Notes: For HackWriter. Inspired by Love, doubt and super cute babies! by HackWriter

If you're a fan of Dadzawa, you're probably not going to like this.

Majima Higari didn't know if he should buy a drink for Vlad King or demand Vlad buy him a drink. Two of his students had gotten through to the third round, matching 1-B's showing. And while one of them had conceded during the first round, she'd done it on her terms, after embarrassing class 1-A's vice representative in an extended match where he hadn't so much as touched her.

His other student had gotten to the semi-finals, eliminating the last student from 1-B in the process.

He'd probably ask Vlad for a drink first, then buy him a beer after.

Still, Izuku Midoriya's showing was quite impressive. At least, it was for those outside the support course. His student was seemingly desperate to prove his worth, and while he wasn't quite as capable of bending physics to his whim as Hatsume, his creations were sturdy, dependable, and didn't blow up in his face. Or the faces of anyone else for that matter. Important distinction, that.

Regardless, he'd gone in prepared for war, and boy did he bring it, using his gear and ingenuity to propel himself to victory in the first round, and managing to stave off complete disaster during the second. No mean feat considering he had the entire field gunning for him.

Watching him defeat two hero course students, and then give 1-A's prodigy a run for his money, well, that was just impressive.

But not necessarily surprising.

Even if he tried to hide it, and he did, badly, Majima knew the kid wanted to be a hero. It was even written on the notebook he always had with him, Hero Notebook for the Future. While bringing it up with him after class one day had led to Izuku going white as a sheet and a sticker covering the title by the next class, the kid hadn't given up on his goal.

So Majima had no small amount of pride in his student. He was driven in a way he rarely saw in his students and would make a fine addition–

Majima was yanked from his reverie by the door opening and closing. He turned, a smile forming as he spotted green hair, only to falter as he saw the trembling in his shoulders.

"Midoriya?" He asked, sitting up as he saw tears begin to hit the floor, "what's wrong?"

Midoriya couldn't answer, his composure fracturing with an audible sob as he tried to head to his workspace. Majima caught up to him before he got a quarter of the way, taking him by the shoulder to steady him, "Midoriya, try to calm down."

His student didn't look at him, tears streaming as he shook his head. He sucked in an unsteady breath, his mouth working but words failing to form for a moment. Majima grimaced, guiding him to the nearest chair and sitting him down. "Tell me what happened."

Midoriya sucked in a breath, running his sleeve across his face to mop up his tears, "A-Aizawa-s-sensei said I c-can't join the Hero course."

For an instant, Majima was sure he felt like the Todoroki boy. There was no other way to explain his blood boiling and freezing at the same time. Still, he had years of experience as a teacher and a Hero, so the words he spoke were soft and comforting, "Did he say why?"

Midoriya froze and Majima knew the reason. They hadn't spoken about it in class, but Midoriya had ducked out of every conversation about his quirk. Or rather, his lack of a quirk.

His student couldn't look him in the eye, he remained hunched, his hands clutching his knees with a death grip. "I-I thought, since they removed the rule…"

Majima gave his student's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, "Aizawa isn't the only Heroics teacher," or even the best heroics teacher, Majima thought bitterly, "I'll talk with Nezu."

If anything, Midoriya sank in on himself even more and Majima felt a chill run down his spine. "Midoriya?"

"Nezu said the Hero Public Safety Commission wouldn't agree without precedent." Midoriya shook his head, "B-but how can someone set a precedent if they won't let someone set it?"

Majima sighed, "Don't worry about that, Midoriya, just get your gear repaired for the hero course."

Majima wasn't one to display anger. If he was frustrated, he had a hammer and a forge. There was always something for him to take his frustrations out on.

But today was different.

He wasn't frustrated with a student or a villain, but a peer.

He and Aizawa weren't close. Despite Eraserhead's dependence on his capture collar, he eschewed most support gear. It showed in his infrequent visits to the support department, and the same went for his students. While 1-F didn't generally make support gear for their fellow students, Vlad King had arranged for his class to visit and introduce themselves.

But to dismiss his student, a student that had surpassed many of Aizawa's own in competition, just because he was quirkless was beyond the pale.

He pulled the door to the teacher's lounge open, stepped inside, and slammed it shut behind him, "You bastard."

Whatever conversations the other teachers were having ended instantly. Everyone was looking at him, some in concern, some in confusion, some in recognition. Everyone, that is, except Aizawa. 1-A's homeroom teacher didn't so much as look up from the paperwork in front of him.

"You couldn't even warn me that you were going to reject Midoriya?" Majima asked as he stomped over, "Or that you were going to reject him just because he's quirkless?"

Out of the corner of his eye Majima saw several of their peers grimace. Present Mic opened his mouth, but no words came.

