Chapter 457 - 93-95

Chapter 93: Izuku

The second 'competition' went far more poorly than the first.

All pretenses of friendship and camaraderie largely vanished. Gargoyle had been dropped like a rotten piece of fruit, and the handler had barely even paused his sentence. This was the plan all along, wasn't it?

If they didn't perform up to par, they would be cut loose.

Twister had grown even more volatile, lashing out at the slightest provocation. Even at Mikumo, who barely spoke to her. Snowstorm had gone catatonic for two days, and even now only offered strained smiles and two-word responses to any conversation.

Panther hadn't said a word since the accident. And it was an accident, Mikumo could tell. Gargoyle had lethimself get hit, though he wasn't sure why he understood later that the boy needed to escape and that was the only way he could think to do it. It wasn't Panther's fault, but it was clear he was blaming himself. Mikumo would wake up at night, from some nightmare or another, to see the other boy staring at his hand like it might kill him, too.

Keigo had grown hyper-focused, throwing himself into training with reckless abandon. The nearly impassable gap between them had only grown larger as the older boy polished his skills to a razor point.

Touya was different. Some days, he would remain the same as always, attempting to joke and nudging shoulders with the others.

Some days, it would be like a different person was standing next to them, all crooked smiles and quiet mutterings. That Touya kept glaring at the handlers, at the cameras, at the rest of them. Like he hated the world for having the nerve to exist.

Mikumo kept training, kept improving. His quirk progress had largely stagnated; without actually using the quirks he was taking, there was only so much he could do without giving anything away. Even so, he could take quirks much faster now, in just a few seconds without hurting the target at all!

They kept making him test it. The nice lady looked so sad but she never once screamed. He used his quirk on her until he lost count. They made him keep it, and he watched them wheel her away, blood caking her nose and eyes. He never saw her again either, but he really hoped she hadn't died like the others.

Things had steadily grown more tense, more tiring, more stressful.

Then it was time for their second assessment.

"Panther and Deleter, to the ring!"

Mikumo readied himself, taking his preferred defensive stance when fighting against Panther. The other boy tended to lunge in straight lines, where he was fastest, but it made him easy to predict if you had the reflexes for it.

The boy was also in last place this time around. The incident had clearly shaken his confidence. Mikumo wondered if there was any way he could help-

"Begin!"

He dodged back on instinct as flashing blue claws rended the air inches from his face…

That had been a kill shot. He looked to Panther in disbelief, seeing something…strange. The boy looked desperate, and guilty, and oh so very sad.

Was this what heroes were born from?

But Mikumo understood. After what happened last time…Panther was fighting for his life, and Mikumo was placed above him.

He was in the way. An obstacle.

A stepping stone. Isn't that what Kacchan used to call him?

Mikumo brandished a short sword, less for slashing and more for parrying, allowing him to get in close and target the other boy's joints with lesser risk of getting sliced to ribbons.

When had fighting for his life become so natural that he wasn't even afraid anymore?

His quirks thrummed in his chest, wishing to be used as he dodged, parried, and lashed out with counterattacks. The fight wore on for a while; while both boys had gotten stronger, they were also very familiar with the other's fighting styles by now. In general, matches tended to either be very long or very short, depending on the specific combatants.

Of course, that was when Mikumo made a mistake.

He had made the mistake of falling into a rhythm. The almost repetitive sounds and vibrations of blocks and strikes grew familiar, dulling his senses enough that Panther caught on, and responded.

He parried another claw strike, almost lazily, and went for an automatic follow-up, as he'd done previously, but his eyes widened as Panther ducked low, kicking his knee and sending him sprawling. His sword slipped from his hand, clattering onto the ground a few feet away. He didn't bother reaching for it, as flashing blue claws were now poised over his head.

Was this it? Did it have to be? He looked the other boy in the eyes.

"I yield."

They had tried this before, many times. Most of them never saw the point in beating each other unconscious after every fight, but the handlers didn't allow for surrender. They would either spur them on with words, and if that didn't work, punishment.

"Are you going to continue, or are we going to have to make an example of someone?"

They said that like Gargoyle wasn't enough.

Even so, he would keep trying. Either it would work, or he would die. Either way, he wouldn't need to deal with it.

…Wasn't that a sad thought? What happened to being a hero?

He looked on, waiting for Panther to make a decision. He was pleasantly surprised when the boy lowered his claws, huffing to himself and turning to walk out of the ring. Mikumo hauled himself to his feet and started to walk back as well, hoping the handlers would just let it go for once-

"Panther! Deleter! The match is not over yet! You can't honestly expect to become proper heroes with that kind of attitude!"

For a moment, the Panther from before, the old, angry boy, surfaced like a breaching whale.

"I'm pretty sure heroes don't kill every villain they fight! What's the point!? We won't be heroes at all if you keep making us kill each other!"

Something dark passed over the handler's face.

"Gargoyle was unfit for heroism. That was his fault, not yours."

"So it was his fault he died!?"

"I suggest you watch your tone, Panther. Otherwise, I'd be happy to set your score back to zero."

Panther flinched. That was basically a death sentence. He glared at his feet for a moment, almost submissively, but Mikumo saw something in his eyes. He reached out his hand.

"Panther, don't-"

"If I'm gonna die anyways, might as well go out a HERO!" With speed Mikumo had never seen, Panther lunged, crossing the room in an instant. His claws flashed bright blue, almost white as he aimed to rip the throat from their handler-

SCHINK!

A dull thud sounded in the room as Panther's body hit the ground, a long, sharp quill sticking out from between his eyes.

Someone screamed. It could have been Snowstorm. It might've been Mikumo.

"Anyone else? We have a lot to get through today."

Were they even going to be heroes after this? What was the point?

—----------------------------------

It was after Panther that things really started to fall apart.

Now that there were only five of them left, they usually all trained together for physical exercises. They practiced their quirks together meaning they had to use them on each other, ran together, ate together, fought together.

At first, they thought that was the end. Maybe the others were just weak links, maybe nobody else had to die.

He should have known better.

Mikumo had lost track of how long he had been there. Months at the very least. Years were not out of the question. Best he could tell, he had gotten a few inches taller.

At this point, the older among them were nearing graduation. Keigo and Snowstorm were both turning 18 soon, at which point Mikumo had to wonder: would they leave the program and actually become heroes?

The two hadn't said anything, but their training had diverged greatly over the last few weeks. Their quirks were incredibly powerful and versatile, their regular skills honed to expert levels.

That left room for more…educational training.

The two of them had been pulled out of most other training, to be replaced with specialized classes geared towards the kinds of heroes they were going to be. That's all they were told, and neither candidate would tell them what the classes were about.

But something changed.

Snowstorm grew more reclusive, barely speaking even when spoken to. She had a far-off look in her eyes, like she was considering something important.

Keigo, on the other hand, completely changed. He started smiling more, some fake, cheesy thing that didn't match his actual grin at all. He started talking about the future, how many people they were going to save, how much good work they could do. He spoke like they had any kind of future not drowning in blood and regrets.

Touya, naturally, called him out immediately, but it was like Keigo couldn't hear him. Keigo-no, Hawks, this wasn't Keigo anymore, was it- brushed off insults and banter, smirked at sarcasm, and even disarmed the fire user once when he'd drawn a knife on him just to get a reaction.

Touya had gotten so mad one day that he'd actually lashed out with his quirk. He'd burned a couple of Keigo's feathers, and the handlers had dragged him off screaming and smoking.

He had returned three days later, nearly catatonic. That weird look in his eyes had gotten much, much worse.

He'd tried speaking to Keigo alone while Touya was gone, but the other boy insisted everything was fine.

"I'm just excited! We're really gonna become heroes! All our hard work is paying off! You'll see what I mean soon, Deleter!"

He had stopped calling the others by their names, too. 'Call me Hawks!' he kept saying. 'That's the only name I have that means anything, anyways.'

He was beside himself with worry. Touya was only a year younger than Keigo was, whatever they did to him was clearly tied to his graduation. That meant that Touya was next. Twister was still only 15, and Mikumo was 12, they had time more time stuck in here would he be left alone or would he be the new Snowstorm once they all left him.

He cornered Snowstorm one day during breakfast. Normally he hated touching people with his hands it made his quirk so hungry it was starving he was gonna die but today was different. He grabbed her shoulder, physically shaking her until she snapped out of whatever funk she was in and looked at him.

He didn't like what he saw.

Her eyes were dead. Dull green slats with barely anything in them. Mikumo's interrogation died on the tip of his tongue as he stared at her.

A moment passed. Then two.

"What did they do to you, Fubuki-nee?"

Something sad passed over her at the use of her real name. Something odd and resigned that he couldn't identify. It passed in less than a second though, and she smiled brightly at him it was a lie she was hiding something.

"Aw, don't worry about me, Deleter! I'm fine! You'll be a great hero with an attitude like that!"

Mikumo could only frown. She sounded just like Hawks too, now. Though her act was a lot less convincing. They finished their meal in silence, Touya cursing under his breath as Keigo continued to avoid his own questions.

They were collected shortly thereafter for the day's training. Mikumo sulked near Touya at the rear of the group. They marched through the halls as they had hundreds of times before, the path long engrained in their memory. Zara was their handler for the day, barely paying them any mind as he fiddled with his tablet at the front of the line.

A hand grasped both their shoulders tightly as Snowstorm fell in step with them. She leaned in, just for an instant, before retying her shoelace and jogging back to her spot.

It was just a moment, but they both heard the whisper.

"Escape this place. Before it's too late."

The two boys locked eyes, and followed the group.

The training only got harder.

