The atmosphere was tense, the feeling that the air could but cut lingered. Like the cold steel of a blade against everyone's neck. The icy grip of tension caused their breaths to all be held ever so slightly.
Sitting against the couch Nick found himself at the edge of the seat, forcing himself to take a deep breath he backed into the cushions before leaning back. Trying to relax the tension from his shoulders. He shouldn't feel so tense? Why did he?
All Might was standing next to Nezu who sat on the couch across from Nick. Oboro sitting beside him with Aizawa standing behind the couch.
Did the idea of being surrounded by Heroes unnerve him? No, it was something deeper than that. Something much deeper. A part of him couldn't relax, so used to sleeping with one eye open that it forgot what it meant to relax.
But why did he have a part like that? This life had been very good to him…
Oh.
Words sounded in the room like a gunshot to Nick. Ripping him from the thoughts that started to pale his skin, his eyes widened a bit.
"Before we start with the important subjects and wait for the others to come. I believe Oboro and Aizawa had something to say?" Nezu said, his voice cheerful as if the tension didn't exist.
Nodding his head Oboro stood up before he bowed deeply, almost as if he was trying to fold himself in half. His words came out in a slow choked voice as if he was still thinking them over before they came out gushing. "Thank you, Hendrix, thank you so so so much. For saving me from who I was." His voice carrying such deep emotion Nick dismissed this being a plan of Nezu's straight away.
In a way it probably was, to show the good that he could do. But still, the words were real, and that mattered.
"Thank you, when I saw you first you were nothing but a narcissistic brat. And that is putting it lightly. But you saved my friend, you helped Bakugo find who he was outside of his quirk. You have pushed Midoriya to make the quirk he has great. You have helped the entire class see that their effort can start to pay off and see the peak of a mountain they had thought was unreachable." Aizawa said as he bowed as well, "Thank you for bringing back my brother." Aizawa said as he finished what he was saying. Standing up straight a bit too quickly as he looked out the window…
wow, he wasn't good at saying thanks was he. But it was still sweet in a way. Although it was clear that Aizawa still had reservations about who Nick was it was clear that he was trying to look past them. And despite all of them, he saw what Nick did.
"Y-You're welcome." Nick responded as he looked between Oboro and Aizawa.
He felt stiff like there was cotton in his head. His brain was filled with fuze.
"Your gifted Nicklaus, very gifted, it is why I took you as a personal student, and offered you help I would never have offered another. I took you in because I wanted to help you grow into the Hero that I know you could be. But there is something that is clinging to you. Isn't there?" Nezu said, not knowing how right he was.
"Your in control of your own life and I can not and will not make choices for you, but you have to see that some choices will have consequences that I cannot protect you from. Actions have reactions. And you are very lucky that what you did this morning I could cover up for… because before anything else Nick, the government will see you as a threat. And people act irrational when it comes to strength they cannot control." Nezu continued.
"I think that some part of you, some part of you born from your strength is coming out. You can do things so you are, you are wanting to take action as fast as you can to get rid of threats that you deem to dangerous to be left alone-"
"He was a threat and one that needed to be crushed, don't you see that if he was left alone he could have created more quirks? He had one of my fingers… he had access to my quirk. And who knows what All for One had given him. Who knows what was happening behind the scenes. If he had been left to create something unbeatable what would you have all done then?" Nick tried to explain, leaning forward as he explained his thoughts.
"He… had one of your fingers?" Nezu suddenly asked.
"Yeah, one of my fingers, he was trying to replicate my quirk, from what we found though I don't think he was able to, he got something but that was just how my quirk factor spread. But even that. What if Shigaraki could activate his quirk from anywhere on his body? He is suddenly much, much more dangerous. Your inaction could lead to disaster. He needed to be dealt with." Nick said as he continued to explain taking control of the conversation.
"You leave a man like that alone and more people like Oboro get twisted and distorted for his sick creations. Because that is what men like him do." Nick said, taking a deep breath, he needed to keep the aggression in check. "You lock away All for One knowing damn well that the prison cannot hold him. All Might, do you seriously think that he can be held by any number of guards and guns? He can withstand your hammering on him. And what about his quirk? Who says its nature is not like…" Fuck it, he didn't care if Aizawa and Oboro heard. "One for All, what if it can be passed on as well." His words lingered in the air.
As All Might and Nezu shared a look, Oboro and Aizawa looked between the pair with confusion. Nick let the silence hang in the air for a moment longer before he said.