Aizawa moved the sheet off the top of the pile in front of him, "There was no need, I sent him straight to you."

"Did you follow him?" Majima ground out, "What if he'd done something monumentally stupid after you crushed his dream?"

"I'm sure Nezu was keeping an eye on him." Aizawa dismissed the thought, "And if being rejected is enough to do something so foolhardy, he would hardly have the proper temperament to join the hero course."

"Are you even listening to yourself? Do you remember being a teen, or have you blocked out how much of an idiot you were back then, along with everyone else around you at the time?" Majima spat, "And that wasn't a normal rejection. It wasn't because he did a bad job, or because he didn't get far enough, you rejected him because he doesn't have a quirk."

"Nezu agreed," Aizawa answered blithely, still not bothering to lift his head.

"Nezu is waiting for precedent. And he'll get it when you accept Midoriya into your class."

Aizawa finally looked up at him, "Then he won't be getting it at all."

Majima felt his blood boil and let out a shaky breath, "I want you to tell me why."

"I just told you why–"

"No, you didn't. You rejected him because he's quirkless." Aizawa looked back to the paperwork on his desk, but Majima reached down and placed his hand on top of the pile, "He defeated Kirishima and Ibara without a quirk."

Aizawa looked up at him with visible annoyance, "Real life doesn't have ring-outs."

Majima held firm, "That might explain Kirishima, but not Ibara."

Aizawa's gaze hardened, "Did you miss his gloves exploding when he fought Todoroki?"

"Gauntlets that he only just finished after less than two months in the support course." Majima was tempted to let a hint of pride seep in but squelched it. Aizawa would only try to seize upon it. "He will have plenty of time to refine his gear before going into the field."

"Then he would be better served making support equipment for others, he clearly has a talent for it."

Majima's fingers squeezed against the papers, the claws inside threatening to slice through them. Spoken like a compliment, the words still dismissed his student. "Or he could use them himself and follow his dream."

"There is no reason for someone without a quirk to become a hero." Aizawa said, "Our abilities give us the advantages we need to combat villains and natural disasters."

"If that's the case," Majima leaned towards his peer, "what advantage does your quirk give against someone like me?"

Aizawa's lip twitched, "All quirks have limitations."

"Which is why we use support gear to compensate." Majima retorted, "Is it really that different if Midoriya uses support gear to cover a complete lack of a quirk?"

Aizawa's silence spoke volumes.

"Well argued." Nezu chirped.

Everyone tensed. They knew that tone of voice. Another shoe was about to drop.

"Majima, Aizawa, how would you feel about testing your hypotheses?"

Aizawa grimaced, and for the first time today Majima couldn't blame him, "What do you mean, sir?"

The principal clasped his paws together, "I was thinking that a practical display could help both of you work out your frustration, as well as give each of you a chance to prove your point."

"You want us to fight for our ideals like children?" Aizawa groused.

"Precisely." Nezu answered, ignoring the insult completely, "A simple fight to submission to see whether Midoriya can join the Hero course or not. And since this will be about proving whether or not support equipment alone can make a hero, I propose both of you fight without anything more than your costumes."

Majima caught Aizawa looking him over before nodding slowly. "Fine." His gaze returned to Nezu, "But you're explaining any injuries if either of us have to visit Recovery Girl."

Aizawa watched Majima stroll into Ground Beta with growing irritation. Bad enough that Nezu was questioning his decision and forcing him into this spar to defend it, Power Loader clearly wasn't in a hurry to arrive. He would have brought his sleeping bag, but Nezu cheekily told him not to.

Leaning against a wall when he could have been catching some much-needed shut-eye was just one more irritation, but it had given him a chance to strategize at least. From what he'd seen, Majima tended to stay low to the ground, or, rather, underneath it. Aizawa wasn't sure if he'd be able to do that on a street like this without his armor, but the simple answer was to find a fire escape and stay out of range until he forced Majima onto unfavorable terrain. Out of his element, his quirk wouldn't be of much use.

At least, that was his plan until Nezu's voice boomed out of the speakers hidden throughout the area. "Now that both of you have arrived, the rules are simple. This will be a simple spar to submission. I'll set a clock for ten minutes, and in case neither participant has submitted, I will decide who won."

Aizawa nearly spat, suppressing his irritation. Nezu had his paw on the scales. Why he wanted to give Majima an advantage was beyond Aizawa, but he kept giving the support teacher an edge.

"Are both participants ready?" Nezu asked, and Aizawa hesitated, waiting until Majima nodded before doing the same. "Then you may begin!"

Aizawa tensed, but Majima made no move to approach. Instead, the Support teacher glanced at the cameras, "You probably think this is unfair, don't you Aizawa? Your quirk won't work on me after all."