—-------------------

The beginning of the end, as Izuku often remembered it, came about a week before Hawks and Snowstorm were set to graduate.

Another assessment had come and gone. Mikumo had barley snagged fourth place from Twister, but to their collective surprise, and relief, nobody died. Twister was punished with extra quirk training that left her in a coma for almost two weeks why did they realize that this was not NORMAL but returned to them in time.

Now, so close to the end of…whatever this was, Hawks and Snowstorm were as excited as one would expect kids their age to be. Hawks constantly spoke of the future, opening his own agency, recruiting sidekicks with interesting quirks, maybe doing some bird watching. Whatever facade had replaced his brother sickened him.

Snowstorm kept up the same act, but if Hawks was lying, he was much better at it than she was. Her eyes had never lost that dead look, either.

They had gathered in the usual quirk training room for another round of one on one fights. These were usually less…permanent when it wasn't during a formal assessment, but the fight still went on until the handler was satisfied with your progress. Or until someone was knocked out…again.

At that moment, Snowstorm and Twister were locked in an intense match of hand to hand. Snowstorm's style was all stationary, redirecting weight and momentum, and lots of throws. It synergized well with her quirk. Twister, on the other hand, was fast and precise. She could hit pressure points with upsetting accuracy, and that was without her quirk.

But that was the problem.

The younger girl must have been practicing recently, because after a few minutes of sparring, Snowstorm called on her quirk. Harsh wind and snow whipped around her in a cyclone, but the girl was shocked when it dissipated just as quickly.

"Wha!? What was that!?" he asked Touya, who sat next to him watching. The boy just smiled at him, eyes barely straying from the violence in front of him.

…Great. Today was one of his bad days.

Looking back towards the ring, Snowstorm kept trying to summon more blizzards, but they kept failing on her. It took Mikumo a few minutes to work out what was happening.

Twister's quirk, aptly named Twist, let her twist space within a certain range of herself. She tended to go for more precise acts than big flashy ones, but she was very accurate. As Snowstorm created a swirl of air around her, Twister spun the snow in the opposite direction, basically canceling the momentum! She'd basically figured out how to nullify Snowstorm's quirk!

Mikumo really wanted their quirks.

But that was part of the problem. Without their quirks, Snowstorm was still more than a match for the shorter girl, and it showed. Twister wasn't gaining any ground, and Zora was becoming visibly agitated.

"Twister! Snowstorm! Pause!"

The two girls stumbled through their half-finished strikes, nearly falling off their feet as Zara moved into the ring with them. He had never once stopped a spar, why now!?

The man crossed his arms, glowering down at Twister with something akin to disdain.

"You're disrespecting your training, fighting how you are. Do you still refuse to use your quirk properly?"

Mikumo frowned. Properly? She was so good with it!

The girl looked up at Zara, who raised a brow expectantly. Only then did she respond.

"I just…" she paused, clearly mulling over her words. "Neither of us will improve if I just…end the fight. It's a perfect finishing move, but using it right at the start is-"

"Exactly what you should be doing. Villains won't give you time to play around. Your secondary skills are important, Twister, but do not neglect your quirk because you're feeling soft."

Twister grimaced. "But I-"

"Heeey, Teach! What do you mean!? Can short-stack do something else with her quirk?" Touya called out, lazily waving a hand.

Something in his eyes…what was wrong with Touya today? His smile seemed…strained.

The man regarded them for a moment, before glancing back to Twister. Normally that kind of questioning would be grounds for some kind of punishment, but Touya wasn't dumb. He knew that giving Zara the chance to publicly degrade Twister in some way would spare him of reprimand.

"Twister's quirk is not limited to open space, or unliving objects. She can use her quirk on living things as well, but she refuses to."

Twister looked down in shame, something haunted on her face they had probably made her kill people too. How had Mikumo never realized that if he was suffering these atrocities the others must be as well. Did Gargoyle? Did Panther? Did Keigo and Touya?

"Twister, either use your quirk properly and end the fight, or we'll have to increase your training. Again."Twister visibly flinched at that, left arm rubbing at a spot on her shoulder. From what Snowstorm had told them, there was a nasty scar there from a training incident. The one that left her in an extended coma. The girl had refused to say where it came from.

"Well? Answer me."

The girl flinched again. "Y-yes, sir. I understand."

Zara nodded to himself, satisfied, before leaving the ring.

"Continue!"

The fight continued for all of ten seconds. Twister attempted to fall back into her usual style, but Zara cleared his throat.

Something in her eyes hardened.

"AAAAAAAAH!"

Mikumo, Izuku, whoever whatever he was, would never forget the sound of Snowstorm shrieking as, with barely the wave of a hand, Twister's quirk ripped her leg apart at the knee. She hit the ground, writhing and bleeding and crying why was this happening why didn't Mikumo stop it he needed a hero where was a hero where was All Might where was Mom-

Snowstorm looked up in horror and pain as Zara returned to the ring. He leaned down, a smile on his face as Twister looked on, pale with horror.

"You were assessed in more than just the competition, Snowstorm. The Commission has found your resolve wanting. You fail." he turned to Twister, mouth now set in a passive line.

"Finish it."

Twister jolted. "W-what? But…she can't fight anymore-"

"I wasn't asking. You think villains will grant you this kind of mercy? It's pathetic! You still don't understand what heroes need to do to keep the public safe-

WHOOOOSH!

Mikumo covered his face as a wave of heat burst across him. A horrid, rancid smell hit his nose-

Oh, no.

Touya stood, cackling and smoking as a gout of fire enveloped Snowstorm. She never even had the chance to scream.

Mikumo and Keigo gaped at him. "Touya! Why!?"

Touya turned, mouth stretched too wide in a grin, eyes alight with blue and chaos and madness-

This was not Touya. Touya had died a long time ago. Mikumo wasn't even sure when, or if he'd been like this the entire time and Touya was just an act. What kind of friend was he?

"I appreciate your candor, Pyre, but do not interrupt-"

WHOOOOSH!

Zara leapt to the side, hitting the ground in a roll as another geyser of orange flames cascaded past him.

"Pyre! What is the meaning of this!? Stand down NOW!" Zara glared, hand to his earpiece. "Prep suppression in training room B-1. Potential rogue asset."

Touya-no, Pyre, cackled, flames licking up from within his mouth as the burns on his skin continued to smoke and darken.

"Ha! Why'd you dodge!? I thought that was part of the training! We need to kill all the villains, don't we!?" He continued laughing, throwing more fire at Zara, then at the rest of them with reckless abandon.

Mikumo dodged to the side, the skin on his leg blistering with fast-forming burns from proximity. Keigo snapped into the air at speed, taking the near-catatonic Twister in his arms and moving her away from the chaos.

"Deleter! Subdue Pyre immediately!"

It was, objectively, the right call. Keigo was naturally weak to fire, his feathers were super flammable. Twister wasn't in a good place to respond, and Mikumo could shut Touya's quirk down if he could touch him. Whatever 'suppression' Zara had called wasn't here yet.

"Miku…mo…"

His neck creaked as he turned to the side. Snowstorm was little more than a charred corpse, but even still she sucked in a raspy breath, one hand raised towards him.

"Escape this place. Before it's too late."

…

The hand fell.

Twister screamed.

Mikumo was thrown to the ground as the building the air the world the universe itself twisted in on itself, tied itself in knots, folded in on itself what was happening-

Everything snapped back into place, the horrible pressure on his body waning as he turned to the source of the scream, and gasped.

The building was in tatters. Deep cracks and canyons split the floor and walls, and the foundation shook as things started to fall around them.

Twister was…in bad shape. Her eyes were red, blood flowing from each of them, along with her nose, mouth, and ears.

She raised her hands, now looking at a shellshocked Zara. Her eyes glowed bright green-

Shink!

And Mikumo stood, watching in horror as a red feather sprouted between her eyes, her body hitting the ground like all the others had.

"Heh. Hehheh. Ha. Haha, HAHAHAHA!" He shrunk in on himself as Touya stood from where he'd been thrown to the ground. His body surged with bright orange flames, incinerating the feathers that had been sneaking up on him from behind.

"I told you, Mikumo! No, Deleter! This was always going to be how it ended! They only needed one perfect hero from their little pet project, the rest of us were just expendable! They're JUST LIKE ENDEAVOR! ROTTEN TO THE CORE, ALL OF THEM!"

Fire surged through the room, sending them all scrambling. A piece of the ceiling crumbled, smashing into the ground just a foot from his head.

Snowstorm's-Fubuki-nee's- words echoed in his brain.

Mikumo ran. He ran, but he also screamed.

"COME ON, TOUYA-NII!"

His feet pounded the crumbling ground beneath him. He vaguely heard Zara and Ke…Hawks, Hawks shouting. The heat of the room followed him, so he could only assume that Touya was on his heels.

He didn't know if that was a good thing or not, though.

He'd been all over the complex during his time here, but had never once seen the sun. He figured they must be underground, but he didn't know where the stairs were.

Luckily, he had an excellent memory. He sprinted like his life depended on it, flying around every corner, feet kicking off of walls, utilizing every trick these people had taught him. He went down any hallways he'd never seen before, figuring one of them would lead out.

"Deleter! Wait!"

Hawks' voice reached him just as the feathers snagged his shirt, pulling him back. The boy was crouched over Touya's prone, bleeding form. A sluggish pool of red grew beneath him.

Had he killed Touya too? Just like that? Just like Twister? Just like the rest of them?

Was Mikumo next?

"RAAAAAAAH!" Touya jolted in place, red feathers burning and scattering as Touya lunged for him. Red flames poured from his skin, his mouth, his eyes.