"Look. We all want to do what is right, but before that, I want to keep this world safe. I have the power to do so, so I am going to. I have captured some of the most dangerous members of the league and gotten rid of the biggest threat we faced after All for One, Kyudai. I have tried my best to make progress. I will admit, that I may act too rashly. I may need to be kept in check. There have been things that I have wanted to do that I did not think about correctly. But I have sought help when I think that I need it. I have tried my best, to make sure that Japan can stay safe. These threats are not to just us, but to the world." Taking a deep breath Nick leaned back as he finished,
"Do people not remember the terror that All for One wrought when he was in power? Has the peace started to make people lax. Because with how quirks are evolving, there may come people that are more dangerous than All for One. His disciple is still out there, and we have no idea if All for One has been passed onto him. Or what he is planning. But we know that he is mad. So he is going to do something, and it is going to be big. I want to get rid of the pieces he can use before he can do something irreversible. And I can, so why wouldn't I?"
"That does not mean you can act above the law Nezu said," his voice slow as he thought over what he was thinking. "I do agree with a lot of what you are saying. But as I have said to you before, rash actions might not be properly thought through. You need to seek help and I can help you go through the proper channels and do this right." He explained with a small sigh.
"I told you what I was planning, when we went and healed Oboro, and you got caught up helping him. So I acted… because who knows what connections in hospitals Kyudai might have had. He had been alive since All for One's time. Who knows what connections a man like that has. It wasn't rash, it was calculated." Nick snapped back. Taking a deep breath he tried to calm himself. He had to deal with this. He could feel it coiling around his sense of self. He had let it fester for too long.
"That is not the main point of why we wanted to talk to you today however." Nezu said trying to gain authority over the conversation again, they had gotten sidetracked. "This is, you seem to… not be yourself recently-" Nezu started to say as a knock on the door suddenly interrupted what he was saying.
With All Might opening the door Nick watched his mum's shocked face appear. As she looked around the room clutching her purse tighter she clearly didn't know what was going on.
Straightening in his seat Nick said slowly, "m-mum?"
Why was she here… this didn't have anything to do with her. She didn't need to be concerned with any of this… Then again. He was just a kid. Of course, they would call his parents if he was acting up. Dad was here though, he was probably still just busy at the workshop…
"Please sit down Mrs Hendrix, we were just getting started. Can I offer you a cup of tea?" He asked as he took out the set and put it on the table. The soft chink changed the mood from the previous conversation. Shuffling over Nick made room for her as he waited for he to sit down.
As Amy stared between Nezu and All Might wondering what was going on she saw that Nick was looking like he was trying to calm down. It was clear to her that the conversation had been more than heated enough that tea was not the appropriate response.
Accepting a cup anyway she listened as Nezu said to her. "Don't worry we simply wish to have a talk about your son's behavior." He stated as he put down his own cup. The soft steam rising from the set let off a calming smell that seemed to cause most people to relax.
Oh god, he really was back in school again. Despite the seriousness of the situation he couldn't help but be amused… he remembered how many talks like this he had in his old life. Damn it, he didn't need to think about things like that. Not now.
"Oh? It must be pretty severe for the number one Hero to have to be here because of it…" Her voice was a bit defensive. After all, a lot of Heroes were in the room.
"Ah, All Might is simply here as his Heroics teacher and Mr Aizawa here is his home room teacher. Oboro, a dear friend of Mr Aizawa was here to thank Hendrix for something that he did. After all Hendrix did save his life, he wanted to thank him personally for that as soon as he could." Nezu calmly explained the situation letting her relax a bit more. "And I! Am the principal of U.A. Am I cat, dog or mouse? Only your son truly knows."
His voice was calm and diplomatic as he tried to lighten the mood. "Your son I must say is extremely impressive. He has been setting records ever since he entered U.A., feats that are not easily done may I add. Even outside of it. He single-handedly eliminated a third of the competition at the Provisional License Exam and has stopped multiple villains in joint operations since." Nezu said, his voice proud.
Oh, this rat… god damn it.
"Joint operations? Why have I not heard about this!?" She asked as she turned to look at Nicklaus. Her gaze was suddenly very stern instead of concerned. "Nicklaus…"
Oh, shit his full name…
"I assumed it was fine, I have been caught up in much more dangerous stuff." He weakly tried to justify his actions, why the fuck was he scared of justifying himself to his mother? He had just faced down the principal of U.A. and flipped the conversation.
"But you never informed me about them!? What if something had gone wrong! At least call me before you go out doing hero work!! Who knows what could happen!" She almost screamed as she pulled him into a hug. A very tight and protective one.
This. Damn. Rat.
This was making him feel bad… very bad.
He really hadn't done much thinking apart from blazing through problems, so much for flipping the conversation. Nezu had him right where he wanted him, and had gotten to hear his honest and confident thoughts.
"Young Hendrix saved Oboro here in one of his latest acts, it was very quick thinking that allowed him to turn a situation around very suddenly. I was impressed by the report that I received of it. He had shown thinking and improvising to excellent degrees and he even was able to battle All Might himself toe to toe in battle." Nezu said praising the boy, his tone mirthful as he watched the display.
