Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Izuku had been quirkless ever since he was 4 years old.

At Least that's what he had been told. But Izuku knew it wasn't true. He had a quirk. He could see ghosts, speak to the undead. Izuku remembers trying to tell people, but nobody had ever believed him. The visit to the doctor, who had diagnosed him as quirkless, did not help with his problem. His mother had been angry with him, and when he wouldn't stop talking about the ghosts he was seeing she finally had enough and had shipped him off to the psych ward. There he had received another false diagnosis, but that time it was for schizophrenia instead. When he was finally released from the hospital, he had tried to tell his classmates. The only result of that endeavor was more insults and punches thrown his way. So Izuku had learned, sure it had taken a while, but he learned that it was best to keep his quirk a secret. So Izuku was currently disguised as a quirkless and schizophrenic high schooler, and nobody knew he was lying. Well, nobody alive at least. But the dead really didn't stick around long enough to piece the information together, and even if they did it's not like they could tell anyone. So Izuku's secret was safe.

Although Izuku couldn't really blame the people that didn't believe him, as it would just make him a giant hypocrite. He didn't really trust other people, so why would other people trust him? Back when he was younger his quirk could have been believed, except he was a young child, and young children tend to make up bogus stories to get what they want. So it wasn't very convincing. If Izuku decided to tell people about his ghost seeing ability at his current stage of life, he wouldn't be believed. But it wouldn't be because people didn't trust him, it would be because Izuku had two diagnoses dragging him down. Two diagnoses that directly opposed his claims. That didn't bother Izuku as much as you may think, as he didn't have any friends or family that he would tell, even if it was a guarantee that he would be believed. Sometimes Izuku wondered if his own trust issues had formed because nobody ever trusted him, other times he wondered if it was just because he had been told so many lies that he was naturally inclined to assume the other person isn't being truthful. Izuku was smart enough now to know what lies are and what’s the truth. Like if a quirkless schizophrenic could ever attend UA, the number one hero school in all of Japan. Most people would say no, and they wouldn’t technically be lying, as that's probably what they personally believe. But nevertheless, they would be wrong.

Because there Izuku was, standing at the front gates of the best hero school in japan. Sure Izuku wasn't going into the hero course like his younger self had dreamed, but it still felt like an honor nonetheless.

Izuku quickly looked down at his map and began to make his way towards his classroom. He had made sure to memorize the entire school layout the night before but he could never be too careful. Izuku knew a prestigious school like UA would be watching him carefully for when he inevitably slipped up and they could expel the quirkless kid. And his anxiety had been keeping him up, so he might as well memorize what he could.

While Izuku walked he kept his eyes peeled for anyone who looked like they didn't belong. Anyone floating, or anyone halfway through walls, or anyone spewing thousands of insults at one specific person.. He was always careful about making sure the person he was talking to was in fact alive, he had been caught speaking to ghosts in front of peers before. It had almost always ended in a harsh beating. He didn't know if prestigious UA students would stoop so low, but he also didn't want to gain the reputation of the crazy quirkless kid who talks to walls.

Izuku finally reached the 1-C classroom and he slid the door open. There were a few students dotted around the classroom, which included a small girl with a pair of antlers and elk ears and a black haired boy with sparkly eyes and a scar along his nose. There was also a chunk of 4 students talking in the back, the only obvious features being a long pair of elf looking ears that belonged to the tallest boy. The students in the back all seemed to know each other, so Izuku made sure to stay as far away from the small crowd as possible. Izuku silently made his way towards his seat, which was right beside the window and directly behind a tired, purple haired boy.

The purple haired boy didn't even glance at Izuku when he sat down and began anxiously playing with his fingers.

Izuku quickly grew bored and pulled out his analysis notebook from his bright yellow backpack, making sure to keep his eyes peeled for any potential ghosts. When he didn't spot any he turned to his notebook and began to finish the current analysis he had been working on. It was of a newer hero named dumbbell who had a strength enhancement quirk. The hero had sent Izuku a few videos of himself requesting an analysis, and the reasonable fee. Izuku wished he didn't have to include the fee, and could just analyze heroes for free. But the rent wouldn't pay itself and Izuku didn't have the time to get a job. Of course none of the hero’s that commissioned him knew they were talking to a ‘quirkless’ 15 year old boy. Most of the heroes were under the impression that he was an experienced analyst, and the fact that Izuku never met anyone in person did not deter this theory in the slightest. However, Izuku was not aware of this theory and so he wasn't able to tell anyone he wasn't an adult that had multiple degrees in analysis.

Izuku was suddenly startled out of his analysis when Present Mic of all people burst into the room. His arms were stretched out wide, and he reminded Izuku of a starfish.

“Can I get a yeah!?” the enthusiastic man yelled. Izuku quickly scanned the room to gouge his classmate’s reactions, who were now all in their respective desks. When more than half of the class let out bored sounding “yeahs” Izuku joined in, feeling slightly guilty for the pro hero. Present mic must have been used to the halfhearted reactions, as his smile didn't diminish even slightly.

“Alright little listeners I’m Present Mic and I’m your home room teacher. But you guys can just call me Yamada ya dig?” The older man said with far too much energy for a Monday morning. Izuku fought to keep his expression neutral, but his inner fanboy was jumping up and down at the idea of having one of his favorite heroes as his homeroom teacher.

Izuku forced himself to watch the other students nod as Present Mic continued “we’re going to head to the gym for orientation as soon as I take roll call!” He informed.

And true to his word class 1-C was walking into the gym after a quick attendance. Izuku was lagging behind the rest of his classmates, keeping his eyes out for any ghosts. He thought he had seen one when a dark haired homeless looking man walked the opposite direction from the crowd, but the nod that his homeroom teacher gave to the man denied his suspicions.

Izuku's mind began to race. If the man wasn't a ghost then he must be a teacher, and if all the teachers were pros then he must be one too. It wasn't someone Izuku had recognized immediately so he was either new to the scene or underground. Considering the man looked to be in his early thirties he was assuming the latter. There was a gray scarf on the man's shoulders, and a shine from the light revealed the scarf was made of metal. The slight gleam of yellow that peaked out from the scarf is what gave Izuku the final nudge to figuring out the man's identity.

“Eraserhead…”

The two heroes who had heard the boy stopped in their tracks, eyes wide in surprise. Izuku also stopped, realizing he had said the hero's name aloud. Izuku's eyes went wide as saucers and his jaw clamped shut. The greenette turned towards the pros, offered a sheepish smile, and quickly scurried down the hallway in embarrassment. leaving his homeroom teacher and his coworker in a state of shock.

He did not see Eraserhead turn toward Present Mic and mouth ‘problem child’ before stalking off to go deal with his own students.

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

Later that night Izuku was sitting at his computer researching all he could about the staff members at UA. Some people may call it stalkerish but Izuku was just curious, he wanted to know more about the adults that would be teaching him for the next 3 years. Teachers like Midnight and Present Mic were much easier to find than the underground hero Eraserhead and the frankly terrifying principal.

When Izuku finished shoving an outrageous amount of information into his brain, he turned to his email to see if he had gotten any analyst requests. Recently Izuku had been getting a lot more requests, so he had made sure to check his email daily in fear of missing one and losing possible income. Although the more frequent commissions meant Izuku had a bit of spare cash to spend on himself, so he had recently bought himself an internet plan. Sometimes he missed going to cafes and using the free wifi, but the internet he now had in his home was great for late night research projects.
Izuku’s email was almost empty aside from the mountains of spam emails. He deleted them without a second thought, almost accidentally deleting an email from his favorite detective. He opened the email and quickly got to work reading over it.

Good afternoon Deku

I hope this email finds you in good time. The police station and I have been having trouble figuring out the man responsible for a recent bank robbery, and were wondering
if you would be able to provide some insight. The necessary files and payment have been attached below. Thank you for your time, goodnight

-Tsukauchi

Izuku immediately got to work reviewing the footage sent to him by the detective. There were a few clips of a middle aged man with a black mask covering his facial features, and a hood over his hair. The first two clips were absolutely useless, and just consisted of the man walking down the street and then smashing the windows with a crowbar. The third clip proved to also be a dead end, as it was the man breaking into the vault with a laser gun he had pulled from his pocket. The fourth clip was the most useful, the angle was terrible and the footage was grainy but Izuku could make out the man and the cash. It wasn't obvious where the man was keeping the cash. In fact it was quite odd, because the man wasn't stuffing anything in his pockets and he wasn't using a duffle bag. All the man seemed to be doing was brushing his hands on every surface close to him. Izuku thought that was stupid, the man wasn't wearing any gloves and touching everything was a pretty risky move if he didn't want his fingerprints getting everywhere. So why was he doing it? Izuku clicked onto the fifth clip, and there was one major difference between the two clips. There was a lot more money in the fourth clip then there was in the fifth, it's like it had gotten up and walked away. There wasn't any money in the man's pockets, and Izuku double checked he wasn't carrying a bag or anything similar using the sixth and final clip that was sent to him. Izuku immediately knew it had to be some kind of quirk, how else would the money have disappeared, and why else would the criminal rub his hands over everything unless he needed to in order to use said quirk.

Izuku sent a reply to Tsukauchi, requesting that he take a look into object transportation quirks and shut his laptop. It was around 2 am and Izuku was beat, especially after the excitement of a new school. He plugged his computer in, changed into his pajamas, and crashed into his bed. Falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

Izuku groggily walked into class the next morning, sipping on the coffee he had made in his rush to get out the door. He had slept through his alarm so he had only ten minutes to get all his stuff together. His hair was somehow messier than usual and his stomach was growling with hunger. But he ignored these issues and sat at his desk, the purple boy still ignoring his existence. Izuku was starting to wonder if that boy was a ghost, as nobody in his class had said a word to him. But his suspicions were denied by the fact that Present Mic called his name during roll call the day before.

Speak of the devil, Present Mic burst into the classroom with the same energy as the morning before. Izuku heard a chuckle as a blue haired boy walked in behind him. The boy's hair was wispy, probably something to do with his quirk, and he had a bandage on the bridge of his nose. The boy looked slightly older than Izuku’s own class, so Izuku assumed he was a second year or possibly even third year student. The UA uniform gave away that he was a student. Or at least was a student

Present Mic made no move to introduce the boy, and the boy did not react. Izuku subtly watched the boy pass right in front of Present Mic, before sitting atop his long desk. And Present Mic didn’t react. Dread began to pool in Izuku's gut. He was silently praying that it was some sort of prank, but the fact that none of his other classmates were even glancing at the boy just made Izuku’s head steer to try and find a different reason that everyone was ignoring the boy. But logically Izuku knew the boy was a ghost.

It wasn’t that Izuku hated ghosts, he just found them extremely annoying in domestic settings. See, ghosts were only left on earth for a single purpose, and that was revenge. All ghosts had at least one person that they would follow around and subtly annoy. Well, subtly to the person being haunted, not to Izuku. Because Izuku could see the ghosts pull things off counters or fiddle with lights, he could also hear the almost constant insults the ghosts would spew.

So of course Izuku was upset! His English class was about to be ruined by a ghost whose only goal is to drive his teacher to the brink of insanity. Sure he didn’t technically need the class (as he was already fluent) but he was still looking forward to the ability to practice with another human.

Izuku was also confused. The boy was most definitely a UA student when he died, if the uniform was anything to go off of. So why would the boy be haunting one of the UA teachers? What could Present Mic have possibly done to fuel the boy's grudge. Ghosts didn’t stick around for small petty reasons, so Present Mic somehow got on the wrong side of this boy.

Izuku’s attention was quickly stolen when Present Mic began to address the class in English, “So which of you little listeners already know some English?”

Four hands raised, one being Izuku’s and another being one from the purple haired boy sat in front of him. Izuku could also see the hands of two girls sitting diagonally from each other further in the back. One girl was tall with black eyes and long black hair, the other had an obvious sheep mutation. Two tiny horns and ears popping out of her shaggy white hair.

“Only four? No biggie, how much English do you guys know?” Present Mic asked.

The girl sitting further away from Izuku spoke first, her black eyes shining slightly. “I know enough to hold a basic conversation but not much more than that.” Her accent was slightly off, but her English was good enough for Izuku to understand what she was saying.

The girl beside her spoke after, “I can speak the same amount as her. We grew up together so we both learned.”

Izuku silently cheered. He had been working on analysing other people's behaviors, and had made a guess that the two grew up together based on the way they were easily communicating with each other the day before. He has also witnessed the taller teen handing the other a small allergy pill when she had started to sneeze, which he had guessed was meant specifically for the sheep girl.

The purple haired boy spoke next, “I’m fluent.” He said. His voice had a certain hum to it, Izuku was certain he had some sort of voice activated quirk.

“I’m fluent as well.” Izuku said, drawing Present Mic’s attention to himself.

His teacher’s eyebrows raised slightly, “I knew Shinsou was fluent but I didn’t know you were. If you wanted I could give you the ASL work and lessons I’m going to give to him?” He suggested, still using English.

Izuku quickly waved his hands in front of himself, “no no that’s okay, I already know ASL.” He quickly dismissed the idea, trying to bring the attention away from himself.

But that was obviously the wrong response, as Present Mic, the purple bo - shinsou, and the ghost in the corner all were watching him with curiosity. “What languages do you speak listener?” Present Mic asked, his attention now fully on the greenette.

Izuku wrung his hands together under the desk, not enjoying the attention of his teacher nor the ghost. “I-uhh, I know Japanese, English, JSL, ASL, Spanish, and I’m learning French but that’s all.” He responded, using English to not draw any further attention from his peers.

Apparently this also was the wrong thing to say, as Shinsou, Present Mic, the ghost, and the two English speaking girls stared at him with wide eyes.

Izuku slightly tensed as the other classmates began to clue in and also look at Izuku, although they were far more confused.

“That’s a lot of languages little listener!” Present mic praised. “I’ll have to find something else for you to do during this class, but for now it’s basically a free period for you!”