He looked like a demon. What had Endeavor done?

What had Touya done?

What had Mikumo done to deserve this? 

Except he already knew. Each ball of light in his chest was another nail in his coffin. Another weight on his soul. Another sin to add to the pile that would eventually crush him into dust.

Rapid footfalls hit his ears, and he turned to see a group of people in suits rush towards them, all pointing guns and shouting.

Mikumo hit the ground as the bullets flew. He never saw if any hit, but before long one of the newcomers had restrained him, hands behind his back secured with a zip tie. He could feel the fires raging elsewhere in the hall, heard more shouting from both Touya and Hawks as the people in suits closed in on them.

But in the chaos, they had left him unattended. And well-trained.

He rolled on his side, twisted his shoulders, and ducked his arms under his feet, moving so his hands were now bound in front of him, rather than behind.

Another wave of bright flames surged through the hall. More ceiling crumbled and cracked around him as the building shook. Was it going to come down?

Why did this feel familiar?

Mikumo ran again, clumsily reaching for one of the knives he'd equipped for training. He managed to slice his arm a little, but cut himself free of his restraints. He held the knife in a reverse grip, feeling elation as he finally found an ascending staircase. It was long, several stories at least, but he was in excellent shape.

He burst through a set of metal doors at the top, entering into an area he had never seen before. It was a wide hallway, lined with potted plants and fluorescent lights. He could see that it led to a larger room, one that resembled some kind of office space.

He gasped aloud. He could see windows. He could see sunlight.

"Escape this place. Before it's too late."

He ran, but cried out as something pierced his shoulder, sending him to the floor in a heap.

"Figures it'd be you. You were always the smart one, Deleter."

Agent Yamarashi, the handler with the porcupine quirk. The one that killed Panther.

Mikumo ripped the quill from his shoulder, scrambling to his feet as the man approached.

"End of the line, kid. Shame, you had some real potential. Least we still have Hawks. Maybe we'll get a better batch next time."

The man shot out a volley of spikes, narrowly avoiding Mikumo's head as he ducked for cover. The man was lethal at range, Mikumo knew that. There was no way he'd be able to get in close.

Something, a memory, flickered in the back of his mind.

He rolled behind a desk, breathing heavily. This was it, wasn't it? He either died here or escaped. There was no third option.

He tumbled out of cover as more quills, hard as steel, tore through the furniture like tissue paper. One scraped his side, cutting deep but not enough to kill him. It would take more than that.

Rearing back, Mikumo threw his knife as hard as he dared, glaring at Yamarashi as he effortlessly dodged to the side.

"Not now, Mikumo." Mom said, teeth grit. Her eyes glowed ever-so-slightly, and a vein bulged on her forehead. What was she doing?

He understood what she was doing, now. She was saving them. She was more of a hero than he was.

Mikumo raised his hand, hope and despair, hatred and love, swirling within him in equal measure.

The handler frowned at him, almost as if confused. "It's too late to give up, Deleter. Orders were clear: anyone who doesn't make the cut is let go. Now, that includes yo-"

Mom raised a hand, picking a crying Mikumo's toy up off the ground where he'd dropped it.

Mom waved a hand, bringing a cookbook over to her from the countertop. They were baking cookies today!

Mom curled her fingers, urging Mikumo's action figures to dance and wobble in the air like some kind of dance. He clapped and cheered in that giddy way only a child could.

…

Mom snarled, blinds on the window slamming shut as she saw someone looking up at her.

Mom glared, the latch on the door locking on its own as they heard footsteps down the hall.

Mikumo frowned as he was jostled, pulled into his mother's side while they were walking home from the park. Some nice man had offered him a piece of candy, but Mom's glare sent him scurrying off.

Mikumo stared impassively, watching as the handler's confused look faded into nothing. He fell forward, hitting the ground face first.

Mikumo turned, not bothering to retrieve his knife, now sticking out of the back of the man's skull. His mother's quirk roared in his chest like a miniature sun.

It was time to leave this all behind.

WHOOOSH!

He flinched as flames erupted from the door he had come through. Two bodies came stumbling through, both burned but still fighting.

Hawks, no Keigo, no Hawks, who was he was patting out the flames on his sleeve. He held a feather sword in one hand, and his wings were noticeably smaller than usual. His left eye was swollen shut, his forehead bleeding. His shirt was covered in dust and debris, and only then did Mikumo notice that the building was still shaking. How long had it been? How long did they have?

Touya looked much worse by comparison. His burns had turned a dark, black-purple color, the flesh actually melting off of him in places. Bright blue eyes shined with hysteria, with murder. Mikumo couldn't count the number of slash marks, burn marks, bullet wounds…how was he still standing? Still fighting?

What kind of tenacity did he have!?

"Deleter! Pyre!" Hawks yelled, finally noticing Mikumo and the body of their handler. "WHY!? We were supposed to be heroes together!"

It was at that moment that Mikumo looked into his friend's eyes, and he understood.

Fubuki had never bought into it. She'd been there too long. Seen too much. Experienced too much. She had started at the bottom, just like the rest of them.

Keigo- Hawks, was different. He excelled from the start. He'd finished all of his tasks ahead of time, taking more advanced classes and going for extra practice. He would disappear for days on end, taking all kinds of weird training he could never talk about, but always acted differently after.

The Commission had either won him over with whatever rhetoric they were feeding him, or they'd brainwashed him. Mikumo wasn't sure which was scarier.

Hawk's golden eyes, ever reminiscent of his avion namesake, showed no comprehension, no regret. Just cold shock, but a hint of determination.

He didn't want them to leave. He would kill them to stop it from happening.

He was one of them now.

Maybe he always had been.

"Touya!" Mikumo cried. The still-glowing form of his other brother regarded him with little understanding. "Touya, stop this! We…we need to go! Come on!" If the two of them worked together, they could escape! They could leave! They could-

"...No. No more." The voice crackled like a campfire, ridden with pain, so much pain.

"What!?" he cried back. "Touya-nii, come on, let's-"

"NO MORE!" Touya screamed, his body igniting again, sending a tsunami of bright yellow flames through the room. Every flammable object was immediately enveloped, casting the room in a hellish glow like a second sunrise.

Then the lights started to change.

Mikumo and Hawks both stumbled back as the heat increased-no, multiplied in the room. Sweat poured off his head before evaporating entirely. His eyebrows felt singed, his throat burned, his eyes stung.

The flames turned from red to a beautiful, bright blue. The same color as Touya's eyes.

Or whatever demon had replaced him.

A chuckle range through the room.

"See, Dad? Do you see? I can do it if I try. Does it make you proud?" Tears rolled down the boy's face, immediately turning to steam as his skin continued to blister and split and bleed, even that boiling away in the unfathomable heat.

"WELL TOO BAD! IT'S TOO LATE! FOR BOTH OF US! I WON'T BURN FOR YOU, OR SHOTO, OR KEIGO, OR ANYONE EVER AGAIN! NOW, I BURN FOR MYSELF!"

Unbelievably, the heat spiked further. A wave of pressure from the heat buckled the floor and ceiling as sections of the building starting falling around them.

A flicker of light in his chest.

Mikumo ran for the window.

An explosion of raw heat and power, unlike anything he had experienced before, enveloped his entire world.

He broke through the glass along with the flames.

----------------------------------------

Deleter died in that fire. Enveloped by beautiful cerulean flames.

Mikumo died far before that. Somewhere in the ruins of the facility. Maybe it was when Twister and Snowstorm died. Or Panther. Or Gargoyle. Or Bestia.

Maybe it was before that. Maybe Mikumo died in the ruins of a normal apartment building, listening to his mother tell him three very important things that he only managed to do one of before he was caught and became something else.

Either way, Deleter and Mikumo were dead. Charred, blemished, horrible corpses with nothing left to remember them by.

Like a comet flying past the sun, a form emerged from the window, trailing blue flames that were slowly extinguished. They hit the ground in a roll, tumbling over themselves and landing harshly amongst the trees.

They stalked through a burning forest, broken and bruised, slipping into the night just as the sun set.

The past may haunt them, but at least it was dead enough to do so. Mikumo and Deleter were dead. He kept telling himself that, over and over again as if that was the final blow the quill the claws the blade the fire that would kill them for good.

Izuku was born. The start of something, someone, new.

Chapter 94: Rest and Recovery

"After that, I eventually found my way back to Musutafu. It was a dumb idea, but it was the only place I was familiar with. That and, well, the Commission was sure I was dead. I checked." He sighed, rubbing his eyes with his palms. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to be crying or not, but his eyes were dry for the moment. He just felt…. yeah. He felt.

"I pieced together how to use the quirks I'd gotten on the road, foraging for food where I could in the cities and towns. I stopped a mugging somewhere in…I don't even remember. It was just some random alley." He chuckled to himself at the memory. "I was just digging through the trash for food, and this guy just…well, I stepped in, one thing led to another, and eventually…yeah." he finished lamely. "I met Eraserhead and Tsukauchi through Null. Himiko was a pretty recent development, and then, well…the rest is history, I guess. I kept an eye on the HPSC as best I could, but they didn't start narrowing down where I was until…recently."

Izuku took a breath, some odd mix of relief and terror settling in his bones, right next to the exhaustion and all-encompassing pain. That was…a lot. It was the second time he'd actually said all of that aloud, and he felt just as exposed as the first time.

Even so, they were wrapped up in this mess one way or another after the other night. They deserved to know what they were getting into.

What kind of monster they were dealing with.

