The pair were forced to keep running, unwilling to let their captors bring them back to that hellhole. Throughout their time captive, Aizawa had given the younger most of his food, letting the boy keep some of his strength up. However, that meant that the elder was in worse shape than he should have been, and Izuku noticed that his teacher was getting out of breath. "L-Let's stop for now," he huffed, also out of breath but not nearly as badly as the other.
Eraserhead blinked, coming back to his senses. "If that is what you wish," he murmured. He slowed down to a stop, quite a bit out of breath. Izuku froze, upon hearing that. That's right… He's a Nomu.
"Earlier, you said you didn't have a name. Is that correct?" he asked carefully. He took a breath, unsure how to proceed. He could simply give the man his own name back. Aizawa Shota. The name that he'd had for most of his life. And yet, Izuku hesitated. As far as anyone knew, the process used to turn someone into a Nomu was final. There was no way to turn someone back. Was it fair of Izuku to give the man a new name? But at the same time, he could admit to himself that if their roles were swapped, he would want a new name, as he wouldn't be Izuku, the quirkless kid anymore. Nor would he be Deku, the "I can do it" hero in training with All Might's quirk.
"I do not, that is correct," the older male said, eyes blank. "Back in the lab, you called me Aizawa. Is that my name?" he questioned. The man didn't know how to feel about it. The name sounded familiar, yes, but at the same, it didn't feel quite right. That same small feeling, the same one that stopped him from opening his eyes felt almost… disappointed? Before he could think about it further, the child in front of him continued.
"Before… Before you were turned into a Nomu, your name was Aizawa. Aizawa Shota. Hero name: Eraserhead." he trailed off, pain lacing his voice. Izuku wasn't planning on telling the teacher his hero name. Eraserhead may have been right in front of him physically, but thanks to the Doctor and the rest of the LOV, Eraserhead will likely never be able to go on patrol again. Functionally, Eraserhead was dead. Aizawa Shota was alive but brainwashed into serving him, a teenage boy.
Aizawa frowned. Aizawa Shota…. He was a pro hero? Choosing to mentally shelve that thought, for the time being, to choose to focus on his master. Something had upset him, and it was because of who he'd used to be. If that were the case, then he would just take a new name. A name that had nothing to do with Aizawa Shota. That should make his master happy, right? The voice inside him protested at the idea, but he fought it back down. That was his task, his duty, the larger part of him told the voice. To serve and to obey. Snapping out of his thoughts, he turned back to the boy. "Do you wish to give me a new name?" he asked softly.
"... How… How do you feel about being called Null?" The two's eyes met for the first time. The younger's eyes were dark, holding back tears the best he could.
Aizawa nodded slowly; the disappointed voice could be satisfied with his new identity, while his obedient side would be happy with whatever made his master happy. "I am alright with whatever you choose for me, Master."
Hearing that last word, Izuku barely suppressed a flinch. He hated seeing his teacher like this. He was supposed to be the confident one. He was the teacher, the pro. He shouldn't be the one bowing down to him. He was a student, a trainee. He might not have been quirkless anymore, but inside he was still that same quirkless Deku. Looking up, he saw Ai - no, Null, still waiting for an order. He took a steadying breath. There was nothing he could do about that now. He was just going to have to live with the guilt of being the cause of Eraserhead's death. "Don't… Don't call me that," Izuku whispered firmly. "I have… no wish to be anyone's master." And most certainly not yours, Sensei.
Null bowed. "As you wish. May I have a name to call you by, if you do not wish me to call you Master?" he inquired politely. Izuku paused. He hadn't been called Izuku in a very long time, and Deku, the nickname that Bakugou Katsuki, his former best friend, had given him because he was quirkless, no longer fit either. He had used it as his hero name, as a way to turn it into something positive, but now that the LoV had once again turned it into something negative, he no longer wanted to use it.
"I… I don't have a name," he shivered. "I don't know who I am anymore…" he finished softly, working himself into a panic attack. Everything he'd worked for, everything to stop being known as that quirkless Deku was useless. Deku was the name of the monster they'd turned him into. He… He didn't want to be Deku anymore! He'd just gotten a quirk! Was finally accepted into the school of his dreams. Finally had friends and teachers that cared for him… "Why is everything good always taken from me?" He was unaware that he had muttered out loud. So deep in his thoughts, he paid no attention to the strong arms that wrapped themselves around him, drawing him into a protective hug. The young boy just sobbed, hiding his face in the other's clothes.
Null was unsure of what to do. He was just asking Master a question. After all, he didn't want to disrespect his master, even if he did not wish to be called as such. And now Master was sobbing on the ground. Without actively thinking about it, he reached out to the boy. He wasn't sure why he was doing it. His master hadn't given him any orders, after all. And yet… He supposed part of his duty, beyond serving his master, was to make his master happy. That same small part of him was… content, he supposed, with that. As long as he did it, it whispered in his mind.
Looking up, Null noticed that the sun was setting, and the yellow leaves outside meant that it was nearly winter. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he did. He hesitated, unsure of what to do. Surely his master wouldn't like him being so close. Besides, he should keep watch. The men who they'd escaped from were sure to be after them. The sobbing had stopped, his master- too tired from everything - had fallen asleep. He gently disengaged from the boy, ignoring his own feelings of reluctance. He took off his shirt, a dingy old lab gown both of them were wearing, and draped it over the child as a blanket. The Nomu's stomach growled; when was the last time he ate? Clearing that thought from his head, he took a seat nearby, where there was a good vantage point of the surroundings. He planned to stay there all night, keeping watch over his master. It was his duty, after all. Nothing more, nothing less.