“O-ok thanks” Izuku stuttered as he looked down at his desk, waiting for the eyes to leave him.

Present mic returned to his lesson, which drew away the class's attention. Izuku huffed out a silent sigh of relief, the attention from his classmates had just ended up making him nervous. When Izuku was sure no one was still looking at him he pulled out his notebook and continued on the commission from Dumbbell. Trying to ignore the obvious pair of eyes coming from the other end of the room.

Chapter Text

Oboro kept his eyes on the strange green haired boy, who was currently scribbling away in a notebook. The boy was obviously smart, as he already knew 5 languages. But the boy was also odd, as he kept glancing up and straight at Oboro, which shouldn't be possible because Oboro was dead and the boy was very much alive. Oboro decided to test his luck and he walked up to stand beside the Midoriya. The Greenette kept writing, not noticing Oboro approach and stand right beside him. Midoryia looked up, directly into Oboros eyes, and then immediately back down when he realised who was standing beside him.

“Whatcha working on there?” Oboro gazed over Midoriya's shoulder and onto his notebook, which was filled with notes written in some sort of code. Oboro recognized a few English characters, but most of them were unrecognizable. To anyone else it would have just looked like random small symbols on a page.

The teen ignored Oboro, and the ghost sighed. He had gotten his hopes up that midoriya could maybe see him, but that of course was foolish thinking as nobody has ever seen Oboro before. He had been getting lonely lately. None of the ghost ghosts he had met seemed very social, most of them just started insulting a bunch of people before getting frustrated and then starting to knock items over.

Oboro watched as Midoryia further curled in on himself, hiding the notes from Oboros' sight. 

“Hey!” the ghost exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. “I just wanted to see what you were writing! No need to be a jerk.” Oboro stuck his tongue at the boy and began to hover criss-cross beside the boy. He knew the boy couldn't hear him, but he would probably have gone insane by now if he didn't commentate on every little thing happening around him.

Midoryia sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and glaring at Oboro.

Glaring AT Oboro.

Oboro's mind halted and he stared dumbstruck at the boy. 

“You can see me!?” Oboro’s eyes were wide and his jaw was dropped. Midoryia just gave a small nod, his curls bouncing slightly at the motion. The ghost didn't bother hiding his shock or excitement, but he did resist jumping up and down so he didn't startle Midoriya

There was the sound of a pencil scratching on paper  and Oboro watched as Midoryia slid his notebook across the table to sit in front of Oboro.

We can talk later . was all that was written. Oboro shot Midoryia a thumbs up before retreating back to Hizashi's side. He wished he could just talk to the kid now, but he had a feeling Midoryia wouldn't want to strike up a conversation with someone only he could see. So Oboro started humming some English song he had heard Hazashi singing an hour prior, and began impatiently waiting for the bell to ring.

—-------♡–♡–♡—------- 

Izuku watched as the ghost hummed beside his English teacher, the floating boy glancing at the clock every few seconds.Izuku was also glazing at the clock. it wasn't out of excitement, but rather dread. He didn't know how well telling a ghost off was going to go, but there was a 50% chance he would end up bloody and bruised with no way of explaining how he had gotten the injuries. When the bell finally rang Izuku stood with the rest of his classmates, he made eye contact with the ghost before moving his hand in a subtle follow me gesture. The ghost trailed behind wordlessly, only starting to talk when Izuku found himself in a deserted hallway with no idea where to go. 

“Follow me.” The ghost stepped in front of Izuku, “I know where the nearest supply closet is.”

It was Izuku’s turn to follow as the ghost led him down the long hallways. As they walked Izuku fiddled with his fingers, the ghost seemed friendly enough. But Izuku hadn't been with him for very long and he could possibly be leading Izuku to a secluded area before he beat him up. The living boy was partially right, as the ghost led Izuku to a small supply closet away from all the other students and teachers.  The closet was filled to the brim with spare bolts and screws and a bunch of tools Izuku had never seen before. He had to stop himself from rummaging through the crates and nabbing a few of parts he had been needing for his most recent side project.

“Okay we should be good in here.” the ghost said, flashing a thumbs up, “this is where Powerloader keeps all the spare tools and stuff, but it's only the second day so he shouldn't be out of supplies yet.”

Izuku nodded. He took a deep breath, claiming his nerves and gathering the courage to do what was necessary before he turned towards the ghost, “okay good. Now listen up because I'm only going to say this once. I do not care who you are or what ultimate beef you have against Yamada-Sensei bu-”

“Wait wait wait, hold up! ultimate beef? What are you talking about?” The ghost's brows furrowed in confusion, his hands waved around dangerously close to Izuku. “I don't have any beef with anyone, and it's rude of you to assume that I do.” he pouted his lips in a fake pout.

That just confused Izuku, “oh? So then why are you following Yamada-Sensei around? Don't you have better stuff to do? Like, I dunno, giving your tether chills, or throwing their stuff around the room?”  To be honest Izuku had no idea what ghosts actually liked doing, he only really interacted with them enough to know they absolutely hated their tether and that they were really annoying.

The older teen raised an eyebrow, “what? I wouldn't do anything like that! Especially not to Hizashi, he's one of my best friends.” the ghost rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “well, I mean he was one of my best friends.”

Izuku was surprised by the dedication the dead boy had to his friends, he hadn't ever met a ghost that had abandoned their revenge in favour of visiting loved ones. “So then who's your tether? And how are you still here? Is that where you were yesterday? Do you spend half your time with Yamada-Sensei and half your time with your tether so that you don't disappear and can also keep enacting your revenge? That pretty smart, I've never met a ghost whose done that bef-” 

Once again, Izuku was interrupted by the ghost. “Hold on, I'm confused. What's a tether and why are you so adamant of me being on some sort of revenge plan?”

Izuku blinked in surprise. If the ghost was best friends with Present Mic then he was probably a similar age, and the ghost looked around 17 years old so that means he had to have been a ghost for at least 10 years. So this ghost had been around for a decade , and was asking Izuku what a tether was. Izuku scanned the ghost for any signs he was lying, but he was either telling the truth or an excellent liar.

“You seriously don't know what a tether is?” the ghost shook his head in response. “Okay, so a tether is basically the person you stayed on earth to bother. You know, the person you have some huge grudge with.”

Izuku watched the other teen frown, “but I don't have any grudges, unless you count the one sided grudge Shota’s cat has with me, but I'm pretty sure that doesn't count because I have no problems with that cat.”

Izuku just stared, “okay hold on! You don't have a grudge against anyone? Anyone at all?” 

“No, nobody at all!” the ghost confirmed borderline frantic, while waving his hands in front of his chest. 

Izuku continued to stare. How did the ghost boy exist if he didn't have a tether? ghosts only stayed on earth if they had one. Unless there was some other way that Izuku had just never encountered before, but that was super unlikely because he had been talking to ghosts ever since he was four and they all wanted some kind of revenge. So why was this ghost still around? Was it part of someone's quirk? Was it the ghost's quirk?

An accidental mutter storm was interrupted by the ghost “okay I'm not catching all that, please explain.” he pleaded

“Oh sorry!” Izuku rushed to apologize,“I'm just really confused because I've never met a ghost that wasn't on some sort of act of revenge, are you sure you're not just pulling my leg?”

The ghost nodded “I'm sure, and I can assure you I'm not on any acts of revenge. Although that does make some sense, I haven't met any other ghosts that haven't immediately started trash talking the nearest living person.”

“Yeah that checks out” Izuku winced, rubbing the back of his neck. “People only turn into ghosts if they have some sort of grudge, except for you I guess. They always stay near one of the people they have beef with, always spewing insults or knocking things off desks. It gets really annoying really fast. That's why I was so upset when I saw you following Yamada-Sensei, but now that I know you're not going to be a bother I really don't have to worry.”

The ghost nodded and stuck out his hand, “I’m Shirakumo Oboro, nice to meet you” 

Shirakumo’s eyes widened when Izuku hesitantly took his hand, “you can touch me too? This is amazing!”

Izuku nodded while keeping his eyes on their connected hands, “yeah I can. Sometimes it’s convenient but other times it just makes me look crazy, like when I have to dodge people that aren't really there. oh, and I'm Midoryia Izuku by the way.”

Both teen’s hands dropped as they let go, an awkward silence filled the air.

“You should probably get to the cafeteria if you want a chance to eat, lunch is over in 15.” Shirakumo suggested.

The ghost just watched Izuku’s eyes go wide as he was reminded of the time. Knocking over a mop in the process, Izuku rushed to leave the cramped closet and proceeded to stop as soon as he got outside. He had no idea where the cafeteria was, and ten minutes was not enough time to find one room in the massive school. Even if he got lucky and found the cafeteria in 5 minutes he wouldn't have any time to actually eat anything before having to search for his next class. Izuku sighed and began to walk toward where he thought his next class was before he felt a cold hand on his shoulder. He automatically flinched away from the touch and the hand left.

“You have no idea where you're going, do you?” Shirakumo asked while stepping beside him, hopefully not noticing the way Izuku’s heart rate spiked.

Izuku shook his head, “I memorized the map a few nights ago but it didn't mark supply closets, I'm definitely lost.”

The ghost stepped forward, “follow me, I could find any room in this place with my eyes closed.”

Izuku was led down a few hallways and staircases before they both emerged into a large open space. Long tables sat in rows, and they were covered with a bunch of different students. Izuku could recognize a few of his classmates, not including the Shinsou boy that sat in front of him. Making his way to the serving area, Izuku made sure to avoid a certain blonde’s table. If the ghost trailing behind him noticed, he didn't comment on it. Just as Izuku was about to grab a plate of food the ghost stopped him.

“I don't recommend getting that one.” Shirakumo said pointing to the plate Izuku had been reaching for, “it looks easy to eat but after two or three bites it explodes everywhere and you probably won't have time to shovel it into your mouth. If you're looking for something tasty but quick I recommend the onigiri.” Izuku followed Shirakumo’s finger to a plate sitting at the end of the counter, three onigiri sitting on top.  Izuku decided to take the ghost's advice and grabbed a plate, before making his way to a small single table away from the other students.

“You have math next right?” Izuku nodded. “Okay great, even if you don't finish, Ectoplasm is pretty laid back when it comes to eating in his classroom. He looks kinda scary but trust me he's a big softie.” Shirakumo shot Izuku a giant grin and began to whisper, even though Izuku is the only one who could actually hear him. “Believe it or not, but he has more plants in his apartment than furniture.”

“Really?” Izuku asked in disbelief, “I definitely wouldn't have guessed that.”  Izuku had imagined Ectoplasm as a very bare, no decorations in sight kind of guy, so it wasn't a surprise when Izuku was shocked by the man's love of plants.

Shirakumo nodded while Izuku finished off his meal, “yeah! I've been over a few times, he names every single one of his plants. He is also a firm believer of the theory that plants grow better when you talk to them. He spends a good hour just talking to his plants almost every day.”

Izuku smiled and pulled out one of his notebooks, jotting down the new information in the Ectoplasm section. Shirakumo floated closer to peak at the book. 

“What are you writing?” the ghost asked, sitting down on the empty chair beside Izuku, Passing through the table to do so. 

Izuku felt a familiar anxiety bubbling in his gut, “its- uhh, i'm writing about the teachers.” he began to rub at his arm, “it's just a hobby, but I like to analyze quirks and behaviors.”

Izuku waited for the ghost to get creeped out. He had enough experience with people leaving once they found out about his strange hobby, Izuku doubted the ghost would be any different. He brought his arms up to his shoulders, hugging himself, and looked down. He didn't want to have to see the friendliness on Shirakumo’s face turn into disgust.

But Shirakumo’s grin just stretched even wider, “that's cool! Really great for hero work, but it could also be helpful for detectives or psychologists. Could I read some?”

Izuku’s head whipped up so fast he almost gave himself whiplash, his eyes were wide, “you really think so?” Izuku’s voice was small and disbelieving.

“I know so,” the ghost confirmed, “I've interacted with enough heroes to know that's a good trait. Although I guess you don't want to be a hero, because you're in gen ed. Unless you tried out for the hero course and just didn't get in, did you?”

Izuku blinked, “uhh no, I was always planning on going into gen ed.” 

Shirakumo nodded to himself, “it's still a good trait to have, detectives need it for interrogation and analysts help heroes out all the time. You know you could probably get a job as an analyst. You've definitely got the smarts for it, I mean you do speak like 10 languages.”

“I don't speak 10 languages! Only 5!” Izuku sputtered, “Besides I already know about the analyst thing, I already work as one in my spare time.”

Shirakumo’s eyes widened, “you do? That's so neat! What's your code name?” The ghost had abandoned his seat and was now standing beside Izuku, shifting his weight between his legs in excitement. 

Izuku stood as well, grabbing his tray to throw away his garbage. He scanned nearby tables to make sure all eyes were off of him, Izuku didn't mind telling Shirakumo his secret because the ghost wouldn't be able to get him in trouble, but other students differently could. “I use the code name Deku, you probably haven't heard of me, I doubt I'm very popular and mainly work with the police. I've commissioned a few heroes but no big ones. I've also sent some work to some bigger heroes but I doubt they read it or took it to heart because I doubt they were even that good.”

Disposing of the garbage on his tray, Izuku began to make his way towards the tray return. Shirakumo trailed beside him, eyes so wide it was almost funny. “You're Deku?! You're like, super well known within the hero community, especially underground heroes. Eraserhead actually took your analysis to heart and he's been able to take down villains 10 times faster. The recommendations you made for his goggles have been a large improvement. The built in misters were a great touch because he can keep his eyes open way longer. The pros have been convinced that you're a professional analyst for months now! So quit doubting yourself!”

“What!” Izuku yelled, attracting the attention of a few nearby tables. He lowered his voice and turned back to the ghost when the attention of his peers left him, “you're lying!” There was absolutely no way that pro heroes thought Izuku, a quirkless middle school boy, was a professional analyst. There was absolutely no way his suggestions were that good.

