Heroics and Other Things

Chapter 18: A Use For Something Useless

Hizashi was looking forward to his first patrol with Izuku.

He wasn't quite sure when Izuku had become Izuku in his head, rather than Midoriya, but he wasn't inclined to question the decision now. He mostly called him what he called all his students anyway, so there wasn't much chance of slip ups. He doubted Izuku would care much if he did slip up, Shouta and Nemuri already had a betting pool going for when Izuku would accidentally call him 'dad' for the first time, but he did acknowledge that this meant he was a little more fond of this particular student than most.

So what? Shouta had favorites. It wasn't that big a deal.

Being so eager to instruct Izuku that he was willing to patrol during the day when he usually patrolled at night was probably a little farther than Shouta was willing to go, but Hizashi didn't let that bother him. He was just admiring how Izuku looked in full Dekiru gear, with the heart on his cheek and his hair done inexpertly but much better than before, when they walked out into the lobby to find Sir Nighteye talking to Yamamoto.

"Ah, Mic," said Nighteye, immediately abandoning his conversation with Yamamoto nearly mid-sentence to face the newcomers. "And Midoriya as well, just the two I wanted to talk to."

"I told him you were on your way out the door," Yamamoto insisted, looking between Nighteye and Hizashi.

She didn't look anxious, but she was more subdued than her usual demeanor, and that put Hizashi on edge. Yamamoto was only subdued when someone made her feel small. Hizashi didn't like people who made her feel small.

"What can I do for you?" Hizashi asked animatedly, hoping that being his usual loud self would perk her back up. "If you're calling in with a request you can leave it with-"

"It's a bit urgent," Nighteye interrupted. "I need to borrow Midoriya from you."

"No," said Hizashi, without any embellishment.

"Wait, what?!" Izuku sputtered, eyes wide. "Why do you need me?!"

"I need to consult with him about a case," Nighteye explained, answering Izuku's question but addressing Hizashi. "It shouldn't take very long, I only need him for the day."

"Poaching is poaching," Hizashi retorted. "You're not stealing my intern."

"Not stealing," Nighteye said exasperatedly, "just borrowing. I know the internship is only a week, but surely you can spare him for a little while."

"We were just about to go on patrol," Hizashi told him, placing a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "Izu-, Midoriya is interning here, not at the Nighteye Agency. You have your own interns to consult with."

"Midoriya is already acquainted with the specifics of this case," Nighteye continued, then his eyes flicked to Izuku. " All Might told me he had consulted with Midoriya about it before."

Hizashi tighten his grip on Midoriya's shoulder, fighting to keep his emotions in check. If Nighteye thought he was going to intimidate Hizashi by namedropping the Number One Hero, he was sadly mistaken.

"All Might's a teacher," he reminded Nighteye. "He shouldn't be consulting with students on official cases, especially ones being handled by other agencies."

"Midoriya's no ordinary student," Nighteye pointed out.

Hizashi pursed his lips, annoyed at having the very fact that Izuku was exceptional, which he himself had brought to light, used against him. He knew Nighteye was a good teacher, and had been a good influence on all the UA students who had interned at his agency. He also knew that Nighteye had a habit of putting more expectations on students than was necessary, or fair. He opened his mouth to deny Nighteye's request again, but before he could get the words out Izuku spoke up.