WHEN YOUR LOST LOOK FOR THE LIGHT

Chapter 11: guardian

Aizawa had become lenient. Even for the lack of better term, it was the truth.

It's a startling discovery. A subtle shift - one that changes a lot of things. But the smuggler can't really regret it per-se, he didn't have too much of a reason to. Besides the drawback of having a near daredevil kid on his case.

First of all, part of Aizawa wonders if giving the boy a gun was a good idea. Not that he didn't want Izuku to stay safe during emergencies, but it definitely triggered a new free will in the kid. Then again, it wasn't really Aizawa's place to put an end to that. Still, the boy's growing boldness was troublesome. Izuku made calls that he shouldn't have had a choice in, but Aizawa sort of allowed it to slip under his rational, logical radar.

Which, no matter the 'case', shouldn't have been allowed.

As for the Iidas - the smuggler was about to say, "No. Beat it. Scram."

But the freckled boy responded to the offer instead. He agreed.

Aizawa could've pulled the boy back. Tell the newcomers that they had absolutely no business with each other. To pretend like their meeting never happened and shove it all behind. Then rebuke Izuku for being unable to stop and think about the gravity of verbal agreement; except the smuggler remembered the kid's face.

Izuku was beaming when he saw another person his age, eyes sparkling with life and innocent curiosity. The boy was naturally inquisitive but this time, he appeared to really yearn for that company.

The immune child even snuck in a plastic car for Tenya, Aizawa wasn't shocked at all. It was almost funny, not as much as it was exasperating, how Izuku had simply stared back, not making a move anytime soon to return the toy. A half challenge, half puppy-eyed plea. The raven let it go.

He guesses the high-strung boy could do with a friend. Maybe the freckled boy could be happy for once.

Aizawa sighs. He's a smuggler. Outlaws don't care about anyone's feelings. Nor do they care about whether or not their kid was emotionally okay.

'No, not my kid,' the man mentally corrects, disdainfully. He sounded ridiculous. Izuku is cargo.

In all of his decade worth of smuggling, never did Aizawa fret over such stupid, trivial things. Though technically, now that they were traveling in a squad of people where more children were involved, Aizawa supposes Izuku was his responsibility. Meaning that Aizawa was his... guardian. But not in that sense, he insists. It's just a drop, only a job.

...It sounds like he was trying to make excuses; Aizawa internally sighs once more, irritated by his thoughts.

He is a job, damnit.

Said job was, once again, not going what Aizawa told him to do. Aizawa, very clearly, ordered Izuku to stay, to be safe. Not sneak around the opposite corner, way past where he should've been stationed, and jump on a hunter's back in attempt to disarm them.

The raven's mind short-circuits and fries when the hunter whiplashes the immune child with a backhand. Before Aizawa can blow the man's face off, Izuku fell to the ground with his pistol outstretched. Izuku pulled the trigger in defense without hesitation.

Damn that child for making him worry. Can't he go one second without fearing that that the kid wouldn't try something so reckless?

Izuku was making this job very, very difficult. Sooner or later, he will get himself killed and Aizawa had barely any say in the matter. The kid's courageousness was getting more stupid by the minute.

Clearing the alleys with the Iida brothers in tow wasn't spectacular either.

More often than not, Aizawa hesitated during certain moments because he couldn't tell whether a person was one of the Iidas or if they were a hunter. He didn't want to end up killing one of them.