Shirakumo shook his head, “Nope! 100% not lying. Seriously you should show them to someone, you could probably get some super fancy college degree.”

Izuku quickly dismissed the idea, waving his hands in front of himself.  As much as Izuku respected the ghost, his idea was terrible. Nobody ever took anything Izuku said seriously and his analysis was his main and only source of income for things like food, utilities, and rent. “Absolutely not! What if they didn't take what I was saying seriously, and then some villain got away. They wouldn't take advice from someone quirkless! And they definitely wouldn't take advice from someone who's quirkless and schizophrenic!”

As Izuku’s voice grew louder and more frantic, people began to stare. When Izuku noticed he slapped a hand over his mouth and his breathing picked up, he was looking at all the people who had caught him ranting to thin air.

 Cutting through his panicked haze, Izuku felt someone grab his wrist and lead him away from the eyes watching him. His first instinct was to pull away, but his trembling was making him weaker and the grip was strong. Looking up, Izuku realised he was being dragged away by Shirakumo, though to anyone else it looked like Izuku was just stumbling around with his arm held out. 

When the two had made their way further down the hallway Shirakumo stopped dragging Izuku, the latter pulled his hand away as if it had been burned as soon as the ghost's grip loosened. Izuku slumped against the wall and slid his way down to the ground. Shirakumo crouched beside the panicking boy, not touching him but still close.

“Breath.” the older teen commanded, holding his hands in front of him in a non-threatening gesture.

Izuku obeyed the boy, taking in deep breaths and slowing down his racing heart. He leaned his head against the back wall, keeping his eyes open in case anyone tried to touch him again. Shirakumo stayed by his side, keeping his distance.

When Izuku had his breathing back under control he turned to the ghost, who was no doubt suppressing a thousand questions for the sake of the living teen.

“You okay?” Oboro asked, his eyes quickly analyzing the state of the teen.

Izuku nodded, “I'm fine, ask your questions.”

He didn't want to prolong the inevitable, and if Izuku didn't answer Shirakumos questions now he may never gain the courage to answer. His panic left his mind in a slight haze, so it would be easier to answer most of them now.

Oboro blinked in surprise, but then narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure you're good?” when Oboro got another nod he continued, “ok.” a pause. “Are you really schizophrenic?”

This time Izuku shook his head. “No, it was a false diagnosis. I'm not quirkless either. But when I told people about my ability to see the dead they thought I was crazy and I ended up with two false diagnoses. They put me in a psych ward and everything, never did anything though because I'm not really schizophrenic. I even have medication. I don't take it though because it has some pretty strange side effects for someone who doesn't actually have schizophrenia.”

Shirakumo nodded along, “I mean I guess that makes sense.” he muttered. “I mean it's definitely not fun, kinda depressing actually. But it makes sense.”

Izuku let out a small snicker and opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted  by the bell. He stood up and dragged a hand down his face, wiping away any remains of the panic he had felt only a few minutes before. 

“You can ask the rest of your questions after school.” Izuku started to walk towards his next class, “if you know sign we can talk when there are others around, but I don't really plan on speaking to you if there are others around. Sorry.”

Shirakumo floated beside Izuku, “no I get it! I actually do know JSL, and ASL. There was a deaf kid in Hazashi’s homeroom a few years back, so instead of just teaching English he taught ASL too. So I know a good amount. I am better at JSL though. Oh, and you don't have to worry about the questions after school, I don't have any more.”

Izuku just nodded, not willing to speak now that they had entered a crowd of people. Shirakumo floated above the students, looking down to talk to Izuku. Although he was listening, Izuku would not look up to respond, staring at ceilings for no reason would make him look strange. He had already been caught yelling at thin air, and Izuku didn't want to ostracize himself from his classmates anymore than he already had. Shirakumo followed him to his class, and then was off to go find another teacher. Izuku didnt know which one, as Shirakumo had used a civilian name instead of a hero name.

Izuku opened his math notebook and smiled to himself, maybe having a ghost friend wouldn't be so bad.

Chapter Text

Hours later the final bell had rung and Izuku was free to make his way home. He walked in front of the school gates, deciding he would much rather walk home then take the train. Izuku disliked the train, it was crowded, loud, and filled with ghosts. Izuku really didn't mind the ghosts, but when he was surrounded by a lot at once he tended to freak out, always worried that they would decide to attack him and nobody would be able to do anything about it. He had been attacked a few times before, and because Izuku was the only one who could touch the ghosts, nobody could help defend him. He had ended up lying in the middle of a sidewalk being shredded apart by a being nobody else could see.

Izuku shuddered at the memory and continued to make his way down the street, making a quick pit stop at Death Arms Agency and dropping off Dumbbell’s analysis. He made sure to avoid all the people and cameras so he could keep his identity under wraps. He then made his way to a nearby cafe, it was one he had never been to before so he was excited to try it out. A bell jingled when he pushed open the door, and Izuku was immediately tackled by a small black critter. 

Izuku yelped in surprise as the black ball of fur began to crawl up his leg, beaty yellow eyes staring him down. Izuku slowly reached out a hand to pet the cat, but was immediately bitten. Wincing, Izuku pulled his hand back, keeping eye contact with the cat clinging to his pant leg. He tired again, this time slowly lowering his hand to the cat's head. His endeavor proved to be successful as the cat did not bite him and just started purring when Izuku began to stroke its head. 

Izuku’s head snapped toward the checkout when he heard a small gasp. A teenage barista was staring at the cat, her green eyes wide. “That cat has never let anyone do that before.” she said in disbelief. 

Izuku offered a sheepish smile, “I guess she just likes me.” He continued to scratch her head, letting her stay on his pant leg. The purring from the cat helped ease Izuku’s usual anxiety. He would have considered getting a cat if he was home more often, but he was worried he wouldn't be able to provide the proper care for one.

The barista laughed, her long ginger hair swaying with the movement. “Maybe you should take her home, all the cats here are rescues and looking for a permanent home. She's been here the longest because she bites everyone that walks through the door.”

Izuku didn't know how to respond. So he offered a small chuckle and scooped up the cat, he made his way towards a booth and sat down. “Do you guys have coffee here?”

The barista finished tying her hair into a bun, “what kind of cafe doesn't have coffee? Would you like any sugar or cream?”

“Just sugar please.” 

The barista nodded and turned towards the coffee machine. Izuku adjusted the cat on his lap before pulling out his laptop and opening his emails. He sent out a quick email to Dumbbell to tell him the analysis had been delivered to his agency, then began to check the emails that had been sent to him. He deleted the useless spam emails he had, only saving one that was giving him a 15% off coupon, and began to read over the more important one.

There was an email from a hero asking for an analysis. Izuku sent back an email to accept the offer, also including the cost and arrival date. There was also an email from his school, asking for an adult's signature on a few documents. Izuku forged his mothers signature on a couple of the forms and turned in the documents. 

Just as he was about to click on the email from the detective, the barista walked over with his coffee. She smiled at him while placing his coffee down.

“You go to UA right?” she asked, pointing to the uniform he still had on. Izuku nodded and the girl visibly perked up, “I do too” she exclaimed, “I’m in the hero course, class 1-B.”

“Gen ED, class 1-C. The names Midoriya Izuku” he bowed as much as his sitting position would allow.

The ginger bowed as well “Kendo Itsuka, nice to meet you Midoriya.”

“Likewise,” he replied, sitting back up as Kendo did the same. Izuku then reached for his coffee and took a sip. The warmth helped warm his naturally cold hands.

Kendo pointed to the counter, “I've got to get back to work, but I’ll see you around Midoriya.”

She waved as she turned to walk back behind the counter. When she was a decent distance away Izuku opened his email from Tsukauchi.

The email was a request for help with a gang that the police had been trailing for a little bit. They were a huge part in the recent trigger outbreak, and they were very sneaky. Tsukauchi had sent a few clips of members they had caught on the security cameras, but it wasn't nearly enough to identify the criminals.

Izuku watched the videos a few times, picking out any details he could about quirks or appearances. He gathered the information into a separate document and was constantly flipping between the documents and video clips to jot down anything he found. About an hour through, Izuku slammed his head against the table and groaned, there was one criminal that he couldn't get any information on other than their height, And that was not enough information to catch the criminal with. Finally giving up on trying to find any information on the delinquent, Izuku sent the profiles that he had finished, to the detective. He made sure to include a note letting the detective know that he had not been able to find anything on the last criminal, but he would be sure to have the information by tonight.

Izuku packed up his computer and chugged the cold remains of his coffee. With a small nudge, Izuku had kicked the cat off his lap. He felt a little bad but he knew he would have to leave early in order to have time for a small nap. He stood up and returned the mug to the counter, waving goodbye to Kendo on his way out.

He slugged home, fatigue already dragging down his bones. He dreaded the exhaustion that was yet to come, but Izuku knew he would be up all night trying to find the criminal. 

He really had been planning on getting a good night's rest, but alas, he knew he would be going out tonight.

—-------♡–♡–♡—------- 

Izuku awoke to a loud alarm in his ear, he groaned and dragged his hands down his face. He laid there for a moment, contemplating the actions he had taken to end up in his current situation. The alarm kept blaring, until Izuku finally rolled over and shut it off. He stood and immediately got to work, changing into the black clothing he had bought specifically for these kinds of missions. He slipped the black mask over the lower half of his face and put a pair of dull sunglasses over his eyes.

He took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the dark hue of the glasses before crawling out of his apartment window, leaving the door locked and keys inside. Ever since he had left his mom's house and been forced to start providing for himself, Izuku had always been anxious somebody was going stalk him out of his apartment and steal his keys. It was also a good safety precaution for if he ever got caught doing something illegal, as the cops wouldn't be able to use his apartment keys to track down his house. A thump echoed in the alley way when Izuku hit the hard pavement and began to walk down the street. He swiftly located his favourite fire escape and scrambled up until he reached the roof of the building.

The cold wind bit at Izuku’s ungloved fingers as he ran across the rooftops, his eyes scouring the streets below. The black hat on Izuku’s head kept his hair from blowing into his face, the sunglasses kept dirt from getting into his eyes.

Izuku was peaceful like this. Running across the rooftops always helped him clear his head and escape from the stress in his disaster of a life. The only thing he would change is the hat on his head, as it was terribly itchy. But Izuku didn't want anyone to be able to track down his identity, even though what he was doing wasn't technically illegal.

Two hours later Izuku had yet to find his target. He decided to take a quick break and munch on the granola bar he had tucked into his pocket. Izuku sat on the roof's ledge, kicking his feet back and forth while enjoying his snack.

His attention was quickly stolen by the clang of a dumpster, Izuku dropped his granola bar on the ledge and stood up as silently as he could. He crept towards the other end of the roof and peaked over the edge. Underneath him, a large and dark haired man was leaning against the wall. The man looked up and met Izuku's eyes. Izuku grinned when he saw a familiar face. It was his target, the man he hadn’t been able to find any information on. The man paid Izuku no mind, which the teen assumed was because he was incredibly drunk. Izuku was almost tempted to go down and help the man, as he could see him swaying on his feet.

Izuku quickly scanned the area around the man and was rewarded when he locked eyes with a slightly transparent lady. She had bright red eyes that matched with the sequin dress she had on, and looked stunning paired with her long silky black hair. She squinted at Izuku and he waved at her, both the ghost and the drunk man waved back, both extremely confused. Izuku straightened back out, effectively hiding himself from the view of the two below him.

When the women floated up to the roof, Izuku waved at her again. He smiled too, but the mask and glasses covered his face pretty well. Upon closer inspection Izuku noticed she had slightly scaled skin, and a forked tongue that would flicker past her lips every once and a while. He had to resist pulling out a notebook and drowning her in a thousand questions about her quirk. 

“You can see me?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.

“Yep.” Izuku replied, popping the p. “So, do you want to help me totally ruin this guy's crime career and get him thrown in jail?” Through experience, Izuku had figured out that just cutting to the case often worked better with ghosts than attempting small talk. Most ghosts hated their tethers so much that they would rather endlessly annoy them than have a conversation with a random teenage boy. Although Izuku didn't really blame them, he didn't like talking to people much either.

The dead woman perked up, “yeah of course! What do you need?”

“Well first off I need to know why your haunting him, so I know how far to go in my report and how much I should ruin his life.  And then I need all his personal information.” Izuku left out that part where if the man wasn't really awful he wouldn’t actually do anything, he doubts the lady would be willing to help him if there was a chance he would just steal the information and didn't do anything about it. Peaking over the ledge, Izuku made sure the gang member had not left yet. The criminal was leaning against a wall, singing some kids cartoon song Izuku had remembered from when he was younger.

“Yeah I can do that,” the ghost nodded. “I was his girlfriend. He was really sweet and caring and I loved him a lot. I was actually planning on marrying him one day.” she softly smiled at her feet. “But then one day when I was getting ready for our date my lipstick rolled under our bed. When I bent down to grab it I found a bag stuffed with trigger. I assumed he had shoved it under there last night when he got home. I didn't know what to do, so I just asked him about it. He started getting really mad at me, and wouldn't listen to reason. I begged and pleaded for him to turn himself in, but he wouldn't listen. When he pulled out his gun I switched tactics, started begging for my life.” the women had started crying at this point. “I told him I wouldn't tell anyone, and that we could just pretend everything was normal. I didn't want to leave my younger sister, she was only 8 and she already had it hard enough with the nature of her quirk. He did it anyway. He shot me, and then called his friends to get rid of the evidence. My family still doesn't know what happened to me, my case went cold a few months ago. I'm so mad at him for ruining my life, ruining my younger sister's life. I'll help you any way I can.”  She moved her arms to hug herself, a look of fierce determination painted across her face.

Izuku took his glasses off to smile at her, and she smiled back. The ghost reminded Izuku a lot of an old neighbour he used to have before he left home. She was a sweet lady that lived just two doors down. Sometimes Izuku would watch her cat, and in return she would bake him and his mother cookies. His mother rarely let him eat any but he was still grateful.