"Perhaps he thought that his strength and smarts meant that he didn't need to think of those around him since nothing could go wrong?" Nezu said, the hidden meaning in his words clear.
You can never think of everything, nothing is certain. His actions were still rash and didn't take everything into account.
"His strength really is something that I must praise Mrs Hendrix." All Might suddenly spoke up, a smile on his face as he flashed a thumbs up. "His power in incredible and only seems to be growing. He is a star student and has even inspired his class to grow to new heights! He really can become a great Hero!" His words encouraging.
Clearing he was just speaking because he felt that as a teacher he had to have some input. Aizawa looked over with a blank look.
"But to the reason we called this meeting." Nezu suddenly spoke up as he passed All Might some tea to keep him occupied. Not that what he said was bad, but that was probably mostly due to luck.
"We are somewhat concerned about your sons actions. He is starting to lean on his strength and smarts, relying on them. That is not the main issue however, I think that because of them he is ignoring that others may see a bigger picture and acting rashly. Just the other day he pulled of an operation by himself… without informing anyone that he was even going to be doing it. While he did mention it to me that it was something he planned to do. He never mentioned that he was going to do it. While he may have his license, such action is still unacceptable from someone who is still a student." Nezu spoke, his tone formal and measured as he went through what he wanted to say.
"Above that he is starting to lash out more easily, ever since the fight at Kamino he has been taking on more and more upon himself and taking no time to relax, as if the world is relying on his actions to save it. I as a principal am worried that his future might be affected and that his friendships might suffer from his the self imposed isolation." Nezu finished as he waited for Amy to respond.
Letting her son out of her embrace she kept her hand on his arm as she looked at Nezu and responded after a moment of thought. "I… I don't fully understand the situation. But I can see that he is very tense, is he going to be punished for acting without making sure that it was alright?" Her anxiety for her son was clear as she looked at Nezu.
"No, I have already cleared up the fall back. The operation was an outstanding success apart from a small hiccup but that is something that I cannot mention specifics about." He said, his gaze looking at Nick.
Nick knew what he was referring to… the killing of Kyudai, despite Nick's explanation it still was not excused.
"I think that the best way to take care of this is to temporarily confiscate his Provisional License and ground him to the school campus." Nezu declared.
Nodding her head Amy agreed and soon Nick was just leaning back into the seat as he listened to a classic school talk about how long the punishment would last for and what would happen if he acted up again in the future. Watching his mum talk he remembered that he was only meant to be 16… he was feeling more and more like it than he used to. Although he wasn't, it felt odd to be watching the conversation happen before him.
He could single-handedly take out Japan and yet he was being grounded… odd.
Smiling a bit as the conversation ended Nick watched as Oboro and Aizawa left the room first soon followed by All Might who escorted his mother to the entrance of the school.
Sitting there alone with Nezu he watched the steam slowly drift into the air as he said suddenly. "I still think what I did was right…" His words were slow. Cautious.
"As long as you got to see your actions from a different perspective Nicklaus… I really think that you can grow. I really do. That is why I am so willing to give so much into nurturing you. You are an amazing diamond Nick. I don't want you to have to be broken by your actions. That is what a teacher if for."
"To let a disciple stand on there own. To let him make mistakes. Give him experience without the consequences."
That was just what All for One had thought… just what he had thought when he was imprisoned. But the part that was different was that All for One could no longer be relied on, so Tomura was suffering the consequences of his actions…
It was almost poetic…
Nick was learning just as Tomura was.
And both were growing more dangerous to the other.
Looking out the window Nick watched as the sun set. The giant golden orb, a brilliant burning gold. Reminding him of the flames that he had to deal with, but he would soon, he had some time now.
---
There was a lot he had to do, he didn't have time to rest.
Looking at the setting sun Tomura couldn't help but smile. Picking up his phone he looked at the mangled flesh of his forcefully healed arm. The one that bastard Bakugo had blown off. He had managed to get that one healed when his Master's doctor had helped him.
He still was missing one arm though, it was okay though, he didn't want that one back. Not until he killed him.
Nicklaus Hendrix…
Staring at the setting sun his grin widened as it dipped below the horizon plunging the suburbs into darkness.
Without their light, the world would fall into chaos. All Might's image had already been damaged by sensei… Now it was just him.
Nicklaus Hendrix.
A wrathful justice, he was dangerous. He would kill, but if Hendrix would. Then so would he.
Then so would he.
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Thanks for all the support! Thanks for all the positive comments that have been left. I feel that I am getting a lot better at writing than I was when I started this book. Thanks for all the support and advice that has helped me grow!
I was thinking of starting another fanfic in the not so distance future, just one that would be updated when I have time. Is there any anime that you guys would be most interested in?
Reviews and comments are always welcome! Let me know how I can grow!