apathy

in which a murder is nearly carried out

Nezu's office is designed to be one of the safest places on campus—7-foot thick steel walls, many traps, and a door that doesn't fully open are only a few of the details that make it so secure. Occasionally, those safety features serve other purposes, such as saving the wall from scuff marks when an irate Aizawa quite literally kicks open Nezu's door. 

Nezu serenely continues to brew a small pot of vanilla oolong tea as Aizawa storms in. He's dragging Yagi behind him, bound by his capture weapon. Poor Yagi looks like a mummy, and an unsettled one at that. Fuming, Aizawa yanks Yagi to one of the two chairs placed in front of Nezu's desk and shoves him down into it. Aizawa stays standing besides him.

Nezu begins to pour out cups of tea, still looking utterly unconcerned.

"I want this man punished." Aizawa demands. Yagi's unease turns to alarm. "Pay cut, demotion, whatever. You can't fire him, but you are going to do something." 

"Am I, Shouta-kun?" Nezu asks lightly. The blatant warning does anything but cull his employee's anger—Aizawa's hair begins to rise a bit with the height of his rage. 

"He changed my decision on the exam pairs. He meddled with official paperwork." He hisses. Nezu hums. He knows this, of course. Yagi didn't do a stellar job of covering up his tracks. "That cannot go unpunished!"

"It was only Midoriya and Kirishima..." Yagi meekly pipes up. He realizes his mistake when Aizawa turns on him, eyes glinting red. The expression on the homeroom teacher's face reminds Nezu of a snarling mama bear, ready to rip apart that which threatens her cubs. It's a fitting comparison, if Nezu does say so himself.

"You idiotic meathead." Aizawa growls. "I changed the pairs for a reason! Bakugo and Midoriya went to middle school together, and I have information that suggests their relationship wasn't fucking healthy. I was keeping them apart so Izuku didn't have to deal with a possible past bully, you goddamned fool!"

Yagi grows significantly paler. Nezu thinks he looks remarkably like a kicked puppy. Aizawa either doesn't see it, or hates puppies, because he keeps going.

"I am their homeroom teacher. I know more about the way my students interact than you ever will. What the hell made you think you knew better than me? Why did you change them back?" 

Nezu picks up his teacup and takes a sip. He quietly considers riling Aizawa up more often, then quickly dismisses the notion. As amusing as this whole situation is, Aizawa would quit the moment he realized what was going on.

"I—" Yagi says with a shaking voice. Aizawa glares at him, daring him to continue, and he takes a fortifying breath before continuing. "I've met young Midoriya before. When he was younger, he asked me if someone without a quirk could—if they could be a hero."

He stops, looking down. Everything in his expression and body language expresses profound guilt, and a good amount of self hatred as well. It's clear that what happened is something that the number one truly regrets.

It does not sway Aizawa.

"You told him no." He says, finishing the tale for Yagi. "And because you're a selfish bastard, you decided to manipulate an important exam to confront him, instead of meeting him after class like a sane person.”

"I just wanted to apologize!" Yagi protests in anguish. "But, he—he said that he was apathetic to heroism."

The office is silent. Aizawa continues to glare at Yagi, while he takes deep, albeit shaking, breaths.

"I did that to him, didn't I?" He finally asks. He looks small in the chair, wrapped like a mummy. "I broke his spirit."

The solemn mood he's creating is shattered by Aizawa clicking his tongue scornfully. With a skillful maneuver that consists of yanking Yagi upright and flicking his wrist, Aizawa unravels the capture weapon from Yagi, then pulls it back to rest around his neck.

"Get out." He orders. "I need to talk to Nezu alone."

Yagi nods numbly and exits the office. The two of them wait in silence until the door has clicked shut, then Aizawa refocuses his attention on the principal. Nezu grins toothily and pours himself a second cup of tea.

"I know you think of this as a soap opera," Aizawa starts without preamble, "so I also know that you let All Might's changes through on purpose."

Nezu sips his tea without answering. Aizawa's eye twitches.

"Izuku Midoriya is someone with a ridiculous amount of potential. Heroic or otherwise, he's going to be something great. If you keep pushing him for your own amusement, he is finally going to snap."

"Good!" Nezu chirps. "It will certainly be an event worth attending, don't you think?"

The look he gets in response is full of disgust and disappointment. He can't help but chuckle. Maybe he will rile Aizawa up more often, after all. Surely he can get three to four more outbursts before Aizawa turns in his two weeks notice.

"I sincerely hope you change your mind." Aizawa sighs. "Izuku is not someone we can fight."

"Because you care about him?" Laughter is clear in Nezu's voice.

"Because we will lose." Aizawa corrects. "Because if that child turns to villainy, we are all fucked. You think Shinsou, Todoroki, or Hatsume will stay on our side if he defects? You really think he won't take half of the hero class with him?"

"Do you think hero society is so fragile that it will be broken by a few children, Shouta-kun?" Nezu asks.

"A few kids? No. A few of the most promising heroes and their tenacious mechanic? Along with the League of Villains?" Aizawa shakes his head, as if he can't believe Nezu's short-sightedness. Like he thinks someone with such a renown intelligence quirk should know this already. Nezu narrows his eyes. "I pity you if you think hero society would survive them."

With that bold declaration, Aizawa turns and leaves Nezu's office.