“I'm sorry that happened to you, you didn't deserve it. If you want I can check up on your sister? I had a really bad experience in school too, so I can help her with it. Help her not to feel so alone. All you have to do is tell me her name.”

The ghost blinked in surprise, “she's older now so I'm not super worried anymore. But I hate that I couldn't see her grow up. I was kind of you to offer though.” she smiled at Izuku. “What information do you need in order to catch him?” she jerked a thumb to point over the ledge.

“Just some simple stuff to help the police find him. Like his name, quirk, and even his address if you have it?”  Izuku explained

The women nodded and Izuku pulled out a notebook. The ghost gave Izuku the man's name and quirk. Izuku really wanted to know more about the quirk, as it was an emotion based quirk. The man could make anyone feel any emotion he wanted to, which would have been super useful for his time as a gang member. The lady also gave Izuku the man's apartment complex, she couldn't remember the number but just the building should be enough for the police.

“Thanks for your help, he won't get away with this I promise.” Izuku assured the woman.

“No, thank you. I hope we meet again.” She bowed to Izuku.

“Likewise,” Izuku bowed back. “See you around…?”

“Minamoto Himari.” the ghost smiled, “see you around.”

Izuku returned the smile and waved for the final time while walking off the roof, hopping onto the building below. He made his way home, notebook tightly secured in his backpack. When he reached his apartment he climbed through his window, and then locked it behind himself. Izuku kicked off his boots and stripped himself of his dark clothes and mask. Once he was in his pajamas, he emailed the information he had gathered to Tsukauchi. As soon as the email was sent he crawled to his bed and collapsed.

—-------♡–♡–♡—------- 

The next morning Izuku groggily trekked to school. He was somewhat regretting staying up late the other night. He was making a habit of showing up to school exhausted, he wouldn't be surprised if he passed out while walking to school. Anyone who knew Izuku would know he was exhausted, as he didn't even stop to analyze the cool quirk he had passed by.

When Izuku turned the corner to the school gates he immediately stopped. In front of the school there was a crowd of reporters, Izuku could spot a few ghosts hanging around too. Dread began swirling in Izuku’s stomach, he hated crowds. There were too many people to keep and eye on, people that could grab or touch him. And it was ten times worse with the ghosts, because if one of them grabbed him nobody would be able to help him.

Izuku fiddled with his fingers, not daring to get closer to the sea of people. He could spot a few of his classmates getting swarmed and he really didn't want to end up like any of them.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there, chest heaving and eyes unseeing. But eventually Izuku’s panic was broken by a boy trying to talk to him.

“Hey are you okay? You look a little freaked man." The boy was blonde, and had a black lightning bolt shaped streak across his bangs. Beside him stood two girls, one with jacks hanging from her ears and another with shorter brown hair. All three of them were wearing the hero course uniform, which Izuku could immediately tell due to the buttons on their shoulders.

Izuku took a second to collect his thoughts before pointing a shaking finger towards the crowd of reports, “I don't like crowds.” his breath was still coming to him in short bursts, but not as badly as before.

“I can relate, I despise people.” the girl with the ear jacks responded, “we can probably find a different way in.” she twisted a finger around one of the jacks, twirling it in a spiral.

The brown haired girl frowned, “how though? I know there aren't any more doors, Aizawa-Sensei told us that yesterday.”

Izuku swallowed nervously before speaking, “we uhh- we could try going over the wall. I don't know how well that would work though, what are your quirks?”

“I've got electricity, not very helpful in this situation. Unless we want to electrocute all these reporters.” the yellow boy said. Izuku had to physically stop himself from asking the boy a million questions. So instead he just nodded along to what the boy was saying.

“Mines pretty obvious. I can hear things really well with these.” the girl pointed to the jack on her ears, “I don't know how that will help us get over a wall, but Uraraka’s quirk will probably be the most helpful.”

The girl in question sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. “I have zero gravity, but I cant use it on myself or I get really sick. I could lift you three no problem though.”

Izuku nodded and propped a finger on his chin. Uraraka’s quirk would be really useful for getting the other three over the wall, but he didn't know how they would end up getting her over. They would need a rope or something to pull her up with.

“Can I borrow your blazers? I think I have an idea.” he pointed the finger that had been sitting on his chin to the sky.

The three handed their blazers over to Izuku, and he immediately began tying them into sturdy knots. It was a skill he had picked up through watching youtube tutorials, and had proved to be really useful in the past. Once he was sure the knots would not budge he walked over the UA wall. The hero course students wordlessly trailed behind him, Izuku then turned to Uraraka. 

“I need to tie this around your waist. I would let you do it but I'm assuming I have more experience tying knots. Unless you're secretly some knot tying expert and I'm just some random high school kid that watched too much youtube as a child.” Izuku joked, attempting to shake his remaining nerves. 

Uraraka quietly snickered, “no, I trust you to tie it more then I trust myself. Knock yourself out.” She spread her arms to give Izuku easier access to her torso. Izuku made quick work of tying the blazer rope around her, before tying the other end to his own waist.

“Here's the plan.” Izuku said, earning the attention of the other two teens that had been busy watching the reporters. “Uraraka is going to use her quirk on the three of us. We are going to get to the top of the wall and she's going to release us. Then we can pull her up using this.” he lifted the makeshift rope slightly.

The other teens all gave a short determined nod, before Uraraka reached out to touch the yellow boy's arm.

Izuku could feel his heart rate slightly spiked, the navy haired girl glanced at him. Izuku should have guessed that Uraraka had a touch based quirk, but he had been so busy trying to keep himself from freaking out that it had slipped his mind. He carefully watched as Uraraka went to touch the other girl's arm, and how she started to hover above the ground as well.

Izuku smoothed out his face when Uraraka finally came to use her power on him. He held out his arm and watched as she touched all five fingers to his pale skin. Izuku felt his gravity leave him as he began to float away from the ground and towards the top of the wall. He took a deep breath before paddling his way over to the edge and grabbing on.

When all three students finally made it to the edge of the wall Uraraka pressed the pads of her fingers together, whispering a quiet release. The teens tumbled to the ground as their gravity returned. Izuku quickly got to work, untying the blazers around his waist and passing the end to the other teens on the ledge with him. The three slowly but surely pulled the last teen up onto the wall, and they all collapsed on the edge, attempting to catch their breaths.

Earphone jack girl was the first to get her breathing back to normal, she sat up and Izuku could see a mask of disgust consuming her face. “There goes Mineta being a creep again.” she grumbled, causing the other hero students to sit up and look in the same direction. Izuku sat up as well, and looked down at the student that was being discussed.

There was a short boy with odd purple balls on the top of his head. He was making his way through the crowd, and sticking his grubby little hands up skirts as he did. Izuku wrinkled his nose in disgust, there was absolutely no way that perv was a hero student. The students beside him all had matching expressions on their faces, the girls looking slightly more uncomfortable then the electric boy did. Izuku smirked slightly when he got an idea.

“Get ready to jump.” he whispered to the heroes in training beside him. Izuku then stood up, waiting for the other three to do the same before cupping his hands around his mouth and yelling as loud as he could.

“Hey reporters! See that kid with the purple balls on his head?” Izuku waited till most of the reporters had eyes on the short boy. “Yeah, so that kid knows All Might's civilian name!”

Chaos broke out as the reporters immediately began to crowd said boy, spewing questions a mile per minute. The small pervert looked horrified, and Izuku Smirked 

“Ok, let's go.” Izuku said to the bewildered teens beside him, and then launched himself off the side of the wall. The thud he made upon landing seemed to knock the hero students out of their shock, and they also jumped down from the wall. When all four teens were safely on the ground Uraraka turned towards Izuku.

“That was a really cool plan, and I love what you did to the tiny creep.” she said smiling to Izuku. “I’m Uraraka Ochaco by the way, this is Jiro Kyoka and Kaminari Denki.” she pointed to each person with her thumb as she said their names.

“I'm Midoriya Izuku, it was nice meeting you.”  He bowed slightly and the other teens followed. “But we should probably start getting to class, we wouldn't want to be late.”

Jiro nodded, “yeah, Aizawa-Sensei might actually expel us if we’re late.” she shuddered.

All four teens began to walk towards their respective classrooms, Izuku split off halfway to make his way to the gen Ed department. He really hoped it would be a laid back class today, he was exhausted.

Chapter Text

Izuku walked into his homeroom, a travel mug of coffee clutched so tightly in his hand his knuckles turned white. He could barely think and exhaustion pulled at his bones, he slugged over to his desk and flopped down. He rested his hands in his head and briefly closed his eyes. He sat like that for a while, almost falling asleep until he was interrupted by his teacher's loud greeting. He took a swig of his coffee, and turned to the front of the classroom.

“Alright little listeners, today we are going to be picking a class representative!” Present Mic cheered, “I was thinking you guys can all go around and say why you should be representative and then we can vote. Sounds good?” 

Many class members nodded, “okay perfect. Is there anyone who doesn't want to be representative?” 

A few hands went up, one being Izuku’s, and another being Shinsou’s. Izuku knew that being class representative would be good for his reputation, but he really didn't want any more attention on himself. It would just end up exposing his quirk status and mental disorder. Middle school had already been a nightmare, so why would he want another, possibly harsher year of bullying. He also wasn't a huge fan of speaking in front of others, because he would normally end up getting distracted by a ghost or interesting quirk.

Although a small part of Izuku was really upset with himself, as when he was younger it would have been a dream come true.

Present Mic took note of the students with their hands raised and erased their names off the board. The rest of the students took turns explaining why they should be chosen, and Present Mic handed out slips of paper so everyone could write their vote. In the end a girl with bright teal hair won, she had some sort of aquatic power and had gills on the sides of her neck. As well as fins coming out of the sides of her head and arms.

Izuku jotted a few things down about her quirk in his notebook, his earlier drowsiness leaving as the espresso started to kick in. He was fascinated by the quirk, as it would be excellent for hero work. She would be extremely useful in rescues especially from natural disasters like floods, hurricanes, and tsunamis. The gills on her arms would make her incredibly fast in the water, and the gills would make it so she could clean up rubble that was trapping people underwater. Her bright hair would also make it easier for survivors to locate her, so they knew when to start yelling for help.

Almost being knocked over in the process, Izuku was nudged by a cold arm. The muttering he hadn't realised he had been doing cut off, and Izuku looked up at the owner of the arm.

“Sorry about that, you were muttering and I don't think you realised it.” Shirakumo said with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

Izuku returned a small smile. Thanks, he signed, the ghost beamed.

“Yeah no problem! Man, I'm so glad you can see me, I was worried it was all some crazy dream.”

Yeah, I get that a lot. Izuku kept his hands close to his body, so that his teacher wouldn't be able to read his hands. Izuku was 99.9% sure that Present Mic was deaf, and with a really loud voice Quirk like his it was an almost guarantee. Besides, Izuku had spotted a shiny metal behind his ears the day before, which was surprising to Izuku because he would have bet money that Present Mic would have some sort of colour on his hearing aids instead of just keeping them silver.

“I bet.” Shirakumo floated closer to the younger teen, “you okay with me stickin around this class? I know you're already fluent but if you want to pay attention to the lesson anyway I can dip. I think 1-A is having some sort of test though so that's not very interesting.” the ghost muttered the last part.

I don't mind you staying, Shirakumo's smile widened slightly. Just don't knock stuff off desks or anything like that. 

Present Mic had started talking, but Izuku was tuning him out in favour of speaking with the ghost. Or flicker lights  he added at the last second. 

“Works for me.” Shirakumo flashed a thumbs up, “if you need any help with anything you're doing I can help with that too, I’m pretty knowledgeable on all this high school stuff. I've been sitting in classes for years.” Shirakumo wildly gestured with his hands and Izuku leaned away slightly. “Even some of the support classes! I would have to say the most interesting one was the little coding class the second years do later in the semester. You should totally ask to join that.”

I already know how to code, I hack into city security cameras almost daily. Izuku signed without much thought. He almost laughed at the way Shirakumo;s jaw dropped.

“What?! Why would you do that?” the ghost's eyes were wide, and his hands finally stopped waving around. Izuku paused, scanning the classroom to make sure nobody was watching before continuing to sign.

To catch criminals, Izuku wore a bored expression. Did you forget what I told you about yesterday? The whole Deku thing? 

Izuku watched for the exact moment everything clicked for Shirakumo, “oh! That makes sense. I mean that's good. It means you aren't running around doing dangerous criminal chasing to try and find out information about villains.”

Izuku winced and Shirakumo’s grin faltered, I mean, I do sometimes when I can't get any information with what I have. Normally it's enough but sometimes I can't find anything. I usually don't interact with the criminals though, just the ghosts. Like last night for example there was this gang leader me and the detective couldn't get any information on. So I went out last night, found him and the ghost of his ex-girlfriend that he had ended up killing. He didn't even look at me, he was super drunk though so that might be why. But anyways I just talked with the ghost the whole time, got what I needed and shipped it off to Detective Tsukauchi.

Shirakumo huffed, “I mean it's not as bad as I first thought, but you still shouldn't be doing that. You're not very old and have absolutely no muscle.”

Izuku glared at the ghost. it wasn't really his fault he didn't have any muscle, especially for his arms. He went for runs and did a little bit of weight training in his free time. But he was always really busy with his analysis or crime hunting. And to top it all off, most dojos did not accept Quirkless children. The closest one to Izuku that did was an hour away, and he didn't have the time to make that commute.

Izuku told Shirakumo these facts and watched as the ghost processed the new information. Then Shirakumo spoke, “I could teach you to fight if you want? I used to be in the hero course and had a pretty good workout routine, I might have to adjust some things for you. Like the meal plan because mine had a lot of water in it so I could easily use my Quirk. But it shouldn't take much tweaking, you might just have to grab it from the place I stashed it. I don't think anyone ever checks that place anymore other than Shota and Hizashi. It's pretty hidden.”