Looking at the rest of his classmates, he wasn't very surprised by what he saw. Kacchan, having already heard most of his story before, looked vaguely disturbed. Iida was slack-jawed and speechless. For someone from a hero-legacy family, that was probably quite the tale.

"Izu…" he turned to his left, seeing Himiko openly crying. She latched onto him, hard enough to hurt, but he endured as he felt tears soak his shoulder. She trembled and latched onto him, like if she let go he'd float away. He brought a hand up, carding it through her hair. Transform flickered in his chest.

'You didn't hurt me.' He thought. 'Don't blame yourself for me overdoing things.'

"Midoriya…I don't…" If this were a normal day, Izuku could laugh. Seeing Iida and Todoroki so lost for words would normally spark some kind of witty remark, something to be proud of.

Now? He felt like he'd shattered a piece of their world. He supposed he had, in a way.

Todoroki hadn't even responded, just staring at him with cold shock plastered across his face.

…

…well, this was awkward.

He glanced at Kacchan. Trying to form words with his eyes.

'Say something!'

The boy's brow furrowed in anger. 'The hell am I supposed to say!?'

'I don't know! Anything!'

They glared at each other for a minute, before the blonde sighed loudly.

"Always knew Auntie Inko was a badass. Or maybe Endeavor is just that shitty at his job."

A- not quite a laugh, more of a puff of air- escaped Todoroki's mouth, his lips curved up in a faint grin. It fell quickly, as mismatched eyes looked into his own.

"Midoriya…I don't even know what to say. My father…my brother…I-"

"Don't apologize for them." Izuku cut them off. "Endeavor doesn't deserve the chance, especially not from you. And Touya…it's not something I'm ready to deal with yet, honestly. Besides, not like you knew about any of this anyways. We're the same age, remember? You were only eight."

"So were you."

Izuku shrugged. "Even so. You don't have anything to apologize for."

Todoroki looked down at his hands, bandaged fists clutching the blankets of his bed.

"...Natuso used to tell me stories about Touya. I was too young to remember him when he…when Endeavor…"

"Sold him off." Bakugo interrupted. "The old man wasn't happy with his kid's quirk control, so he shoved him off on other people to do the hard work for him. What a fuckin' disgrace."

Izuku went to argue, but…that was pretty much what had happened.

"Natsuo, my other brother, said he was…'disturbed' was the word he used, I think. And after what happened with my mother…"

"Ah, that." Izuku nodded. Todoroki looked at him in confusion.

"...I never told you about that."

"The hell are you on about?" Bakugo looked between them, visibly irritated.

"My mother is…not well. Mentally, I mean. Whether she was born that way or became that way because of him," he spat, "I don't know. Either way, she never got the help she needed. She snapped, poured boiling water on my face, and Endeavor's had her locked in a hospital ever since. I haven't seen her in ten years."

"...Fucking Christ. Am I the only one here with a normal fucking childhood? Oi, blonde chick, you normal or what?"

Himiko honest-to-gods laughed into Izuku's shoulder at that, shaking her head. At least she was laughing. Izuku grinned darkly.

"Want me to tell them, Himi?" A nod. Bakugo scowled.

"...do I wanna know?"

"Himiko's parents forced her to suppress her quirk for so long she entered a psychotic state that lasted almost two years. It didn't go away until I took her quirk, which you just saw me use a little bit ago."

The Mikumo of the past would have bawled if he'd seen the unflappable Kacchan just…bluescreen. Izuku just smiled at him.

"...Four-Eyes?"

Iida jolted, snapping out of whatever funk he had been in and clearing his throat.

"My childhood was…fairly normal, I would say. Though, in the interest of fairness, I was emotionally manipulated into attempted manslaughter by the agent of a corrupt government organization."

"What!? Fucking when!?"

"Yesterday." Iida said, looking down in shame.

"WHAT!?"

Izuku couldn't help it any longer. It hurt. Everything just hurt. His limbs hurt, his head hurt. His chest and lungs hurt. His past hurt, his present hurt. He wondered if his future would hurt.

So he laughed. A soft chuckle that grew into hysterical, uncontrollable laughter. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he grabbed Himiko like a lifeline. He felt her shoulders shifting as she started laughing with him. Iida joined a few moments later, a few tears escaping his eyes. Todoroki smiled quietly, looking tired.

"...you're all fucking weird. I wanna go home."

They only laughed harder.

—--------------------

The group sobered after a few minutes, feeling…'better' wasn't quite the right word, but at least things were a bit less dire than they had been.

A part of him felt…lighter, having finally told more people the full story. Of course, there was also a part of his brain that wanted to swim to America. That part was always there.

'Actually…if I find another fish quirk and give it to Himiko, we could probably just live in the ocean…'

Speaking of…

"Midoriya…I have a question."

"Just one?"

Todoroki blinked at him. "I have many questions. Some of them can wait until later." His gaze shifted to his left. "Who are you, exactly?"

Himiko giggled, finally seeming more like herself. He felt bad for scaring her…

"Call me Himiko!"

Todoroki blinked. "...sure. Midoriya said he met you while he was a vigilante, right? And about your quirk…"

Himiko sighed. "Long story, but Izu pretty much covered it. It was…a lot, but things are better now! I got a cute boyfriend out of it too!"

Izuku felt heat flood his cheeks. "Himiko!"

"What!? You're not embarrassed of me, are you!?"

"Of course not! I-I-I just-"

"Hah!? No way fucking Deku went and actually got himself a girlfriend!"

Himiko glared. "Oh yeah?" Without breaking eye contact, she kissed Izuku on the cheek, as loud and obnoxious as possible. Izuku felt like he might combust.

"Himiko-kun! I appreciate your…enthusiasm, but please remember we are in public! Such actions are inappropriate-"

"Oh I don't even wanna hear it, Mr. Gonna-Go-Hunt-Down-A-Serial-Killer. Maybe that should be your hero name!"

"It's a bit of a long name…Maybe Killer-Hunter? Something like that…"

"Shut the fuck up, Blizzard Brain! Learn what sarcasm is!"

"But I do know what sarcasm is."

"Well you fucking suck at it!"

"Bakugo-kun, please! You shouldn't shout in a hospital-"

"Yeah, Kacchan, don't' shout! It's rude!"

"Shut up, Blondie! You don't get to call me that!"

"So just Izu gets to call you by a cute nickname, then?"

"It's not cute, you fuck! It's got baggage, just like his trauma-ridden ass!"

"Hey! I resent that!"

Shouta stalked through the hallway, keeping his emotions carefully hidden, simmering like magma just beneath his skin.

The past 36 hours had been an absolute clusterfuck.He'd barely gotten back from Nedzu's latest…assignment, when an all-call when out on the Hero Network. Not only had the League of Villains attacked Hosu, but they'd deployed an entire slew of those nomu creatures.

The damage was so extensive that the military had briefly gotten involved. They only responded to domestic threats when they threatened political stability or a significant population, and never worked directly with or under heroes. The World Heroes Organization was very clear about their rules for mixing hero and military assets.

So, for the JSDF to show up to assist cleaning up Hosu, this meant that it was a big deal. An attack of this scale hadn't been seen in decades.

And THEN he had learned that his students were involved. Directly involved. Several of them. He wanted to expel them keep them safe because he could never protect anyone but he couldn't because, barring maybe Iida, none of it was their fault. They'd simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. Yagi was accounted for- the blonde doofus hadn't left her side for more than five minutes since he'd gotten here, no need to worry about her. Best Jeanist had dutifully debriefed him on Bakugo's role in repelling the nomu. The plan was foolhardy, nearly suicidal, but given the dire nature of the situation, Shouta was willing to let it go. He trusted the number four hero to tell his student what he did right and wrong in that scenario, he'd just ask for notes later.

The rest of them, however. Shouta was going to lose it.

Todoroki had gone gallivanting from fight to fight, and had completely abandoned his hero mentor for half of the battle. Then he'd created a glacier in the middle of downtown. If the rest of the city hadn't already been reduced to rubble, UA would be up to its ass in damage assessments and insurance claims.

Iida had, by Manual's private testimony, vanished from sight right as the nomu showed up, only reappearing once heroes descended on Todoroki's glacier in the aftermath. Apparently, they'd gotten involved with the hero killer. Shouta wasn't born yesterday, he could put two and two together on that one.

Did he blame Tenya for his actions? Personally, no. If Stain had gone after Hizashi, Shouta would have been similarly inclined. He, however, was a god-damned professional with almost two decades of experience, not to mention actual backup. Okay, so maybe he blamed Tenya for his actions. He didn't blame him for feeling that way, but for fucks sake kid.

Izuku and Himiko were another story entirely. Apparently Himiko hadn't even left the support department (then why was she in the hospital!? Manual didn't seem to know either!?), but Izuku had been right in the thick of things the entire time, even getting briefly kidnapped by one of those godforsaken creatures.

He dutifully ignored the way his lungs burned like hot coals at the thought that his…charge…almost died several times last night. Ignored the way Hizashi flew into a panic and asked him to drive them since he knew Shouta would drive faster.

But then, because Murphy's Law is a bitch, it got worse from there.

Even getting to the hospital had been a mess. They'd left the car a few miles out, legging it the rest of the way into town. The roads were all clogged and blocked off for emergency personnel, and the trains were obviously not in service. By the time they'd jogged the rest of the way, they'd had to flash their hero licenses four separate times just to get into the hospital, since it was still under lockdown in case of a follow up attack.

They'd had to get Nedzu to send over confirmation of their status as Izuku's guardian, as well as proof that they worked at UA so they could at least see the other students as well. All Might had arrived shortly after, powered down in his true form but coughing and steaming like he'd just jumped there (he probably had), with Thirteen in tow (had he carried them there?).

