"honesty and grace" (Mezo Shoji X Reader)

Chapter 28

“According to eye witness accounts, the men were looking for a woman, who’s name will not be disclosed to the public. Once these villains were told that she wasn’t there, they ended up robbing Sea View before making their escape right before police could arrive. We spoke to a few onlookers to try and get a description, however, one of them was wearing a black and white mask, where the other was in a black and grey suit with white eyes--”

Aizawa closes his laptop. His back presses against his black desk chair as a long sigh passes through him. He knew that something like this would happen eventually, though it surprised him nonetheless. The League of Villains, the same group of people that had kidnapped Bakugou after the Sports Festival, had attempted to do the same thing to you. The very thought of that happening disturbed the man, causing his jaw to clench. His hands press against the top of his head as he thinks about what he had just heard.

When the thoughts sink in, his body leans forward while he rests his elbows on the desk. The black fabric of his sweater falls from his wrists, now exposing his pale skin. The complexion of his arms shone in the darkness of the dorms study. The room was cold this afternoon, and the only light source being a line of light from underneath the door. It was coming from a lamp in the common room, where some of the students conversed away on the couch.

A heaviness weighed on the man’s chest. In the back of his mind, he knew that your presence was dangerous to the rest of his students. Though, it wasn’t fair to push you away from them and vice versa. You had been nothing but kind to the students, and they had accepted you as a part of the group. Of course, it wouldn’t be hard for Aizawa to restrict these interactions. Nedzu would most likely be supportive of the decision, too, especially because you aren’t a student in the first place. To be able to distract the class at your leisure is one of the biggest red flags that could be going off, yet Aizawa only now began to notice it.

He reaches over to grab the grey district phone that sits on his desk. Quickly, his fingers delicately tap the digits on the number pad. He presses the phone against his ear as the tone begins to ring. “The person you’re trying to reach is currently off duty, or busy. Please call again, or leave a message after the tone.” After a moment, a quiet and monotone sound plays softly through the receiver.

“Nedzu, it’s Aizawa.” His dark eyes close and squint, his fingers pressing against the bridge of his nose. “When you get a chance to watch the news, I need to talk to you about it. I don’t know if we can risk having her go here. Maybe she could join a local schooling program, but something doesn’t sit right with giving her a chance to be in UA.”

Suddenly, a knock sounds at the door to the study. Slowly, All Might lets himself in as Aizawa puts the phone back, ending the message. “Afternoon.” He says with a small smile as he flicks the lights on, causing the pale teacher to blink a few times. “I’m assuming you’ve watched the news?”

The black-haired man nods solemnly, the lack of emotions in his eyes causing him to look empty. “I’ve never been so conflicted over something so simple.” He admits, looking over to his frail friend.

“I understand exactly what you mean.” He says, placing a white bag on Aizawa’s desk. “I got lunch from the station down the road and decided to bring you some. I wasn’t as hungry as I thought.” All Might says, taking a seat on a desk chair on the other side of the man’s desk.

“Thank you.” Aizawa says, opening the bag and taking out the food his friend had purchased for him. It wasn’t anything special, just a basic Japanese noodle dish along with some bread and sauce.

All Might only nods, his eyes looking around the room slowly. “So, what’s your take on the whole situation?”

“(L/n)’s situation, you mean? I don’t know anymore. I want to support her like she’s one of the students, but it’s a whole ‘playing favorites’ problem. If she were to become a student here at UA, a class 1A student or not, Nedzu said that he would still like me to teach her basic hero knowledge, along with Mic and Ectoplasm. Sure, I guess I wouldn’t mind doing all of that, but something doesn’t sit right with me.” He pokes at his food with his utensils.