It was Izuku’s turn to be shocked, his eyes watered slightly but he refused to start crying. Are you sure you want to train me? You probably have better things to do than that! His signing sped up slightly. He stole quick glances at his other classmates, grateful that most were paying close attention to Present Mic

Shirakumo put a hand on Izuku’s shoulder and Izuku violently flinched away from the contact. The ghost's smile flickered slightly as he pulled his head back.

Sorry. Izuku quickly signed, taking deep breaths and attempting to get his heart rate back to a regular speed.

Shirakumo shot him a sad smile, “all good. I won't touch you again.” Shirakumo kept talking even when Izuku tried to sign back a thanks. “As for training, I'm definitely sure. I don't have very much to do nowadays, and I've always wanted a little student. You're the only one who can see me, so it has to be you. Besides, I can see you have the passion for it, so why would I deny it?”

Izuku wiped away a stray tear, if you're sure.  His hands wobbled slightly. 

“Positive!” the ghost beamed, “meet me at the school gates when classes end so we can grab some stuff from my stash, sound good?”

Izuku signed back an affirmative and the ghost left. Izuku turned to his backpack and pulled out one of his notebooks. Present Mic was still in the middle of his lecture, so he didn't have any assignments he needed to get done. Izuku smiled to himself, he finally had someone to help him train. 

When Izuku was younger he had asked his mother if she would sign him up for combat lessons, because even though he was a kid he still knew he needed some kind of combat training in order to become a hero.

His mother had scoffed at him, and told him that no good dojo would ever accept a quirkless freak. She had said that she wouldn't waste money on a child that was never going to succeed in life. Izuku only asked her once more, after he had been a victim of a couple of his classmate’s Quirk's for the first time.

It had been a long walk home, his legs ached with every step he took. There were silent tears streaming down his face as his 7 year old body shuddered any time he moved. Izuku had finally made it home, and just collapsed in the entrance. He had almost forgotten to close the door behind him. When his mother had came around the corner she had scoffed, before tossing a first aid kit by his head.

Izuku had spent nearly two hours cleaning and dressing his wounds; the bandages weren't pretty. He had watched a few tutorials for treating unfamiliar injuries, like the burn on his wrist and the porcupine quills from a classmate that were lodged in his back. When Izuku had finished he hobbled over to the kitchen table to eat the cold soup that had been sitting out. Izuku scarfed down the soup and then went to knock on his mothers bedroom door.

She opened the door with a look of displeasure on her face, staring down at the small quivering boy in front of her.

His voice was small and unsure when he spoke, “mama. I- I know I already asked you this but I was wondering if you could please sign me up for some self defense classes. When my… My friends hurt me today. I couldn't do anything. And I'm the only one who can see the people so-”

Izuku cut off his words the second he felt a sharp sting on his cheek, a loud slap echoed across the room. 

“What did I tell you about talking about the people?” his mother was fuming, “they are not real. I am sick and tired of having a mentally deranged child. Do you know how hard it is to try and lead a normal life, when you have a quirkless child bringing you down. I have a lower wage because of you, I've lost all my friends because of you. And to make matters worse you’re not even a good kid, telling lies about your supposed “quirk” so that people will treat you better.” Izuku’s mother clenched her fists and Izuku put his hand over his face, ready to block the possibly incoming blow. But then Inko did something that surprised him, she took a few deep breaths and calmed herself. “Put your shoes on, we're leaving.”

With a small hand to his stinging face, Izuku obeyed. He slipped his shoes on and followed his mother to the car. They drove for a while, before pulling up to a large white building that reminded Izuku of the hospital his mom worked at.

Izuku had walked behind his mother, fearful of the new environment. The mother and son entered the building, and Izuku scanned his surroundings. He had never seen a place so clean and white before, and the only people around were a group of adults talking at a large desk.

His mother had exchanged a few words with the nurses, their expressions were slowly consumed by pity. Eventually one of the nurses bent down to speak to Izuku.

“Hey there sweetheart,” she had said softly. “I hear we’re having trouble with seeing things that aren't real?” She pushed her long silky blonde hair out of the way before placing Izuku on her knee.

Izuku had nervously turned to his mother for reassurance before he slightly shook his head. “They are real. You just can't see them, only me." His voice was small and unsure. Izuku had been scared his mother was going to yell at him again.

The nice lady had hummed in acknowledgement and nodded to one of the other ladies that were standing at the desk. A few of the people had left, but a few stayed to talk to Izuku and his mother. Izuku had ended up being allowed to braid the long hair, and Izuku had been pleasantly surprised when the lady had complimented him on his handiwork.

Eventually, the peace came to an end as Izuku's mother turned to leave. The young boy had attempted to hop off the woman's knee and join his mother, but she had locked her arms around the small boy and refused to let him leave.

Izuku had cried for his mother, but she didn't even turn around to say goodbye. The strange people had tried their best to calm down the frantic child, but nothing was working and they ended up having to use a sedative to finally calm Izuku down.

Izuku was jolted from his memories when a paper was slid in front of him. Present Mic had finished his lecture and the class rep had begun handing out the assignment. Before Izuku could thank the girl she had already moved on to the desk behind him, and he didn't want to make it awkward by turning around. So Izuku grabbed the paper and began to read over the assignment, doing his best to calm down his racing heart. All this recent stress couldn't be good for him, but then again when was he ever not stressed.

The assignment was a simple one, just a small standard fill in the blank. Izuku flew through the assignment with ease, but his hands were still shaking and his breath was still faster than normal. So Izuku tried to bring his mind to more exciting things, like how someone was finally going to start giving him self defense lessons. Sure that someone wasn't alive, but Izuku could touch and see him so it didn't really make a difference to him.

Izuku’s hand stopped shaking and his breathing slowed as he thought about his new extra curricular. He scribbled in his notebook, checking the clock every once and a while and waiting for the bell to finally ring.

When it did, Izuku stood from his chair and packed away his notebooks. He handed in his assignment on his way to the front and turned to leave, but he was stopped by his teacher.

“Hey Midoriya, do you mind just hanging back for a minute? I just want to talk to you about what you could be doing in english instead, I can wait while you let your friends know where you are." Present Mic smiled at him.

Izuku stuttered his way through a response, “y-yeah that.. That's fine. I-umm, I don't really have any.. any friends so I can talk now I guess.” he pulled at his fingers. Izuku’s nerves were on edge, he didn't really trust teachers anymore. And being told to hang back was always a sign he was getting in trouble, maybe UA had already found out a way to boot out the quirkless kid.

Present Mic frowned and Izuku nearly winced, pulling his arms closer to brace for a possible hit.

“All right, that's all good little listener. I won't keep you long anyway, I just want to figure something else out for you to do, so you're not just sitting around in english and can actually learn something ya dig?”

Izuku nodded, pulled his gaze off the floor and onto his chipper teacher.

“So you already know all of the languages I do, so I really wouldn't be able to teach you anything else. But if there is a support or business course elective class you think you might enjoy we might be able to squeeze you into one of those. Some classes will be restricted but those are just ones that you can't really take without  being in a different course. But you can take a little looksie through this pamphlet right here and circle some classes that sound interesting. I crossed out the ones you can't take, and underlined the ones that are for the older grades that you could maybe take in the future. So you don't have to worry about picking something that’s off limits, ya dig?”

Izuku nodded again and went to take the smaller booklet out of Present Mic’s gloved hand. Izuku’s own fingers shook slightly, as he was unable to calm his nerves. Present Mic frowned at his students trembling fingers, which just caused Izuku’s nerves to spike. He really didn't like teachers, they had never been kind to him. Always accusing him of cheating, of starting fights, and vandalizing school property. Even when it was obvious that it was the other students causing issues. Izuku had been punished for so many things he hadn't done that he automatically became nervous around teachers.

Present Mic could easily sense his students distress, “that's all I needed from you. And if none of those catch your eye and you would prefer to stay in english then you can. Just let me know once you decide. Thanks fo-”

The man was cut off by a loud alarm, and Izukus hands immediately went to his ears. Present Mic looked slightly panicked, but was trying to mask it for the sake of his student. It wasn't doing much though, as Izuku was properly freaking out.

Present Mic crouched in front of the boy, “hey there little listener, there's no need to freak out. It's a class three alarm, so it's not a huge worry. Someone that isn't supposed to be on campus somehow got in, but it's not a class four so it's not a villain attack. Just make your way outside and you’ll be okay, use the back doors. Let your class rep know she needs to gather the class together.” the man flashed a huge grin before standing and rushing out the door. The older man had seemed hesitant about leaving Izuku by himself, but he had more pressing matters to attend to.

Izuku watched his teacher turn the corner, as he took a few deep breaths. Truthfully, he wasn't really afraid of the alarm. But he had been trying not to freak out over the stress of hanging back with a teacher, and the alarm had shocked him so bad he had lost all of his composure. Izuku started to make his way out of the classroom, and was nearly knocked over by a slightly taller teen barreling into him.

Izuku looked up to see a familiar head of pale blue hair, their eyes locked and Shirakumo smiled in relief. “Oh thank goodness you're here, there's someone in the staff room. But they don't work here, I’m pretty sure they’re some sort of villain.”

Izuku’s eyes widened and he felt some of the earlier gained composure slip away. He peered down the hallway, making sure there was no one in sight before responding. “Lead the way.” Izuku said, and was soon speed walking behind a slightly frantic ghost.

The two made their way to the staff room, Izuku placed his ear against the door to listen in.

“I have found the lesson plan, young Tomura. We are free to go.” The voice was deep, it reminded Izuku of his father. Shirakumo stepped closer to the door, and Izuku was able to see him more clearly. Something was definitely wrong, as the ghost's form was flickering slightly.

You okay? Izuku signed to Shirakumo, pulling his ear away from the door ever so slightly. Shirakumo nodded before sticking his face through the door. Izuku stood beside him while the ghost collected intel, forcing himself to keep quiet so he wouldn't be heard by the intruders.

Izuku heard what sounded like a whoosh and Shirakumo pulled his head out of the door. “They're gone.” The flickering the older boy had been doing earlier had slowed down slightly, but it was still there.

A loud exhale could be heard as Izuku let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding in. He took a few more deep breaths and turned toward Shirakumo, “so what do we do now?”

“You have to tell someone.” Shirakumo said, “I would but there's the whole ‘you're the only person who can see me’ thing to worry about.”

Izuku shook his head so violently it looked like it might fly off, “absolutely not. I know how this situation works. If I tell a teacher they won't believe me, and then I'll get expelled for lying.”

Shirakumo wrinkled his eyebrow in confusion, “that wouldn't happen? They would just check the security cameras, and because you're not lying there really wouldn't be an issue. I know those two weren't ghosts because they were touching a bunch of stuff. So the cameras would be able to see them no problem.”

Izuku shook his head, “you don't understand. I'm Qurikless, the rules are different for us. People don't give us a chance to explain ourselves. They won't believe me because they don't want to believe me. It doesn't matter if it's true, it's happened before.”

When Izuku was in middle school he had seen a sketchy man outside the school, the man was in all black and Izuku swears he saw a box cutter in his pocket. The mask on his face was not helping with the sketchy vibes. So Izuku had done what any 6 year old kid would have done and told his teacher. The teacher had yelled at him, and told him that nobody was going to believe his lies.  She had given him detention for ‘making up stories’ and called his mother. Izuku’s mother had been fuming, and Izuku had been locked in his room for a few days. In the end Izuku turned out to be right, as an older girl had been stabbed while walking home from school that day. She survived but had to drop out of the dance team she was in. Izuku had overheard her crying about how she missed out on the championships she had been waiting years for. 

“I don't know what school you were at before this one, but I promise UA isn't like that.” Shirakumo put a hand over his heart. “They won't discriminate against someone just because they don’t have a quirk, I grew up with most of them and I know they aren't like that.”

“How do I know I can believe a word you say?” Izuku snapped, “you know I'm not actually quirkless, I bet you wouldn't stay around if I was. You don't get to tell me what to do, you don't know how I'm treated. UA is probably anticipating for me to finally make a mistake so they can get rid of me, but I'm not going to let that happen.  I don't plan to ruin my future because the staff refuses to believe me.” Izuku was borderline yelling, he was lucky there wasn't anyone nearby.

Izuku had to look away from the hurt expression on Shirakumo’s face, he didn't want to feel guilty. Izuku liked Shirakumo, he was nice and didn't seem to care about Izuku’s quirk. But Izuku knew that the ghost couldn't understand the way Izuku had grown up.

“I have to go outside.” Izuku broke the silence, “my class is supposed to meet up there, I'll see you around.”

Izuku didn't give Shirakumo time to respond, as he swiftly turned around and stalked down the hallway and towards the back entrance.

Chapter Text

Izuku nervously fiddled with his fingers while he waited. He knows that Shirakumo was probably

still mad at him, but Izuku really didn't want to risk possibly ditching him. Besides, Izuku had plenty of practice waiting for people to meet him somewhere and end up getting stood up. He had perfected the amount of time he would wait before he decided to call it quits and go home. 

When Izuku felt a pair of eyes on him he turned. He could easily spot the owner of the purple eyes, who was standing on the other side of the entrance gates. The familiar purple hair blew around with the harsh winds, Izuku’s own hair doing the same. Shinsou blinked in surprise when he realized Izuku was staring back at him, and then quickly averted his gaze. Shinsou seemed to be contemplating something, as he kept quickly gazing up at Izuku with a look of indecisiveness. 

Eventually the taller teen made up his mind and hesitantly inched closer to Izuku, trying his best to fend off his nerves.

When Izuku realised what Shinsou was doing it was his turn to be surprised, he slightly lifted his hand and shyly waved at the other teen. Shinsou waved back before standing beside Izuku. The two stood in an uncomfortable silence for an awkwardly long amount of time.

“Uhhh- hi. I’m umm, I’m Shinsou Hitoshi.” The taller teen finally croaked, when the silence became to much for him to handle. Shinsou started to rub at the back of his neck.

“Midoriya Izuku, I sit behind you in class.” Izuku replied while scanning the crowd for a certain ghost.

