiketsu, and in a moment of weakness he decided to do it. He called Shiketsu admissions, and he'd been fucking shellshocked when the desk told him her transfer had already been finalized. There was no way it could've been done so quickly. He told himself afterward it was good. For his good, for her own good. Neither of them were using their best judgment anymore and the distance was necessary.

He'd relived that moment every hour of every day. It haunted him, a spectre over his shoulder. He had never experienced regret like this before — least of all for doing what was right. Yet what was building between them, shouldn't. He imagined anyway, again and again, how it could've gone differently. He still knew if he'd pushed her away any softer…if he'd whispered against her lips that this couldn't happen…it would've happened again. And maybe he would've stopped her that time, too, but eventually there would come a moment where he wouldn't. Where he'd let himself be weak with her and give in.

Heroing wasn't usually work that would help him keep his mind off of what happened. He'd gotten a request via the Hero Network for assistance with a case involving the Shie Hassaikai syndicate, however, and Aizawa wasn't so out of his mind that he'd let such an opportunity pass him by. Who was he to say no to leverage. Hero information on other syndicates was like insider trading, just with a few more felonies attached.

It had not been fucking worth it. First off, he'd been captured. That fucking sucked. Shie Hassaikai also hadn't had much to leave behind. Their biomedical projects were the only thing of worth and they were taken in for investigation. Cherry on top? He ended up with another fucking girl thrust upon him.

He was hospital-bound to watch over this kid, Eri, and he didn't appreciate how even this situation made him dwell on Momo. He bore the heavy weight of knowing what Hero society would do with a quirk like hers, and now he'd been put in exactly that position. Sitting here, babysitting, only worth as much as how valuable others saw his quirk to be. The other Heroes from the raid probably weren't even trying to come up with a long-term solution for Eri. It'd be easier to just let him figure it out while they pretended red tape tied their hands.

Well, he'd give them a couple days, but then he was leaving, whether the Hero Commission had a plan in place or not. He was sick of shitty hospital food. Sick of sleeping in a chair. Sick of having nothing but time on his hands to think about what had happened with—

He saw movement in the doorway of the hospital room and it drew his eye, and Momo was standing between the jambs. He saw the hesitation on her face as she lingered on the cusp of the hall staring at him. Dark circles beneath her eyes, and she looked too thin. Like she'd been overusing her quirk again.

Seeing her, everything came on him at once. Aizawa remembered his brief imprisonment…He'd thought about her. Had let himself think about her, in case Shie Hassaikai decided to just take him off the menu. He couldn't even remember all the terrible things he said that night, he just remembered the betrayal on her face as he'd ripped her apart.

But she was here now, and Aizawa wanted to call her over to him. To…apologize. He assumed, briefly, that this was why she was here. That his regret is what she was after, and he was exhausted enough he might let her have it. It took him a moment too long to realize she was in her Hero costume with an armful of files. It took longer still to remember she was part of Majestic's agency — and they'd been involved with the Shie Hassaikai investigation, too.

"You can come in," he said after a moment's hesitation, and tilted his head at Eri. "She's asleep, but if it's more paperwork I'll take it."

"I didn't come to see her," Momo said, to his honest surprise, though her attention when to the unconscious child anyway. Aizawa smirked as her forehead creased and her mouth pursed. She was gearing up to lay shit out, he could fucking see it. "You volunteered for that raid. It wasn't out of thoughtfulness to protect a girl though, was it."

"No. It wasn't."

"You were captured." The genuine concern in her voice warmed him. "Another Yakuza family captured you, and if they'd known who they really had their hands on—"

"It would've made the experience significantly more interesting to say the least." Aizawa reclined back in his chair as much as he could, trying to keep the admiration out of his gaze. It dripped, instead, as sarcasm from his mouth. "Not having you in class, I almost began to forget how astute you can be. You might have a nose for this."

"Did they really create quirk-erasing bullets?"

"Yeah. Togata had his quirk erased. It's too soon to see if it's permanent. That villain, Overhaul, he did a number on this girl. Years of testing and experimenting, using her quirk as the basis to manufacture them."

He had a question he was burning to ask her. If he did, it's open the door for them to talk more about…things. And he wasn't sure whether they actually should. Much as he wanted to, some ghosts should be left in the walls.

"How did you manage to transfer into Shiketsu so quickly?" He leaned his jaw into his palm. "You were supposed to be considered for admission after the provisional license exam."

"My father—"

He shook his head pointedly, cutting her off. Her cheeks went crimson.

"Don't start lying to me now," he said, disappointed though he knew he didn't have any fucking right to be. "Your father doesn't have that kind of sway."

She hesitated. Then, "I don't think I should tell you."

Aizawa's heart sank as she drew a line. It seared him, branding him more than it had any right to. He'd betrayed her trust — why would she trust him again now? She hadn't come to him for help either, even if rationally he knew it was because of the lines he'd drawn. It wasn't like she couldn't take advantage of her father's other Yakuza connections if she needed to. But an ugly part of him didn't like that she'd gone elsewhere for help. She'd gone to someone in a moment of need, and it hadn't been him.

"That bad, huh? Is your father footing the bill or are you?" he asked, salty as shit.

Momo bit her lip, then lifted her chin. "I am."

"You're a kid, Momo. You're going to make mistakes. God, you make some big mistakes though," he said. He sensed her bristle. "Leaving UA, it's not worth the price you're paying."

It was another jab, a petty one, just because he didn't want her to go, even though he knew it needed to happen. He had more on his tongue. Aizawa wanted to tell her to quit Shiketsu and come back to UA, but even if she did that'd be a mess. She'd have to be reaccepted at UA now, and her transfer to Shiketsu was complete. She'd owe the debt even if she left now. He could offer to cover it himself…but he wasn't in the position to. After killing Goro, he'd gotten a little more of his money back, but not enough to get excited over.

With her gone from UA though, he realized loosely, she was no longer his student. She was young, but ultimately of legal age. The shame that would've been cast on any romantic relationship because of their association as teacher and pupil was gone. Maybe he was putting himself through the wringer for nothing. Maybe…Maybe he could just…

"I have to go," she said suddenly. "My family is expecting me."

He was soldered to his chair as he watched her turn and leave. What he wanted was so strong, and he could feel himself listing reasons to convince himself what he wanted was still right. Before his head had come to any clear decision, she was gone.