"And Always, Sweet Dreams."

Scars don't Fade

Aizawa's POV

Todoroki was not okay.

And so was Hawks.

When Dabi and I arrived outside the gates to UA, I had to physically restrain the older Todoroki from jumping out of the car by securing him in my capture scarf before he could even finish the process of unbuckling his seat belt. From his confines, he looked at me with utter disgust and anger in his eyes, and was arguing loudly into the part of the scarf that I had secured around his mouth, his rude curses muffled.

"I can't have you running into a building swarming with people who want to hunt you down," I told him firmly, not intimidated by his fuming eye contact. "If you go in there, then you will get apprehended and our plan will not work, and you would be putting your younger brother in danger, too. Think about how your actions could affect him."

At that, Dabi stopped struggling, but while I knew he understood what I said, he still didn't agree and wanted to be with his brother. I didn't blame him for being worked up and worried and felt a pang of guilt as he slowly sunk back into his seat in defeat. I decided to look away, not wanting to see how vulnerable he was right now, and I knew that he was grateful for my lack of attention. It's best if he keeps whatever self-esteem he had left.

Holding back a tired sigh, I slowly pulled into the staff parking lot at the back of the school, taking note that there were three police vehicles parked and some other cars which I identified from some prestigious agencies. Anxiety turned in my stomach when I saw the outline of someone watching us from the cars, and reached down to unbuckle my seatbelt, not letting my eyes leave the cars.

If someone comes up to the car and sees Dabi inside, it won't be good news for either of us, so I figured it was best to go to them. I shifted and opened my door and stepped outside. The moment my feet touched the ground, the doors to the nearest car to my left opened, and a heavily armed officer stepped out. I walked behind the car and stepped towards him with a cautious pace, him doing the same. He looked sceptically at me, and I felt a pang of frustration. Sure, I looked homeless, but it doesn't mean I am.

The officer took another step forward – trying to intimidate me and make him seem stronger – and I felt my awareness sharpen when he placed his palm on his gun. From his actions, I knew he was on guard, and at the end of my vision I saw some shadows of people shifting in the car windows.

The officer cleared his throat, but just as he opened his mouth to speak, I felt a tap on my shoulder and startled, turning around and instantly on the defensive, because how the hell had someone sneaked up on me?

"Aizawa." The person said, and I forced myself to focus on them, because they knew my name and I was in my hero clothes.

Stress and anxiousness caused a knot in my throat, and I snapped myself back to the present by pinching my arm discreetly. When I had calmed and the colours in the night weren't all mushing together, I inhaled when I recognised the bright colours of yellow and blue.

I exhaled in relief, my nerves causing my hands to shake. I crossed my arm to hide the tremors. "All Might, what are you doing out?"

The skinny man ran his hand through his hair, letting it rest on his head for a moment while he sighed. "I was just out for a late-night walk. It helps calm the mind."

I nodded, and probably did the action too fast, because the former number one hero arched his brow at me. He lowered his hand and tucked it into his pants pocket, his light eyes giving me a quick once-over. I knew he could tell that I was tense and nervous, and as he glanced over my shoulder, he gave a small nod in realisation.