Shinsou smirked slightly, “I know. You're the boy who speaks a thousand languages right?”

Izuku huffed. What was with everyone saying that? First Shirakumo and now Shinsou, Izuku was going to rage. He spoke 5 languages, but everyone he met seemed to think he spoke millions. Technically he didn't even speak two of them, because he just used his hands.

“Well technically I only speak 3, as two of them don't use words.” Izuku internally cringed as soon as he finished speaking. He sounded like a total nerd.

Shinsou seemed to think otherwise as he huffed out a small laugh, smiling ever so slightly. “So what’cha waiting for?”

“Oh! I- umm, I'm waiting for my friend. I think he's supposed to pick me up, but he might be running late. He doesn't exactly seem like the type to be on time.” Izuku mumbled the last part to himself.

“Sorry, what was that last part? Didn't quite catch that.” Shinsou shifted his weight so his ear was closer to Izuku.

“I was nothing, just talking to myself.” Izuku brushed off with a forced laughter. Shinsou shrugged and put his fists into his pockets.

“I'm waiting for my dads, their jobs run late so I have to wait here for a bit. I don't mind all that much though, it's actually kind of peaceful once everyone else leaves. If you think you're going to be here for a while , I recommend checking the space between gym A and B, there’s a cozy little bench spot there." Shinsou pointed over his shoulder to the direction of the mentioned gyms.

“Thanks. Don’t think I’ll need it today but it’s nice if I have to wait for a while. Or maybe even a good spot to eat lunch.” Izuku smiled up at the boy.

Shinsou seemed to ponder something for a moment as he looked away from Izuku, “I normally eat lunch there, if you ever want to join me feel free.” his tone was hesitant, as if he was expecting Izuku to turn him down and laugh in his face.

The invite made something warm spread through Izuku's chest. He couldn't remember the last time someone had invited him to eat with them, he doesn't even know if he had ever been invited to eat with someone. “That sounds nice.” Izuku looked down at his intertwined fingers. “Maybe I'll stop by.”

The second time around the silence was comfortable, as both boys gave themselves a moment to think. Izuku was thinking about how he might have made a real friend when his attention was stolen by a high pitched whistle. 

Izuku whipped his head up and Shinsou startled beside him. The purple boy started to look around for what had caught Izuku's attention, but was unable to see Shirakumo waving at Izuku from across the gates. 

“My friends here, I gotta go.” izuku said to the still confused Shinsou, the taller teen stopped looking around.

“Alright see you tomorrow then?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. Izuku nodded.

Izuku waved at Shinsou and started to make his way over to Shirakumo, missing the glare Shinsou sent his way when Izuku began speaking to the ghost.

“You ready to grab that meal plan?” Shirakumo asked as they made their way down the street, Izuku found himself nodding again. The ghost seemed to be pretending the earlier argument didn't happen, so Izuku was going to do that too.

“How far away is it?” izuku asked, picking up the pace to match his speed to Shirakumos.

“Ehhh- it's not too bad.” Shirakumo made a so-so gesture with his hand. “How far away do you live? Is there a certain time you need to be home?”

Izuku shook his head, curls bouncing with the motion. “No, I'm good to stay out as late as I want, my house isn't too far away. I can walk but if it gets late I’ll probably just take the train. I normally walk though, the trains are too crowded for me.”

Shirakumo nodded in understanding, “yeah I get it. Anyway it's just over around this corner.”

Izuku complied, following the ghost to his hiding spot, and hopefully to a solution to some of his problems.

—-------♡–♡–♡—------- 

Izuku sat in his dingy apartment late that night. He was currently flipping through the pamphlet that Present Mic had given him. As his teacher had said, there were a few classes crossed out. Izuku was a little disappointed, as there was an analysis class that the 3rd years could take that was off limits to Izuku.  There was also a support course class that Izuku wished he could take, but he had to actually be IN the support course to take that one. Izuku had all the possible options written down on one of the pages in his notebook. He had crossed out the classes he knew he really didn’t want to take, like the sewing class and the marketing class. 

“What'cha thinking about.” Shirakumo said from his position beside Izuku. For some reason the ghost had insisted he follow the younger boy home after their little escapade, and there was nothing Izuku could have done to stop it so he hadn’t complained.

“Yamada-Sensei gave me the option to choose a different course so I don’t have to sit around in English. I’m just looking through the options.” Izuku explained as he motioned to the paper he had been scribbling on. He pushed it closer to Shirakumo who he started to lean closer to get a better view. 

“Oooh! These are interesting, which one are you thinking of taking?” Shirakumo passed the list back when he was done reading.

Izuku shrugged, “I’m not sure. I really wish I could have taken the analysis course but it’s for 3rd years.” 

Shirakumo wiggles his eyebrows, “I bet they would let you take that class if you just showed them those notebooks. Although I doubt there’s much they could teach you, the analysis you do is so good I bet you could teach that class.”

A glare from Izuku had all that was needed for Shirakumo to shut his mouth. “I feel like it was just yesterday when we talked about how I’m not showing those to anyone.” Izuku teased, raising an eyebrow. “Oh wait! It was.”

The ghost huffed and began to float onto his back, like one of those sunbathers on the pool chairs. Izuku snickered and returned back to his list. Crossing two more classes off his list. Izuku couldn’t decide between the remaining six classes, so he began to create a list of pros and cons.

“Hey, when do your parents get home? It’s been a good 4 hours since school ended and if I still had a stomach I would be starving.” Shirakumo asked, now having moved on to trying to hold one of Izuku's spare pens.

“Oh they won’t be coming home, I live alone.” Izuku said absentmindedly, not looking up from his notebook. He was able to finish the list of pros he had been writing before his train of thought was broken by a loud, “what?!”

Izuku begrudgingly peeled his eyes off his messy handwriting. Shirakumo had moved from his position on the floor, and was staring dumbstruck at Izuku.

 “You’re only in your first year of highschool? Why are you living alone? Where are your parents?” Shirakumo questioned frantically, his hands waving around in wild movements.

Izuku shrugged, which only seemed to rattle the ghost further. “My dad left when I was really little, to be honest I don't even remember him. I ran away from my mom a few years ago, it wasn’t a good home.” 

Izuku watched as the ghost processed the new information, “so why didn’t you go into foster care, or call CPS? Surely that would have been easier than living on your own?” Shirakumo’s brows furrowed slightly. 

“I’m quirkless, remember?” Izuku turned back to his notebook. “The police don’t really care about abuse cases surrounding the quirkless, nobody would have taken the case. And in the rare occasion where someone did, I most likely wouldn’t have lasted long in foster care. Most quirkless kids in the system run away or die within the first year. So I decided it would just be easier if I left, nobody was going to notice and now I have a house all to myself.” 

Shirakumo looked into Izuku’s eyes with a seriousness he had seen before, “that shouldn’t be the case. I’m sorry all this stuff happened to you for something you couldn’t control. Nobody deserves having to live on their own at 15, not even villains.”

A soft smile crept its way into Izuku’s face, and Shirakumo returned it with ease. “Thanks Shirakumo.” Izuku said as he stood up.

The ghost also stood, “have you been calling me Shirakumo this whole time? You’re the only nice person that I can actually talk to, call me Oboro.” 

Izuku felt his eyes begin to water, “but- but I…” the younger teen had never actually been given permission to call someone by their first name before. The only person Izuku had ever called by their first name was Kacchan, and that was only because calling 3 people Bakugo got pretty confusing pretty fast.

When Oboro’s smile brightened Izuku felt the first tear begin to make its way down his cheek. “Ok.” Izuku finally settled on, “I’ll call you Oboro, as long as you call me Izuku.”

“Sounds good” Oboro nodded, before holding out his arms and offering a hug. “ You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but the offers open.”

Izuku stared at the ghost's arms for a moment, before pitching sideways into the embrace. Letting himself be hugged for the first time in a while.

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

Izuku walked into class the next morning extremely well rested. He had actually fallen asleep last night after crying his eyes out on Oboro’s shoulder. He had woken up in his bed, the ghost had been nowhere to be seen. 

The good night's sleep had done wonders for Izuku, and he had only been slightly nervous when he handed Present Mic a piece of paper with the course he had chosen to replace English written down. Izuku had heard that a good night's sleep was good for relieving stress, but he didn't really think it was true until now.

Izuku had ended up deciding that the first aid class covered In the hero course would be the most useful. He would still have to attend English on the days the hero’s didn’t have first aid training, but he wasn’t expected to do any assignments. He had ended up settling on first aid because it was useful in multiple careers, and was also helpful for patching up his own wounds. Izuku didn’t know how many injuries he would start coming home with if his quirk status was somehow revealed, but it was nice to be prepared for when it started getting bad.

Izuku had nodded to Shinsou when he walked by, but the purple haired boy had only glared at him. Izuku was almost certain this was a glare of hatred and not sleep deprivation, he had had enough experience with the former to know when he was disliked. It dampened Izuku’s mood slightly, he had really been hoping that he and Shinsou could have become friends. but  he was used to being disappointed so it wasn't enough to ruin his day. 

When Present Mic had started his lecture Izuku had pulled out his analysis notebook. He didn’t have any commissions that needed to be worked on, so he began working to complete the analysis on Mount Lady he was doing for fun. Izuku managed to get a decent amount of work done, and halfway through the class Present Mic had dropped Izuku’s new schedule on his desk.

Peace and quiet wasn't something Izuku had been able to feel for a while, which is why he wasn't super surprised when Oboro floated through the door with an aura of panic surrounding him. The ghost locked eyes with Izuku and immediately beelined to his desk.

“Izuku, I need your help! 1-A is being attacked by villains right now and nobody knows, there's thousands of them and Eraserhead can't fight them by himself. He and the students are in serious danger!” Oboro’s breathing was erratic, and he was borderline hyperventilating. “And I know you don't think the teachers will believe you and you don't want anyone to know about your quirk, but they'll die if you don't do anything so please help them.”

Izuku held his hands up and waited until Oboro was watching, okay, I’ll help. I have a plan but I need you to let me finish explaining before you interrupt me or we’ll never get anywhere. Understood? Izuku signed faster than he usually would, so it was slightly messy. But Oboro understood the message and nodded. I'm not going to tell anyone about my quirk. 

Izuku held up his hand when he saw Oboro’s mouth open to protest, then Oboro’s jaw shut with a click. It's too risky. There's a high chance Yamada-Sensei will just think it's schizophrenia, and if he thinks that then he’ll dismiss the idea. If that happens then he won't believe anything I say, and I won't be able to get help. There's also a high chance that they’ll think I'm some sort of spy that was working with the villain group. I'll be booted out of UA and all my life would be ruined because no good school is going to hire someone expelled from one of the best schools in the country. 

Oboro frowned, “okay that makes sense, but how are we going to tell everyone? 1-A could die before someone realizes what's wrong, if there's something we can do I want to at least try!” 

I have a plan Izuku signed to the ghost. UA has a lot of money, a lot of money means a lot of access to resources. When I was doing my research I came across a spreadsheet of all the purchases UA makes. A decent portion of their funds go to powering the school, as well as maintaining the emergency generators. I think UA has about 5 of them. 

“It's great that you know this but I really don't see how this is going to help us.” Oboro said impatiently.

Izuku made sure his teacher was preoccupied before replying. If UA has lots of generators, then it would be suspicious if stuff started happening to the electricity. I can lend you some of my energy, and you can flicker as many lights as you can. All I have to do is mention that it’s suspicious, then Yamada-Sensei will alert someone. They’ll have to check just in case, and then they’ll realise something is wrong. 

Oboro nodded, “that actually makes a lot of sense. How do you transfer energy to me though?”

Izuku gestured for Oboro’s arm, the ghost complied and placed his wrist in the grip of the younger boy. Izuku closed his eyes and focused on the energy inside of him. He imagined pushing the energy towards the ghost .He had been able to transfer his energy to a few ghosts, but most of them weren’t very trustworthy so he didn't have very much practice.

Izuku knew he had succeeded when Oboro gasped in surprise. “Wow this is wicked, it feels better than when I was alive!” 

Way to rub it in, Izuku signed to the ghost. All the energy he had felt earlier in the day was now inside the ghost, he was grateful for the sleep he had gotten last night. If Izuku hadn't slept well he wouldn't have any energy left, and probably would have passed out on his desk.

Oboro winced and rubbed the back of his neck, “sorry.”

Izuku huffed, just get to work. Go into the centre of the school so you can mess with the most lights possible, but MAKE SURE you get my classroom. I won't be able to say anything if I’m not supposed to know what's happening, now go. Izuku shooed the ghost in the direction of the door.  

Oboro gave a mock salute before floating through the door, moving faster than Izuku had ever seen. Izuku waved to the ghosts back.

When Izuku turned to the side one of his classmates was staring at him, Izuku swallowed and nervously smiled at the girl. Her eyes narrowed slightly before she turned back to her work.

Izuku tried his best not to fidget as he waited for Oboro to begin messing with the lights, but his endeavor was fruitless as he began lightly tapping on the desk. 

A cry of alarm could be heard all across UA when the lights finally began to flicker, Present Mic stopped his lecture and looked up at the lights. “Well little listeners it looks like we’re having a wee bit of trouble with the lighting systems right now. I'm sure Nedzu will get it fixed lickity split, so there's no need to worry.” he flashed his students a blinding grin.

Anxiety bubbled in Izuku's chest as he raised a shaky hand, he hoped this worked. Present Mic pointed at him, giving him the a-okay to speak. “I-I umm. I don't mean to deny what you're saying but umm, doesn't UA have like, a thousand backup generators? Wouldn’t one of them have kicked in by now?” Izuku looked down at his desk, fiddling with his fingers. “I wouldn't ever want to suggest that UA doesn't have the best defenses but I was just wondering if it could be some kind of quirk doing this.”

Present Mic’s smile dimmed, “you do make a good point little listener. I’ll just give Nedzu a call and ask him if anythings amis, ya dig?” Izuku nodded. 