Paperwork finally squared away, the small group of teachers had split up. Yagi went to check on his daughter, and Kurose went to check in with Manual while Shouta and Hizashi sought out Izuku. He was quietly grateful for that. Being allowed to panic, to act selfishly, was a rare luxury in these situations. He'd make Hizashi buy Kurose lunch or something later.

And then the Commission showed up.

They hadn't even gotten halfway to Izuku's posted room when they ran into three of their agents, as well as Endeavor himself, attempting to muscle past a distraught-looking Tsukauchi.

"The students are still recovering, I'm afraid you can't speak to them until they've given their statement to the police, and until their guardians have arrived."

"I AM Shoto's guardian. Now move." Endeavor grunted, looking unamused as always. Tsukauchi stood firm, but looked relieved when his eye caught Shouta's. Dammit, he was going to have to help. Why was the Commission even here?

…he knew why. They were here for Izuku, weren't they? Nedzu had warned him something like this would happen eventually, but this was probably the worst possible time.

"I hope there's a good, rational reason you're trying to disturb patients in recovery." he growled out, putting on his best 'teacher-face' as Hizashi called it. He thought he just had resting bitch face, but whatever.

One of the agents, a greasy-looking man Shouta was passingly familiar with, straightened his tie.

"Eraserhead. We believe that one of the recovering students has information critical to national security. We need to speak with them immediately."

He nearly, nearly, rolled his eyes. "And why do you think that?"

"That's none of your concern. Now, which of you is responsible for the student in the Vigilante Program? We have important business with that student in particular."

Wow, way to just come out and say it. 

Shouta went to respond, but Hizashi grabbed his hand behind their backs. Despite the situation, he relaxed. Hizashi always was more of the people-person.

"That information is proprietary. Can't tell ya that! Didn't you guys read the paperwork Nedzu sent over? Your boss did ask for it, after all."

Nedzu had sent a copy of the program's paperwork over at their behest, but it was actually a law enforcement issue, not a hero one. Even so, it clearly outlined what they could and could not know, which was basically anything important. The HPSC President was, of course, livid, but after her…what, third appeal dropped? She finally let it go, or at least stopped asking about it and proceeded to snoop on her own.

"It states," the agent said smugly, "That information relevant to ongoing cases and investigations can be released to necessary parties. This more than qualifies."

"And yet," Tsukauchi cut in, "You've yet to tell me, the detective in charge of the League of Villains investigation, what ongoing case you're working on. Chief Tsugarame, Hosu City Chief of Police, also hasn't been informed, even after officially taking over the hunt for the hero killer."

Shouta raised a brow. This was…sketchy. Not unusual for the Commission, but they were certainly being more blunt about their shady crap than usual. Much more visible. That either meant they were confident…or desperate. He wasn't sure which was more concerning.

What had Izuku told them? Was all of this really just because of some training program? He doubted it…there was more at play here, he just didn't know what.

Manual and Thirteen arrived at that point, and the arguing began in earnest. Manual gave his official statement to Tsukauchi right there in the hallway, definitely a bit off…but then Shouta felt a chill on the back of his neck.

It was over a decade of underground experience that made the difference. Years of back-alley deals, undercover operations, and constant vigilance (read: paranoia). If not for that, he may not have noticed. Hizashi hadn't even noticed, and he was almost as perceptive as Shouta was.

Himiko, still dressed in her UA uniform, was slowly walking down the edge of the hall away from them. Two separate times Shouta had blinked, or flicked his eyes back towards Endeavor's voice, and completely lost track of her.

…had she walked right past them all without being noticed? How stealthy was this girl?

They made eye contact for a split second. She froze, but Shouta let his eyes continue to wander.

She looked like she had a plan. If she could get ahead of…whatever this was, then all he had to do was stall for time.

Meaning that he just had to be difficult.

…

He was fucking born for this.

"Alright! Enough arguing." he said, raising his voice to be heard over the squabbling. He leveled a glare at the agents again. "Is whatever you're doing really important enough to interfere in the cleanup operation like this? It can't wait for another day?"

One of them spoke up, a man around Shouta's age with bright orange eyes. "Yes. It's extremely time sensitive. We can't let this opportunity pass."

Shouta shared a look with his husband, half-smirking for just a second, just enough for him to see. 'Trust me.' he tried to convey. Not like there was ever another option with Hizashi. He knew Shouta better than that.

"Well, fine. Since it's so important. Follow me, I was headed there anyways." The agents all shared a look, blatantly confused by his change in attitude. Endeavor stalked forward, glowering down at him.

"Really now? I find that hard to believe, Eraserhead."

This time he did roll his eyes. "Look, I either lead you to the right room, or you'll spend the next hour bothering people just trying to do their jobs. So, you can either do that, or you can shut up and I'll take you to the students' room."

Tsukauchi gawked at him, clearly picking up the truth in his statement. But that was part of the plan.

Shouta wasn't kidding. If he turned them away now, they'd just sneak past them and towards Izuku, under the flag of important bureaucracy, and then Shouta couldn't keep an eye on them. No, he'd take them where they wanted to go, so he could chaperone them the entire time.

He did not, however, specify he'd take the shortest path to get there.

"Well come on. I don't have all night." He did, but not for them.

What proceeded was one of the most entertaining things he'd ever done. Hizashi made idle small talk, dutifully distracting the government stooges while Shouta lead their little party through every single wrong hallway the hospital had to offer, some multiple times. He took a slow, confident gate, hands in his pockets and expression neutral. He had somewhere to be, and knew exactly where he was going.

Two of the three agents had already fallen victim to his husband's charm, but the third, as well as Endeavor, were growing increasingly more agitated.

"Eraserhead, do you know where you're going?" the agent asked.

"Obviously."

"We passed down this hallway two minutes ago already." Ah, he doubled back too quickly.

At that, Endeavor flared his stupid face-fire-mask-THING. "Enough games, Aizawa. If you won't take us to the correct room, I'll simply go ask the staff. This little act of yours is neither cute nor clever."

'Bitch, I'm adorable.'

"Now, now. Let's not cause any undo friction amongst ourselves, yes? Eraserhead-san, you do want to make sure your students are recovering from last night's events, yes?"

Shouta nodded. "Obviously."

"Now, I understand your disposition, and respect your stance as their teacher. Surely, the health and wellbeing of your charges is more important than some petty redirect, yes?"

Well, when he put it like that…

"Of course it is. But you know that this is an inappropriate time to question victims of a recent villain attack about an unrelated investigation."

Endeavor went to speak, but the agent swatted him on the arm. Shouta kinda liked this guy.

"Understandable point. However, it IS time sensitive. You're an underground hero, right? You understand how annoying things like deadlines and paperwork can hamper your job."

Shouta sighed, running a hand through his hair as he started walking again. His fingers snagged on a few knots, when was the last time he showered?

"Look, I understand the need for a timeline on things, but you can't just-"

"Five minutes is all we need. Just a few simple questions, and then you can make sure your students are doing alright. Isn't that what's most important, after all?"

At least someone in the HPSC had their priorities straight. "Whatever. Just get it over with so I can get some sleep."

"Of course, sir. This is the room, correct?"

Shouta glanced up, looking at the room number on the wall. When did he walk here?

"Shouta, what're you-"

"Yeah, this is it. What the nurse told us, anyways."

"Aizawa-kun, are you feeling alright?" Thirteen asked, eyes narrowed behind their helmet. Why were they asking him that? He felt fine? About as fine as usual, anyways.

"Endeavor! Hold on a second-"

"Move. Or I will move you." the man shouldered past Tsukauchi and into the room, one of the agents following in behind him. The door clicked shut as muffled conversation sounded from within. He hoped Himiko had gotten Izuku out of there.

…Why had he brought them here? That…wasn't his idea, was it?

"Speaking of, how has Nedzu's little program been going? Do you find the environment beneficial to the student involved?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, it's been going well. The paperwork kept me up for a few days, but-"

Two fingers found the back of his neck, pinching sharply over an old wound he'd gotten five or six years ago. He whirled on his husband, who had moved next to the agent, irritation flaring along with his quirk.

"Hizashi! I told you not to-"

He froze.

What…happened? Why did he lead them here so quickly? Where was Manu

al?

Hizashi leveled the agents with the most thunderous look he'd ever seen, before storming into the door behind them, casually throwing his voice over his shoulder as he frowned.

"Code Shiro."

The door clicked shut.

Underground heroes got into a lot of complicated situations, ranging from deep undercover operations to unregistered quirks. As such, he and Hizashi had set up code words early into their relationship, in case any of those situations ever followed Shouta home somehow.

The codes ranged from 'hey, I think someone is following us' to 'At least one person in this room is a doppelganger and I don't know who'. It was robust, and exhaustive, but damn was it useful. 'Code Shiro', in particular, was their phrase for 'you've been affected by a quirk.' Judging by the sudden paleness of the man with the orange eyes in front of him, now noticeably dimmer than before, Shouta had a pretty good idea what had happened.

Tsukauchi, bless his soul, chose that exact moment to turn 90 degrees to his left, facing directly into the nearest wall while pretending to take a phone call.

The two agents were wrapped head to toe in his scarf before they got a single word out. Maybe he hadn't needed to slam them into the wall…but oh well.

—---------------------------------------

The next hour was a whirlwind. Tsukauchi got a few officers to drag the government goons off, while he finally joined the rest of the group in the hospital room, both relieved and upset by what he saw.

Iida, Todoroki, and Bakugo had all sustained varying levels of injury, though Todoroki looked the worst by his estimates. Himiko, now clad in a hospital gown, was looking down at her feet, avoiding eye contact…was she trembling?