Aizawa glowered at him, "You aren't unique. I've beaten plenty of people with mutation quirks before."

Majima smirked, "Yeah, you're probably right about that. But I doubt you've fought someone like me before."

Aizawa decided he had enough of whatever mind games Majima was attempting, dashing forward to close the distance before his opponent could dig into the ground. But Majima didn't even make the attempt. Instead, he braced himself and finally pulled his hands out of his pockets.

Aizawa almost broke his assault, but years of training and danger guided his hands. His fist lashed out, a vicious cross that grazed Majima's chin before he followed it up with a hook that Majima blocked with a grunt. A kick caught Majima before he could recover, and the man staggered back a step.

"Nothing to say?" Majima sniped, blocking another punch and a follow-up kick.

Aizawa pressed, getting inside Majima's guard and punching him in the jaw. The Support course teacher reeled and took a boot to his stomach before he could recover. And yet, even as he doubled over, he managed to dodge the knee that would have shattered his nose.

Bent almost double, Majima lurched into him, an arm wrapping around him as he was pulled to the ground.

Majima paid for it with a punch to the head and then another, but Majima refused to release him, squirming over him, a hand wrapping around his back and pulling his hair.

Aizawa winced and Majima pulled it and himself up all at once, a tangle of limbs and anger as they were face to face. It wasn't a metal helmet that smashed into Aizawa's face, but it hurt nonetheless. Aizawa punched and kicked, trying to break Majima's grip, but it was like iron.

Majima refused to give him an ounce of space, and Aizawa's vision swam as Majima shattered his nose, blood spurting over his lip and into his mouth.

"You should know better than to get dragged into the dirt with me," Majima growled as he spat blood out from his busted lip. Aizawa grimaced as Majima twisted his handful of hair, tightening his grip, "I practically live here."

Aizawa grunted, reaching for Majima's hand even as Majima headbutted him again. A strangled cough crawled out of his throat as his vision swam, and he tried to give himself space. Majima yanked, twisted, and pulled, his other hand grinding Aizawa's cheek into the pavement, "Give you bastard," Majima hissed, "Before I smash your face into the ground."

"I think that's enough." Nezu's voice cut through the air, fast, but decidedly neutral, "I've seen everything I need to to come to a decision."

Aizawa lay there for a moment as Majima first released him and then got to his feet, "You think a quirk makes a hero? Then explain me, Aizawa." The Support course teacher's chest heaved, and he grimaced as he ran his fingers over one of his bruises. "I pushed Nezu to rescind that rule for years. He made me promise to reveal my status to give them cover. And then you…" He tossed a hand into the air in disgust, "I'd expect you of all people to understand, Eraserhead, but I guess Shirakumo–"

"Don't finish that sentence," Aizawa hissed, propping himself up. Even with the world still spinning and nausea churning the contents of his stomach, "unless you want this to start again."

Majima looked down on him, still steadying his breath, "Get help, Aizawa, and pull your head out of your ass. I've got to talk to Nezu about arranging a press conference."

Majima patted Midoriya on the shoulder, "Congratulations on getting into 1-B."

Midoriya's eyes spoke volumes, shimmering with tears as he looked up at him. "Y-you didn't have to–"

Majima waved the words away. "I was always planning to reveal it. I was just waiting for the right moment." The press was having a field day, some questioning the validity of the hero system if someone could fake a quirk with support equipment, while others were suggesting his hero license be suspended or even rescinded since he had lied on numerous official government documents. There was a chance that would happen, but Majima doubted it. UA had closed ranks around him, and All Might himself commended him on revealing his status publicly. He smiled at his student, "Giving you the chance to join the hero course without having to hide it? That was more than enough reason for me."

Midoriya nodded, clearly not trusting his voice even as tears began to trickle down his cheeks. Majima chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, "And it's not like you won't see me again. You still have Support classes on days you don't have Foundational Heroics. And you'll be able to encourage your classmates to visit a little more often." And maybe if he's lucky they'll even keep Hatsume out of his hair while he recovers. One could only hope.

Notes: So, I was reading Love, doubt and super cute babies! on AO3 and I've thoroughly enjoyed it. Having Aizawa ban Midoriya from the hero course, and outright stating the reason to be his quirklessness was rough, especially since no one else spoke up. Then I thought about how support equipment is so diverse and useful and the idea that Power Loader was using support equipment to fake a quirk sprang to mind.

Since the rule banning quirkless people was presumably changed by Nezu, I thought Nezu would be... displeased by Aizawa's overt quirkism. Also knowing Nezu, he wouldn't rescind the rule against quirkless students unless he had an ace in the hole if anyone fought it when it finally happened.