Izuku watched as his teacher pulled out a cell phone and relayed the important information to Nedzu. Present Mic waited for a moment as the principal replied, and then his eyes widened. Izuku could see a lick of panic in his teacher's expression as he pocketed his cell phone. 

“Alright we have an infiltration I'm needed for. Class rep is in charge, stay in the classroom. I won't be long.” and then with an impressive speed, Present Mic ran out of the classroom.

A loud chatter immediately broke out and the class rep quickly tried to calm everyone. Izuku was too relieved to pay attention to what was being said, he sat at his desk and made sure to take deep breaths. He had done it, the students of class 1-A were safe because of something he had done and he hadn't even had to tell anyone about his quirk. Izuku didn't know if he could handle another person calling him crazy and sending him away. Lucky for him, the plan had worked

Oboro didn’t come back, not that Izuku had been expecting him to. The ghost was most likely busy making sure everyone involved in the attack was okay, he might even have a little bit of energy stored up to provide some actual help. 

Eventually Present Mic came back to help dismiss his students, letting them know that UA would be taking a day off to recover and find the flaw within their security system that had allowed someone to infiltrate UA unknown. He even made sure to take a moment to thank Izuku for noticing the issue with the lights, and therefore letting the staff know that the attack was taking place.

Oboro came back a few minutes after Present Mic, also thanking Izuku and then offering to walk him home. Normally Izuku would have refused, but he was exhausted and really wanted to take the train. Having Oboro with him on the train would provide some protection against the other ghost’s, so Izuku gladly took up the offer.

The train ride and walk to Izuku's apartment was uneventful, which Izuku was eternally grateful for. He didn't know if he would have been able to do anything if he was attacked, especially considering as soon as he crawled into his bed he was out like a light.

Chapter Text

Oboro was bored.

Most people would argue that there was no reason for Oboro to be bored, as he had a very action packed adventure the day prior. But those people were also alive, and had tasks like reading or drawing or even cooking that they could partake in. But because Oboro was a ghost he couldn't do any of that stuff. The activities he could participate in were limited to people watching, knocking stuff off counters, and possibly watching tv if someone alive was kind enough to leave it on.

But alas, there was no tv for him to watch and most of the people he enjoyed watching were fast asleep. Knocking stuff off counters or playing with lights was no fun if there was nobody to watch it happen, so Oboro was out of luck.

He sat in Izuku’s kitchen, trying his very best to attempt to hold a pen. It was going better than it usually did, but still not very well. As if on cue, the pen clattered to the floor and Oboro sighed.

“You’re sounding extra gloomy for a Wednesday morning.” 

Oboro whipped around to find Izuku padding from his bedroom, his computer tucked under his arm, wearing a shirt that said ‘pants’ on it.

“You’re finally awake! Did you have a good sleep.” Oboro asked, attempting to tip back in his chair but ultimately phasing through the seat and landing on the floor.

Izuku laughed at Oboro’s expense, “my sleep was wonderful, I’ve never crashed so hard in my life.”  The younger teen placed his laptop on the small table, before stalking off to the fridge to grab something to eat. He pulled out a container of leftovers and then placed it into the microwave to heat up.

“What are you doing today?” Oboro asked, hoping for a way to entertain himself. He was disappointed when Izuku shrugged. 

“Not sure. Might get some analysis work done, I don't have very many commission’s due though… Maybe I'll work on the support gear I was working on. The heated kusarigama I’m working on needs some improvements, it keeps short circuiting. Maybe I can…” Izuku was consumed by a storm of muttering, Oboro couldn't make out anything being said.

“Or!” Oboro cheered, clapping his hands together. Izuku shut his mouth and sat across from Oboro to start eating. “We could do your first training class? I have absolutely nothing to do today, and it sounds like you don't either. Unless you start tinkering that is.”

Oboro was almost blinded by the sparkles in Izuku’s eyes, “can we?!” He shouted, dropping his chopsticks and abandoning his chair.

“Sure, it's the least I can do after you helped me out yesterday.”  Oboro sat back down and went to pick up the pen again, with a little more success than he was having earlier. “But finish your food first, it's bad to train on an empty stomach.”

The younger teen complied, eagerly stuffing his mouth. When the container was empty Izuku chucked it into the sink and ran into his room to change into something more suitable for training. When he emerged he was wearing a tight tank top and gym shorts. 

“I really need to get a new gym shirt.” Izuku complained, picking at the tight fabric squeezing his torso.

Oboro’s focus was broken and the pen he was holding clattered to the floor, “we could stop at a store first if you need?” he wasn't looking at Izuku when he said that.

Izuku shook his head, “no it's alright. I’ll just pick up a new one when I go out. I need to buy another notebook anyways.” 

When Oboro turned around, whatever reply he had prepared was lost, as he eyed the scars covering Izuku’s arms. The ghost knew he shouldn't be staring, but the sheer volume of the scars was extremely concerning. Izuku was confused at first but quickly grew nervous when he realized Oboro had been staring at his arms. 

All the calm energy Oboro had been feeling was gone, as he was absolutely fuming. The boy was only 15 and had more scars than a retired pro. And to think it was all because he didn't possess some magical ability. But Oboro could see his anger was making Izuku nervous, so he took a few deep breaths for the teens sake.

“Sorry.” Oboro apologized after a moment, breaking the tension in the air.

“It’s uhh- it's fine.” Izuku stuttered, hugging himself and covering most of his scars.

The ghost did not respond, instead changing the topic to get the day moving. “We should probably get going before all the good spots get taken up.” He said, waving Izuku over as he phased through the door.

Because Izuku was not a ghost, he had to take an extra minute to lace his shoes and actually walk out the door, making sure to lock it on his way out. Oboro led Izuku through the busy streets of Musutafu, holding his hand to keep him from getting lost in the crowd. It was around noon, so everyone was walking to wherever they planned to eat lunch.

Oboro didn't mention Izuku’s heightened nerves as they weaved through the crowd, both boys made sure to stay as far away from other people as possible. It wasn't enjoyable for Oboro to walk through random people, and Izuku just didn't really trust anyone enough to let them get close.

When the two finally arrived at their destination, Oboro let go of Izuku’s hand. The latter whipped to sweat covering his hand onto his shorts.

“Alrighty o! The first thing I'm going to teach you is how to properly fall!” Oboro clapped his hands together.

Izuku raised an eyebrow, “how to properly… fall?” he questioned.

“Yep! One of the most important parts of fighting is getting back up when you’re knocked down, so this will help make sure you’re actually able to get back up.”

When Oboro received a nod of understanding from the younger teen he continued. “Okay so position your feet like this.” The younger boy tried to mirror the elder’s stance, which was almost perfect except for the unbalanced weight. Oboro helped Izuku correct his form before moving on to the next step.

The teens continued like this for a while. Izuku was a quick learner, and was easily able to pick up on the moves. Oboro only needed to correct his form a few times, and once it was corrected once it never had to be done again. Izuku seemed to remember every tip and trick Oboro fed him. 

When Oboro was satisfied with Izuku's falling ability he moved onto teaching the boy how to properly punch, so he wouldn't accidentally end up breaking his thumbs while trying to defend himself. The boy was also quick to pick that up, only having to be reminded once to keep his thumbs untucked.

The two boys were so engrossed in the training, that they hadn't realised how long that had actually been doing it until the sun started to set. Both teens had huge smiles on their faces, and Izuku walked away with knowledge on how to basically defend himself.

And if Oboro had complimented the boy while ruffling his hair, nobody needed to know.

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

Hitoshi was upset.

Most people would think he was upset about the recent attack on his school, and one of his dads classes. Those people would only be semi correct, because Hitoshi wasn't very happy that his dad had been injured but he was also mad at a certain green haired boy that sat behind him.

Hitoshi had thought that the boy might have been like him, he was almost positive that the jumpiness and nervousness Midoriya had was because of some sort of discrimination the boy had faced. Some part of Hitsoshi had thought the boy might have been bullied for a villainous quirk, just like Hitoshi had been. 

That's why he had approached Midoriya the previous day. The boy had been waiting for someone at the front gates, Hitoshi didn't know who because he had never seen the person.

When Midoriya had run away from Hitoshi, claiming that the person he was waiting for had arrived. Hitoshi had known that he was wrong in his assumption.

It was obvious that Midoriya hadn’t just been generally afraid, but that he had been afraid of Hitoshi and his quirk. He didn't know how Midoriya knew about his quirk, but he had a hunch  one of his bullies had told the entire class as soon as they had gotten the chance.

So there Hitoshi sat, gloomily picking at his dinner while his two dads watched him. Hitoshi was oblivious to the worried looks they shared.

The teen looked up when one of his dads tapped on the table, “Toshi, are you alright?” Hazashi asked, his hand remained resting in the centre of the table.

“ ‘m fine” Hitoshi grumbled, still pushing around the vegetables on his plate. He looked back down to watch his food grow cold.

Because his eyes were on his plate, Hitoshi missed Hazashi’s frown deepening. “Are you sure? You’ve barely touched your food and you seem upset about something.” Hitoshi’s other dad piped up, “we won't force you to talk about anything, but we’re here to listen if you want to.” his arms were lightly bandaged and he had a patch of gauze tapes to his cheek.

Hitoshi took a deep breath and dropped his chopsticks, “do you remember that green haired boy I told you about, I think his name was Midoriya.” both parents nodded. “I tried to talk to him the other day, we were both waiting at the gates. At first it went well, he didn't seem any more nervous then he usually is, maybe even a little bit less. But at one point he told me that the person he was waiting for had arrived, when I tried to see who it was there was no one there. He lied to my face so he could get out of talking to me.”

Shouta frowned and opened his mouth to respond, but Hazashi beat him to it. “I don't think he was lying, it was probably just his schizophr-” the man was cut off by a harsh elbow from Shouta. When Hazshi realised what he had been saying, his eyes wide, “oh my goodness Hitoshi pretend I didn't say that! You were definitely not supposed to hear that!” Hazashi was normally better at keeping student’s private information private, but they had only recently adopted Hitoshi so he wasn't used to censoring himself in his house.

Hazashi looked Hitoshi in the eyes with a rare seriousness, “Hitoshi you can't go telling anyone about that. You’re not even supposed to know, I just slipped up.” Shouta nodded beside his husband.

“I won't.” Hitoshi agreed. He took a moment to process the new information he was accidently given. It was definitely a shock to Hitoshi, Midoriya hadn’t struck Hitoshi as unordinary. Hitoshi wondered if Midoriya had practice hiding his schizophrenia from people. Hitoshi knew better than anyone else that people were cruel, and there was a chance that Midoriya had been bullied in the past for his illness.

Hitoshi’s frown grew slightly, “can’t people take medication for that? So they don't see hallucinations and all that freaky stuff.” Histoshi rotated his wrist in a circle before taking a bite of his dinner.

“Some of them can. But some people have allergies or medical conditions that prevent them from taking meds. And medications aren't a cure, it just helps prevent some symptoms. Even if Midoriya does take medication, it might not be able to get rid of all his hallucinations.” Shouta informed, taking a sip of his water. “We can't tell you if he's on medication or not, as it's a further breach of privacy. But if you want to know more I recommend just asking him, don't be nosey though.” Shouta glared at Hazashi while he talked, the blonde man looked incredibly guilty.

“I won't be.” Hitoshi confirmed, taking his dads words to heart.

After finishing his food, Hitoshi got up to wash his dish. His dads were having a conversation in the kitchen, but he was too busy mulling over his thoughts to pay attention. Hitoshi felt really bad for the way he had treated Midoriya in class. He had felt slightly guilty when Midoriya’s face had fallen after Hitoshi was caught glaring at the boy, but he felt ten times more guilty now he knew Midoriya didn't do anything wrong. He would have to apologize in the morning.

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

Link for the layout of Izuku's apartment :D

:D

Chapter Text

Izuku sat at his kitchen table. Oboro had some business to attend to so Izuku was alone. His laptop sat open in the middle of the table. Anyone who walked in would be very concerned for the laptop, as Izuku was glaring at it with an intensity of someone who had not had sleep in 4 days. Although Izuku had slept very well the previous night, the training combined with the stunt with Oboro had drained almost all his energy. But because whatever gods existed hated him, Tsukauchi needed help with another case. Izuku had looked through the case file and his frustration grew larger for every video clip he found nothing in.

A woman had been accused of killing her 12 year old son. The boy had what was considered a villainous quirk, and the mother had thought the only way to save humanity was to kill the child. But now she was on the run and the police weren't able to track her down. Especially since her quirk was some sort of shapeshifting, so she could morph her face however she wanted to.

Izuku sighed, closing his laptop. He stalked to his room and reemerged wearing his special scouting outfit. Izuku crawled out of his window and onto the rooftops above.

He let his mind relax as the familiar motions of running atop the buildings and scanning the streets below consumed him. The costume Izuku was wearing helped give him a confidence he never had in his day to day life, whenever he put on his mask he always felt like a new person. Izuku only stopped when his stomach started to growl with hunger.

Izuku checked his pockets for the granola bars he usually packed only to come up empty handed. Izuku mentally scolded himself for forgetting a snack, and then moved to climb off the roof.

He landed on the pavement with a loud thud, before removing the sunglasses from his eyes. Izuku placed the glasses atop his head and turned to enter the conveniently nearby convenience store. 

Izuku waved to the cashier and walked right into the snack aisle, his eyes scanned the packaged food. Izuku stood in the middle of the aisle, his foot tapping as he decided between two of the options. He was so caught up in choosing which snack to buy that he didn't even notice the teenager staring at him from the other end of the snack section.

Grabbing one of the bright packages, Izuku turned towards the cashier to go pay. The cashier smiled and Izuku smiled back, paying for his food and exiting the store.

He decided to make the most of his time and continue his search on the ground. Munching on the packet of crackers he had just bought. Izuku’s bright red shoes clicked as he made his way down the street, his eyes scanning the alleys he passed by for anyone hiding within them. 