Something was wrong with her, but Shouta couldn't be sure exactly what. She had seemed fine in the hallway, but things can change quickly. She asked them to leave them alone for a bit, and the heroes easily acquiesced. He figured she needed time to retrieve Izuku from wherever they'd hidden him, and he needed the time to get the rest of the paperwork squared away anyways. His students were fine, and though Izuku's absence worried him, he trusted them to handle themselves until he got back.

So, paperwork finalized, government stooges either removed from the premises or arrested for unlawful quirk use, among other things, and one coffee heavier, Shouta finally could go speak to his students.

By the time he finally made it back to the correct room, he'd gathered a sizeable group. Hizashi had followed him, of course, as had Thirteen. Manual, Best Jeanist, Tsukauchi, and Chief Tsugarame all wanted to speak to the students in question as well, but given how crowded the room was bound to get, they agreed to let the UA guardians have a few minutes with them first.

He could hear hushed conversation from beyond the door, and a few chuckles of laughter. Izuku's voice, scratchy and pained as it was, was clearly among them. Shouta ignored the relief that finally untangled itself from his guts, stomping down on his feelings like a trash compactor as he slammed the door open, frown already in place.

"Problem children. You're all expelled."

Izuku glanced up at him, eyes tired but so brightand, dare he say, happy to see him? The look lasted only a second before it melted into a more sarcastic smirk.

"Nedzu said you can't. He texted Himiko five minutes ago."

…the rat never lets him have fun anymore, dammit.

But if he was so mad, why was he smiling so much?

…Weird.

Chapter 95: Road to Recovery

Izuku leaned back into his pillow, laughs shaking his (incredibly sore) chest. Himiko was leaned against him, nuzzling into his neck. She'd barely let go of him since Zara and Endeavor had left, not that he blamed her. When he'd asked for a bit of her blood, the girl had nearly passed out, trying to talk him out of using Transform at all in a hushed, desperate whisper.

It was…sad, hearing her talk about her own quirk like that. He needed to do something about that.

Kacchan was grumbling under his breath, as the other two boys sat in comfortable silence, though it was only bound to last a moment.

SLAM!

"Problem children. You're all expelled."

A smile crept up Izuku's lips, transitioning from excited to chaotic.

"Nedzu said you can't. He texted Himiko five minutes ago." It was a lie, obviously, but he knew Nedzu would back him up if need be. The principal clearly wanted him for plans.

Eraser sighed, running a hand through gnarled hair as Hizashi and…was that Thirteen!? Cool! Shuffled in behind him.

"Hello Listeners! Glad to see everyone's still in one piece! BAKUGO! CAN I GET A YEAH!?"

"...No."

"Hizashi, volume please." Eraser grumbled, moving towards Izuku's bedside.

"Sorry, babe!" Hizashi responded, not sounding even a little sorry.

Eraser hovered nearby, and Izuku could see the man scanning him head to toe, checking for lingering damage. The man seemed…Izuku wasn't sure. He opened his mouth, three or four separate times over the next minute, and his brows were scrunched together.

"...Eraser? You okay?" he asked, concerned. "The HPSC didn't give you too much trouble, did they?" Was…was he mad? He certainly didn't mean to bring them here! "I'm sorry, I didn't want to-"

He was cut off as a hand lightly chopped his head, before ruffling his hair. Himiko giggled and slipped off of him with a smile, hopping over towards Thirteen as Hizashi rolled his eyes, continuing to pat his head.

"Shou's just not good at words. Give it some time, eventually you'll learn those little twitches his face does like a second language!"

Eraser's expression soured. "Hey."

He didn't deny it though.

"I'll translate! So," the hero leaned in close, calculating green eyes sweeping over him. "How're you doing? The doctors wouldn't tell us much, since apparently only good-ole RG can view your whole medical file." His charming grin flattened in an instant. "We were really, really worried about you, Izuku. Really worried."

…Oh. Eraser wasn't mad, he was worried. That…that was weird. He blinked, an odd blurriness to his eyes. Was…were these feelings!? Please no, he'd had enough of those for one day.

They really cared. When was the last time an adult had cared like that, since his mom?

"I-I'm okay." Both of their brows furrowed in suspicion, so Izuku continued. "I…it was pretty bad, n-not gonna lie. But I'm okay now. I just can't use any-" he coughed into his hand at the slip-up. "I just gotta take it easy for a bit until I'm better, is all."

'Reel it in Izuku, jeez!' He knew more people, well, knew now, but that didn't mean he could just go around telling everybody! Who knew what Nedzu could do with that information!?

He could trust Eraser and Hizashi though…right?

Maybe he could. 

Maybe he was just a coward.

If he told them it would change everything.

Would that be a good thing or a bad thing? Was he even considering this?

"Kid. You still with us?" Eraser's voice, soft and full of fatigue, slowly brought him from his thoughts as the man's hand gently settled on his back.

He slumped, his head leaning into Hizashi's side as Eraser rubbed small circles between his shoulders.

"Sorry. I…it's been a long week."

"Hm. No surprise there. There's a bunch of conversations we need to have, but it can wait a minute." Eraser said, now scanning the rest of the room's occupants. "Iida, your father will be here in an hour or so. Todoroki…your father was obviously already here, but do you need me to call anyone else for you? When will you be discharged?"

Izuku glanced over, seeing Todoroki with an odd, almost longing look on his face. "I'll be discharged within the next day or two, so I've been told. Not much else they can do for me. Endeavor has already arranged transportation, I'm sure."

Izuku didn't like the sound of any of that. "Todoroki-kun, why don't you just head back to the dorms?" he asked, trying to keep the panic and sheer hatredfrom his voice. Based on how Eraser tensed, he probably didn't do a good job.

"...It'll just be for a day or so. I need to collect my things, and hopefully see my sister. Then I'll be back at UA. I'll be fine."

Izuku frowned, before an idea struck. "Give me your phone."

Todoroki blinked. "Why?"

"So I can put my number in it, obviously."

He blinked again. "I…guess?" he tossed the phone underhanded towards Izuku's bed. It was only saved from an untimely demise by Hizashi's quick reflexes. Izuku opened it (not even a password, jeez) and punched in his number as he frowned at the screen.

Todoroki had…very few contacts, not that he was allowed to judge or anything. His siblings were in there (sans Touya obviously), Yaoyorozu, Iida, Yagi (who had insisted everyone have her phone number), along with Burnin (one of Endeavors sidekicks, he was pretty sure) and the man himself, listed simply as 'Endeavor'. Wasn't that telling?

Well, now he had Izuku's new number. He sent a text to himself for later, before tossing the phone back.

"Call or text me if you need something, okay?"

Todoroki looked…conflicted. "Like…what?"

Izuku leveled him with a look of absolute seriousness. "If you need me. If you need…something…someone. Get it?" he said, trying not to just come out and say it if he didn't want others to know-

"Ah, help with my father. I understand. Thank you, Midoriya."

He sighed. "Just call me Izuku already."

"...Sure. Call me Shoto then. I hate my last name anyways. Same for the rest of you, actually."

"I'm just gonna keep calling you Blizzard Brain."

"...if you insist."

"Todoroki? Er, Shoto-kun, I guess. What did you mean there, about your father?" Hizashi asked, a thoughtful frown marring his features.

Shoto looked ahead, shoulders tense with an undeniable exhaustion.. "My father is an extremely unpleasant man. Let's just leave it at that for now."

Eraser chimed in, his serious face on. "Shoto. Do you not feel safe at home?"

Shoto's face sank into a harsh scowl. "Even if I didn't, it wouldn't matter because of who he is. You know that as well as I do." That was the voice of a boy who'd been asked that exact question before, with less than satisfying results. Izuku wondered how many times he had reached out as a kid, only for Endeavor to slap his hand down.

Something boiled in his gut. It felt like hot tar. It tasted like hate. The throbbing of his injuries reached a fever pitch as he clenched his muscles. He wanted to move.

"I'll stab him for you."

All eyes turned to him…had he said that out loud?

Ah, Himiko was blushing and smiling, he definitely had.

"Izuku, you can't-"

"I can." he said with finality. "And I will. Just say the word. It would literally make my week." Fuck it, he might do it anyways.

"Listener! Come on! Plausible deniability!" This is why everyone loved Hizashi.

"You'll definitely be driving me there. Eraser, you in?"

The man squinted at him, before shrugging. "Sure, why not?"

Shoto just stared, before blinking hard a few times, glancing between them.

"...are you Aizawa-sensei's secret love child or something?"

"Actually! Funny you should say that!"

"Hizashi!"

—-------------------------------------

Himiko skipped up to her own mentor, letting Izu have his little moment with his dads (not that any of them but Present Mic would ever admit it).

"Hi, Kurose-san!" she cried out, smiling wide. "Did you miss me!?"

Kurose chuckled behind their super-cute helmet. "I did, Himiko-chan. I got a full briefing from Manual and his support staff, he has some things to go over, but in general they had nothing but praise. I'm glad you've done so well on your internship."

Himiko beamed, not really sure what to do with the praise but happy to receive it. Had any adult, other than Rei or Mushroom-sensei, praised her before? She wasn't sure!

Speaking of!

"Oh! Kurose-san! I actually need a super big favor!"

That gave the hero pause, causing ice to sink into her blood. Was…was Himiko not supposed to ask for things? Had she ruined this already!? Dammit, she didn't mean to step out of line-

"I can see this week has really done wonders for your confidence, Himiko. I'm happy you feel comfortable enough with me to ask!" Kurose said, a smile in their voice. "I can't promise anything crazy, of course, but I can certainly try my best! What do you need?"

Himiko blinked, clearing her throat (she was notabout to cry shut up). "I, uh…so, I'm due for a checkup soon, right?" she was mandated to get a psychiatric evaluation every so often, as part of her 'sentencing'. She could do it with Hound Dog-Sensei if she wanted to, but…

"I believe so, yes."

"I…could I get it done at the hospital?"

"Well, I'll have to run it by Nedzu to schedule it, but you did have the option to retain your regular psychiatrist, so I'm sure that won't be an issue."

Himiko smiled. She'd get to see Mushroom-sensei again! And also…

"Can…can I bring someone with me? Please?" She added onto the end, trying not to wince at how pathetic desperate small she sounded.

Kurose's helmet angled to their side, looking over her shoulder. Himiko heard a quiet sigh, and felt her heart sink.

"I'm sorry, Himiko, but we probably can't allow Izuku-kun off campus, especially after-"

"Ah! No, um, I actually meant someone else." As much as she wanted Izu to meet Rei and Mushroom-sensei…this was more important.

Izu's story had reminded her of something. A conversation from what felt like a lifetime ago.

---------------

"I…hurt someone close to me, by accident."

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! I HURT SHOTO! SCARRED HIM BECAUSE I WAS TOO WEAK TO-"

---------------

Gently grabbing Kurose's gloved hand, she skipped over to the bed against the nearest wall.

"Shoto-kun, Shoto-kun!" she sang happily. This was a great idea!

"...what?"

"I want you to come to my checkup with me!"

Kurose's spine straightened. "Ah, I see. Well…I certainly don't see why not, as long as Nedzu signs off on it."

Shoto blinked. "I'm sorry, I'm confused. Why do you want me to go to an appointment with you? We don't really know each other that well."

Himiko blinked. Was he dense?

…Did…did he not know? There was no way, right?

"Shoto-kun, do you remember what hospital I was at before this?"

"I…no, I don't. I was a bit…distracted at the time, so the name didn't stick. I apologize."

Himiko giggled. He was so proper! Like Iida, but less stuck up. He was definitely a rich boy. "Peaks Hospital! I was there for a few months, and my psychiatrist is there! Mushroom-sensei is super nice!"

Shoto nodded. "...okay? And…you want me to see this 'Mushroom-sensei' then?"

Himiko slouched, turning her head to Kurose as her arms limply swung at her sides. The hero just shrugged at her…guess he didn't know, then.

Huffing, she turned back to the confused boy. "While I was there, I made a friend! She's older than me, and suuuuper pretty! She's got really nice hair, and a nice smile, and…and a really cute ice quirk, just like yours." Himiko swallowed, collecting herself. "You…your mother's name is Rei, right? Todoroki Rei?"

That got the reaction she'd been expecting. Shoto's back straightened fast enough to crack, and a surge of heat ripped through the air (and wasn't that familiar?). His eyes were wide as saucers, looking at her as if for the first time.

"You've…met my mother?"

Himiko nodded. "She's my best friend! Besides Izuku at least."

She frowned as Shoto's expression closed off completely. "I see." Crap, she'd really screwed this up, hadn't she? It was odd, surreal even, seeing the family trauma from both sides. She'd experienced firsthand what Rei's 'episode' had done to her…maybe she should've considered Shoto's feelings a bit more before speaking up…

"She…" Himiko paused, trying really, really hard to find the words to express what she was thinking. What would Mushroom-sensei say? "She really misses you, Shoto-kun. She…do you hate her?" That's what Rei had been worried about the most. Himiko didn't really understand parent-child dynamics, so she'd been told, but Himiko thought it was a rational fear. Apparently she'd accidentally given Shoto that super-cute burn scar on his face, she could understand why he'd be a bit mad about it.

Her fears were unfounded when Shoto shook his head, almost violently. "No! Of course not! Like I said, it was Endeavor's fault, not her's. Whether she was stressed or…or just sick, that wasn't her fault. I just…" he glared down at his bed, covering his left eye (the blue one, she just now noticed, though they were different colors, the grey one matched his mom's) with his hand. "I just didn't think she'd wanted to see me…since I was the one who…"

Well, that answered that then.

Himiko slowly crept forward, wrapping her fingers around Shoto's wrist. She could feel his pulse, erratic and panicky. She wondered what his blood tasted like.

She smiled. "First of all, Rei is delightful. Second, I know for a fact that she would love to see you again. Please, come with me when I go visit?"

"I…I don't-"

"You should go." she and Shoto both turned to look at Izu, finally done with his little group hug. "She won't be around forever, you know? I'm sure you have things you'd like to talk to her about, right?"

Shoto swallowed thickly. "...I'll think about it."

She beamed. "Good enough for me!"

—---------------------------

It was only a minute or two later when more people piled into the room. It was…interesting, to see Best Jeanist, and even more interesting to learn that he'd been mentoring Bakugo of all people. He wondered if they got along…

Even so, the man excused himself after a minute of quiet conversation with the other boy, who looked oddly subdued. Izuku then turned his attention to the rest of the men in the room.

Manual looked as stressed as Izuku had ever seen him, eyes flittering around at random. Tsukauchi was a shockingly welcome surprise- Izuku knew how to handle him, and the man was definitely on his side. If he'd wanted Izuku dead or imprisoned, as much as he hated to admit it, he probably could have done so a long time ago.

The tall man with a dog head…he was a new face. Based on the shiny badge, though…

"Hello, students. I am Chief Tsuragamae, of Hosu City Police." Well, that was easy. "We need to speak with you about last night's events. Detective?"

Tsukauchi stepped forward. "For those unfamiliar, I am Detective Tsukauchi, in charge of the League of Villains investigation. Seeing as several members of the League, as well as their 'Nomu' creatures, were seen in Hosu last night, I've been brought in. I've already obtained permission to start questioning from the Iidas, as well as one Todoroki Fuyumi and Bakugo Masaru. Does anyone wish to abstain from questions at this time?" The room collectively shook their heads, and the detective nodded, pulling out a recording device.

"Detective Tsukauchi Naomosa, Musutafu PD, here with Chief Tsuragamae Kenji, Hosu City Police. Present are pro heroes Present Mic, Eraserhead, and Thirteen, representing UA high and temporary guardians, as well as Manual, the primary mentor for several of the students. He and Best Jeanist have already provided their statements, and the other pro heroes have only just arrived in the area. This interview will recount happenings in Hosu City on the night of the League of Villains' assault. Students, please state your names and affiliations for the record."

They all looked at each other for a moment in awkward silence, before Bakugo rolled his eyes.

"Bakugo Katsuki. UA Heroics course, and Best Jeanist's intern this week."

Iida quickly snapped to attention in his own bed, following the protocol. "Iida Tenya, also in Heroics at UA! I was with…Manual, this week as his intern." his head dropped shamefully as he avoided eye contact with the cross-looking hero.

"Todoroki Shoto. Same as them. Endeavor's Intern."

"Himi-er…Toga Himiko." Himiko said, cringing at her last name. "Dual-enrolled in support and management at UA. I was with Manual's support staff, Oliver and Jessie."

Izuku sighed. He hated procedural stuff. "Mid-"

"The final student's name will remain anonymous due to security reasons. Please just state your affiliation and internship assignment."

Izuku glanced at the man confused, who just grinned and nodded. Weird.

"Uh, UA Heroics. I was with Manual, alongside Iida-kun."

Tsukauchi nodded. "Okay, who wants to go first?"

"I might as well, before we get to the absolute clusterfuck these three went through." Bakugo said, frown firmly in place.

Tsukauchi, not even flinching at the language, nodded in agreement.

It was kind of cool, listening to Kacchan retell his night. The nomu sounded pretty freaky, honestly Izuku wasn't even sure if he wanted whatever those quirks were. Still…

"And did Best Jeanist give you permission before you ignited your support equipment?"

The boy glared. "Yeah, but it was a close call. That thing needed to be put down before it trampled even more of the city into powder."

"Bakugo-kun was being truthful in securing permission."

"Why do you keep repeating things like that?" Todoroki asked.

"Ah, my quirk is Lie Detector." Iida's eyes shot to Izuku, looking well and truly panicked. He blinked back, confused.

"Mid-er, I probably should not say your name…" he said, eyes glancing towards the adults. "Is that- I mean, before, with the-"

Ah. Leave it to Iida to be worried about lying to government officials. Was it kind of him, or hypocritical? Either way worked he supposed.

"Just go over what happened, Iida-kun. Those guys from before sucked. Tsukauchi is cool, though, I trust him. Just, uh, I can go over my part of the story, okay?" He hoped Iida could read between the lines here.

The man in question looked taken aback. "...student was being truthful. I'm so glad I recorded that."

Izuku glared. "I will find a way to triple your paperwork, Uncle Tsuki."

"...student was being truthful."

"That's what I thought."

"Are you idiots done yet?"

"Sorry, Bakugo."

"That was a lie."

"Yeah, got me there."

"Fucker!"

The questioning continued on from there. Todoroki recounted his own battles for the evening, up to the point where he ran into the alley. He and Manual then gave their own accounts of fighting the nomu, up until Izuku had been grabbed by the winged one.

"Once it picked me up, I honestly considered seeing where it wanted to take me, but Himiko talked me out of it." he said, weathering his girlfriend's glare along with his guardians'. "I used my quirk on the creature, and either that killed it or the impact did. Himi led me to Iida shortly after, since I knew he'd gone missing."

"Right…Iida-kun." Tsukauchi turned to him, grimly. "Why were you separated from Manual near the beginning of the chaos? The report he gave doesn't specify."

Iida tightened his free hand into a fist, glaring at his lap in shame. "I…attempted to pursue the hero killer, to enact vengeance for my brother's death. I didn't even know the League of Villains had attacked until later."

Eraser's glare was thunderous. Izuku put a hand on his arm before he could do something…irrational.

"Eraser. What Iida did was wrong, but…I don't-"

"Not now. Iida, we'll talk about this later. Continue." Oh, that didn't sound good.

The chief cut in at this point. "Did you obtain permission to utilize your quirk before running off?"

Iida tensed. "I-"

"Actually," Manual interrupted, "I did give my intern permission to use his quirk last night. While I'm very unhappy we got so separated, I'm mostly just glad none of the students became fatalities."

Izuku, along with Tsukauchi, squinted at the man. What…odd wording. Manual met the detective's eyes, giving a sheepish grin.

A pause.

"...Manual is being truthful." He just didn't specify which intern… "Anyways. That paints a pretty clear picture, up to the point Himiko-san got involved, and three of the students were brought into contact with the hero killer. Please, tell us everything you can."

Telling the rest of the story was…difficult. He wanted to give Tsukauchi as many details as possible about the villains…but what was he supposed to say about the fight?

Incredibly, they stumbled through. Izuku admitted to himself that Tsukauchi was probably lobbing him easy questions. His opinion of the man had certainly gone up, not that it was very low to begin with.

After what felt like an eternity, what they settled on was simple: Izuku found Iida and Stain in that alleyway, and intercepted before Stain could deal a killing blow. Once the fighting started, Himiko lead Shoto to the alley to back them up, since Endeavor and Manual were preoccupied. Once they gained a bit of ground in the fight, Shigaraki and Kurogiri showed up, and things got hectic.

After generally losing the fight, barely holding on, Shoto's quirk backfired, and the League fled with Stain shortly thereafter.

The only things Izuku didn't mention were the true nature of his quirk (by saying things like, 'we fought, I way overused my quirk') and any mentions of this 'Sensei' person (since Tsukauchi didn't ask about someone he didn't know about). He shot incredibly grateful glances at the other interns- for being so new at this, Iida was good at skirting the edge of lying while staying technically truthful. The rest was all details on the villains from the alleyway, which Izuku recounted happily (because they all sucked).

"More members of the League…and with what appeared to be a powerful weather manipulation quirk…that's concerning, but it fills in some gaps we were missing." Tsukauchi said, finally powering down his recorder and pocketing it. "There were more regular villains too, but they just came to get the bodies of the nomu. Even the, well, previously winged one was taken. What few witnesses I could described a woman with red hair and fancy clothes. We're still searching the database."

Even more villains to contend with then. How had things turned into such a mess?

"I actually have a question, if you don't mind." Eraserhead said, leaning against the side of Izuku's bed. "You said you have quirk exhaustion, right? Does that mean you sealed the villains' quirks? I didn't think the backlash from that would be so intense."

Izuku avoided everyone's eyes, now cursing Tsukauchi's presence in the room. What the heck was he supposed to say!?

He floundered, brain running a million miles an hour as he tried to think of some excuse, any excuse. "I, uh…"

"Izu doesn't wanna talk about it." Himiko, amazing and beautiful person as she was, interrupted. "It's kinda personal."

He glanced at her, hoping she understood how wonderful it felt to have someone watching your back like that. The way her eyes lit up told him she knew.

Tsukauchi, however, was sufficiently less charmed. "...Right. Well, that's all the info we needed for now. Chief, anything you'd like to say?" he asked, turning to the canine-looking man. He'd been fairly quiet during the entire exchange, only asking pointed questions when something needed clarified.

"Yes, actually. Your involvement will be kept from the press, since you are minors, and still students at that. I would also like to remind you," he said sternly, glancing briefly at Iida, "that causing harm to others with your quirks is a grievous crime. Had you not secured permission before acting, I can assure you the consequences would be severe. While I thank you all for your courage and sacrifice in the face of danger, please remember this in the future.' He smiled, sticking a thumb up in some kind of cheesy pose. "I'd hate to see such promising careers cut short. Heal well, gentlemen." A quiet click, and the man departed.

"Due to the scale of the attack, internships have been canceled early." Eraserhead stated, slowly scrolling through messages on his phone. "You'll briefly stop by your agencies to retrieve your belongings, before you are escorted back to UA. Since the teachers are spread thin enough as it is, we may have to split up for a bit."

"Awwww, what!? But I was having fun!" Himiko whined, faceplanting across Izuku's legs. Ouch.

Manual chuckled. "Ollie and Jess will be sad to see you go too. I'm sure we'd love to have you back some time." His laughter ceased as his gaze panned over the rest of them. "Izuku-kun, Iida-kun. Let's chat back at the agency, okay? I'll see you then." Well, that wasn't ominous or anything. He was probably pretty pissed though, which was fair.

Several more goodbyes were exchanged, Himiko shyly smiling as Thirteen ruffled her hair. Eraser and Izuku shared a nod as Hizashi pulled him into a rough one-armed hug. The adults slowly filed out of the room, but Tsukauchi lingered in the doorway for a moment, staring in Izuku's direction.

"Everything okay?" Izuku asked. The man looked…troubled. More than usual, even.

"...Izuku-kun, are there things about your quirk you aren't telling us?"

He wasn't surprised at the question, not really. His dodge earlier was pretty obvious. No, it was the way he asked that had Izuku's hair standing on end. There was a new anxiety in his eyes, something dark and fearful. Fear of what, though?

Izuku held his gaze for a moment, trying and failing to discern whatever the man was thinking.

The silence held for several moments too long. Nobody spoke.

"Detective? Are you coming?" Eraser asked from the hallway. Tsukauchi did not respond, nor did he move. Himiko tensed, ready to intervene again. Iida looked conflicted. Bakugo just looked annoyed, while Shoto's face remained carefully blank.

Izuku swallowed. His throat was dry and scratchy. "...Obviously."

Tsukauchi seemed to let the word sit for a minute, moving it through his quirk like a rolling pin over dough.

"...Why?"

…

"A lot of reasons."

The detective's face soured, settling somewhere between irritation and…concern? And fear, still the fear.

"Tsukauchi, what are you afraid of?" Izuku found himself asking.

"...Failure, mostly."

His brows furrowed. "What are you afraid of failing at? Catching the villains?"

To his surprise, Tsukauchi shook his head. "There are people I want to protect. I'm afraid of failing them." His eyes locked with Izuku's own, a grim determination within them. "That's what drives me. Always has been. What about you?"

Izuku blinked, before placing a hand on his chest. He couldn't feel his quirks much at the moment, so he just glanced downwards sadly. "I'm afraid of letting my people down too." Bestia. Gargoyle. Panther. Snowstorm. Twister. Touya. Keigo.

Himiko. Eraser. Hizashi. Tsukauchi. Iida. Shoto. Bakugo.

His quirks. The swirling lights in his chest that he carries with him. Beacons in the darkness, but also constant reminders.

His mother. Of course, always his mother.

"It's been a long time since I thought I could be a hero." he found himself whispering to the room. "A lot of people were hurt, a lot of people died, for me to get here." He and Tsukauchi locked eyes again, neither wavering. "I don't want to disappoint them. I want to live up to every nice thing they said about me, even if I don't believe them. I want their hopes and dreams to mean something to someone, like they do to me."

The detective smiled. The fear was still there, but it was watered down with something else. "You talk like that and say you aren't hero material. And your quirk?"

Izuku frowned. It was true that a lot of people knew already, but they were his classmates. Students. They had very little to gain by betraying that trust, and Izuku was adept in tracking people not used to being tracked. Nobody had said a word, even though Jiro and Asui were acting strangely around him.

Would he have told Phantom, had he asked?

Would he have told Keigo and Touya, had they been somewhere else?

What would the Commission do if they knew? What lengths would they go to, to see him either back in their clutches, or dead and buried along with their secrets?

Would the heroes protect them? Could they?

Would they turn on him? Or would they use him, just like everyone else?

"I'm not ready. Might not ever be ready. I…I don't know." he was so tired. He wanted his mom. He sighed, the day settling over him like a dark blanket.

Eraser, having finally lost what little patience today had spared him, forced himself back through the door, putting a firm hand on Tsukauchi's shoulder.

"I though questioning was over, Tsukauchi. What are you doing?"

Aizawa and Tsukauchi were…friends, weren't they? Friend-ly, at the very least. The man was certainly willing to go to bat for him with the Commission, but even the detective too, huh…

"Probably."

All eyes snapped to him again. "I'll…probably tell you, eventually. Just…not today." His heart was jackhammering in his chest. Gods, his chest hurt.

Eraser's eyes passed over him critically, before his gaze softened. "You don't have to tell anybody anything, kid. Just rest." He started guiding the detective out of the room, but Izuku stopped them.

"Do you trust me, Tsukauchi?" he'd been a thorn in this man's side for years. Nothing but an annoyance, the most difficult item on a list of long, tedious jobs. So why was he asking this? "You're afraid of failing. Do you trust me enough to help you?" Why was he asking this? Wouldn't getting closer to these people just put himself and Himiko and everyone at risk?Were there already too many or not enough? Did his quirks make him strong enough to protect them all or would he fail just like with his mother? 

The man glanced back over his shoulder, meeting Izuku's eyes one last time. Unreadable black peering into an endless vortex of green.

A half-smile. Something fragile, something real.Something…almost smug?

"...Obviously."

The door clicked shut. Izuku breathed.

Eventually. Just not today.