Izuku dropped his crackers when he heard the loud bang of a dumpster coming from an alley over. Not even stopping to pick up his garbage, Izuku started to sprint down the street. Loud bangs usually meant someone was involved in a scuffle, sometimes against their will. Izuku wasn't the type to just sit by while bad things happened to other people, so even though it might cost his life he was fully prepared to defend anyone who needed a hand.

Izuku silenced his steps as he crept closer to the dark alleyway, which proved to be a smart idea as the three figures hidden inside didn't even turn their heads.  Although it could be possible that the three just had better things to do. The tallest of the figures was a tall and muscular man, and he was pinning a young girl to the wall by the throat. The third figure was hovering beside the taller one, sobbing and trying to get the man to drop the girl. The third figure's small hands kept going through the man, so it was safe to assume he was a ghost.

Izuku stayed silent at the end of the alley, but he was slightly worried the perpetrator would hear his fast beating heart. The teenage girl looked like she was running out of air, and the man didn't seem to be planning to let go.

Only hesitating a moment, Izuku made his presence known by clearing his throat. All three pairs of eyes turn to Izuku, but he was only really looking for one. He made eye contact with the ghost. The dead boy stared back for a moment before his eyes widened slightly.

“You can see me?” he asked, his young eyes swelling up with tears.

Izuku nodded slightly, enough for the ghost to know he was responding but not enough for the alive people in the alley to suspect him of something.

“Please help her!” the ghost pleaded stepping towards Izuku, the ghost was motioning the teen girl. “Please! She killed me! She killed me and now she is going to kill my friend.” The ghost was pointing at the man this time.

Izuku stared at the man, the ghost had said ‘she’ while referring to the man. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal, but the ghost was a child and had said that he had been killed by the man. And Izuku was currently investigating a case about a female shapeshifter who had killed her young son.

Izuku might as well take the risk, as he didn't have much time to think of a different plan before the amount of ghosts in that alley increased.

Izuku raised his finger, which was uncharacteristically steady and pointed straight at the man. “Your son has sent me to repay what you've done to him, Hayashi Juri .” 

 The man's eyes widened in shock and then anger as he let go of the girl. The girl fell down the wall with a gasp, and the man stepped towards Izuku.

“You one of his friends too? I guess I’ll have to get rid of you as well.” came out of the man's mouth in a feminine voice.

Izuku watched as the man’s form shifted into something smaller. The muscles on the arms shifting over to the legs. The hair became longer and the face was far more feminine, Izuku could feel the hairs on his neck stand up.

Using the small amount of rationality he had left, Izuku turned around and bolted down the street. Both the ghost and the shapeshifter ran after him, the ghosts speeding up to float beside Izuku.

Izuku kept running but turned to the ghost, he grabbed the younger boy's wrist. “Go help the girl” he said, shooting his energy into the boy.

The ghost's eyes widened before he gave a determined nod. Izuku sped up as the ghost ran in the opposite direction.

Izuku turned his head to see the shapeshifter hot on his tail, he yelped in alarm and willed his limbs to move faster. The adrenaline shooting through him kept the pain in his legs away, but did nothing against the fear coursing through his veins. 

So Izuku did what the only sensible person would do, and reared his head back before shouting as loud as he possibly could. The shapeshifter had gotten closer, and was now reaching out to try and grab Izuku.

The yelling grew louder when Izuku felt a hand clasp around the hood of his jacket. He was lurched backwards, but quickly slid the hoodie off of his arms and continued to run. Izuku’s throat was beginning to dry but he kept the noise going, hoping that someone would drop out of the sky and save him.

And drop out of the sky someone did. Izuku crashed into the chest of someone and was sent flying backwards. A hand clasped around his wrist but he swiftly wrenched his arm away, and let himself fall onto the pavement.

Izuku looked up to see a scary Eraserhead looming over him. The two stared at each other before being rudely interrupted by a raging shapeshifter. She raised both her arms to drive a blow to Izuku’s head, but was stopped by Eraserheads scarf. With swift movements, the pro hero wrapped the shapeshifter head to toe in scarf and left her lying on the pavement.

Izuku looked back up at Eraserhead when he heard a worried, “oh my goddess are you alright! What are you doing out here?” but he wasn't speaking. He turned his head to see Oboro crouched at his side, hands hovering beside him. Izuku gave a small nod to the ghost before turning back to the man standing above him.

“Hello Eraserhead sir. What a fine evening it is tonight, thank you for stopping that rampaging lady from tearing me limb from limb.” Izuku stood up and then offered a small bow. He was trying to drive any suspicion off of himself, but he wasn't doing a very good job as Eraserhead just glared harder.

The two stared at each other, an awkward silence filled the air. Izuku kept glancing at Oboro through his nerves, but the ghost just shrugged. “Are you alright?” Eraserhead grunted at last, “do you need me to call an ambulance.” The man's hands were still busy keeping the shapeshifter from escaping, but he wasn’t using his quirk yet.

“Lil old me? Yeah I'm perfectly fine, just a scrape or two but I can do those easy peasy at my house. Although you might want to call the police because they’ve been looking for her for a while.” Izuku motioned to the criminal on the ground, Eraserhead raised an eyebrow. “She killed her 12 year old son, and was just about to kill a teenage girl.” Izuku’s eyes widened as he remembered the girl. “In fact there's a victim a few streets over, I can call the police if you’d like while you take care of the victim.”

Eraserhead turned his gaze towards the alley Izuku had pointed to. “How do I know you're not going to just let her go?” he asked, waving at the woman still raging while bound by the capture weapon.

Izuku raised an eyebrow, “because she just chased me down the street trying to kill me? In fact I still think she's making threats.” he leaned down to where the woman was incoherently yelling, Izuku was only able to make out a few words but one of them was definitely ‘kill the slimy little bastard.’ 

Eraserheads glare hardened as Izuku sat up. “Fine, but don't let her go and wait for the police to get here.” he tossed his phone into Izuku's hands. Oboro watched the hero run off and then turned to Izuku.

“Just what do you think you're doing out here!” the ghost whacked Izuku along the back of his head. “You told me you weren't doing anything dangerous! And then the next day I see you getting chased by a murderer! We haven't done nearly enough training for you to hold your own in a fight, you could've gotten seriously hurt!” Oboro sounded genuinely concerned, which made guilt swirl around in Izuku’s gut.

Izuku winced before rubbing the back of his head where he’d been struck, “I wasn't planning on getting involved! Tsukauchi needed some info and I was the only one who could get it! But then I saw her attacking a child and I had to do something!” 

Oboro only glared harder, “you are a child. It's not your job to save other people. Next time call a hero or something! At Least until you can actually fight someone without almost getting killed.”

Izuku huffed, it wasn't his fault he didn't know how to fight. And what was he supposed to do? Just watch as the girl died while waiting for a hero to show up? No way!

Izuku didn't respond to Oboro and instead picked up the phone to dial Tsukauchi. He didn't trust the rest of the police force not to arrest him, especially considering he had Eraserheads capture scarf with him. Oboro just watched as the younger teen punched the numbers in.

The phone rang twice before a tired sounding Tsukauchi picked up, “Eraser? What do you need?” The man wasn't speaking very loud, and Izuku had to strain to hear what he was saying. So Izuku pressed the speaker button before moving on.

“Hellooo! As you can tell I am not Eraserhead, but I was with him just a minute ago. We caught the shapeshifter you’ve been after so I need you to come pick her up.” Izuku sat down on the woman when he noticed her attempting to break free. “We have a victim too, so you might want to send an ambulance. Just one though.”

The other line was silent for a moment before Tsukauchi spoke again, “I'm sorry, who is this?”

It was Izuku’s turn to be silent, as he considered giving a real answer. He didn't see the harm in it so he didn't bother lying. “It's Deku. Now can you please send a cruiser or something? She's starting to make some very specific threats and some of them are making me uncomfortable.”

Izuku could hear Tsukauchi sputter over the phone. Following, was the sound of him getting up. “I'm on my way, don't go anywhere. I'll send an ambulance as well.” with that the man hung up.

“He sounds eager,” Oboro said, floating crisscross and facing Izuku. 

The snort that escaped Izuku echoed through the deserted street. “We’ve been in contact for a few years and he's never met me. To be honest I don't think he even knew what my voice sounded like until today. He's been begging me for a meet up for at least a year, but I never say yes.” Izuku pushed his sunglasses back over his eyes from where they had sat on his head. “He knows that if he doesn't hurry his butt over here he won't ever get a chance like this again.”

Oboro chuckled, “are you not worried he's going to find out your identity?” 

“Oh I'm terrified.” Izuku admitted, “but logically I know there's no way he's going to be able to figure out who I am based on my height. If he could get me in an interrogation room then maybe, but I haven't actually done anything illegal so he can't arrest me without breaching the code of conduct.”

Oboro raised an eyebrow, “how would that breach the code of conduct?”

Izuku paused for a moment, sorting his thoughts. “Think about it this way. If a police officer went arresting everyone they disliked for no good reason then police stations would be a mess. That’s why they can only arrest people they think may be involved in a crime. But they still technically have the authority to arrest anyone, they're just not supposed to.”

Oboro nodded, “makes sense, you know a lot about law enforcement don't you?”

Izuku offered a sheepish grin, “yeah I do, I was a really bored child with unlimited internet access and unrealistic dreams. What else did you expect?”

When Oboro went to respond he was interrupted by a loud siren, Tsukauchi and the ambulance had arrived. Izuku waved his hands in the air and the vehicles came to a stop in front of him, Tsukauchi was the first to step out and his eyes immediately locked on Izuku. The surprise that overtook his features almost made Izuku laugh, and Oboro actually did.

“Did you- HA, did you tell him how old you were?” Oboro asked between giggles, Izuku slightly shook his head. That just caused Oboro to laugh further as he collapsed on the ground.

Anware of the ghost cackling beside him, Tsukauchi walked over to Izuku and the criminal that was still tied up on the ground.

“Tsukauchi.” Izuku said with a mock salute, Tsukauchi’s eyes widened even more.

The detective frowned, “how- how old are you?” Oboro laughed louder, and Izuku couldn't stop the small chuckle that escaped him.

“Secret.” Izuku raised a finger to his lips, and then winked. Tsukauchi just stared. “Are you going to take this criminal or what?” Izuku asked as moved his finger downward to point at the woman he was still seated upon.

That seemed to knock Tsukauchi out of his shock at least a little bit, as he hummed a “yeah sure.” before shooing Izuku of the criminal and putting her in the backseat. Tsukauchi made sure to clip a pair of quirk restricting cuffs around her wrists before removing Eraserheads scarf.

Izuku stood and brushed off his pants while he waited for Tsukauchi. Oboro, who had finally gotten his laughter under control, just watched. When Tsukauchi finished he seemed to be contemplating something, Izuku interrupted him before he could come to a decision.

“I'm not coming to the station with you, or any officer for that matter. If you want a statement ask it here, but I'm not answering everything.” Izuku locked eyes with Tsuakauchi as he said this to get his point across.

The detective sighed, “I thought you might say that. But it should be fine, there are cameras in the area so we don't actually need statements. I'll email you if that changes.”

Izuku flashed Tsukauchi a thumbs up, “sounds good! I’ll be on my way then.” 

Tsukauchi looked like he wanted to protest, but he didn't have any reason for Izuku to actually stay with them. So he just waved as he watched Izuku scale the side of the building before disappearing over the side of the roof.

When Eraserhead came back after getting the victim loaded into an ambulance, he looked around and then turned to hank. “Where's the kid?”

“He left.” Tsuakauchi replied, handing Eraserhead his phone and capture weapon back. The man gave a gruff thanks before wrapping it back around his neck. “You remember the informant Deku I've told you about, the one that sent you that analysis a couple months ago?” Eraser nodded, and raised an eyebrow at the detective. Tsukauchi sighed “that was him, I didn't know he was so young though.”

Eraserhead blinked in surprise, his eyebrows ever so slightly raised. Tsukauchi sighed again, this kid was going to be the death of him.

Chapter Text

Izuku was overflowing with anxiety when he walked into his first aid class for the first time. There was a 50% chance that there would be a certain blonde in the class with him, and a possibility he would be stuck in a class with Eraserhead. He didn't know if the hero even remembered him from two nights ago but Izuku didn't want to take any chances.

Oboro stood beside him to hopefully provide a little bit of emotional support, and for that Izuku was grateful. But it wasn't enough to stop the sweat from dripping down Izuku’s neck.

Apparently luck was on Izuku’s side today, as when he opened the door he was greeted by Vlad King and no spikey blondes. He breathed a sigh of relief, and then nervously waved at the class. Izuku scanned over his new classmates, and he spotted a familiar pair of green eyes. The owner of the eyes was the barista from the coffee shop he liked going to, Izuku was almost certain her name was Kendo.

A chair screeched as it was pushed out of the way, and a blonde boy stood up. “You must be the Gen Ed student. You must be feeling blessed right now to be joining us instead of the inferior class 1-A, you know we are the supe-” the boy was cut off as Kendo enlarged her hand and chopped the back of his neck. The boy crumbled to the ground, Izuku just watched.

“Sorry about him, that's just Monama for you.” a girl with shoulder length black hair piped up, she had a bored expression on her face, along with the rest of the class. Izuku just assumed this was normal. 

When he realised the class was waiting for him to respond he fumbled for an answer, “oh! It's- uhh. It's fine, I really don't mind.” Izuku smiled awkwardly.

“Do you have crazy people in your class too?” a small blonde sitting in the front piped up, she had two large horns on the top of her head. Izuku had to stop himself from flinching at the mention of ‘crazy people.’ It's a word he was quite familiar with.

“I- uhh. I don't-” Izuku took a deep breath to centre himself. “I don't think so?” 

The class was then interrupted by a very exasperated looking Vlad King clearing his throat. “This is Midoriya Izuku, he's from Gen Ed and he's going to be joining us for this and all future first aid classes we do. Your desk is that one.” he pointed to a desk in the back corner.

Izuku made his way to the desk. Even though it might be considered rude, Izuku was grateful that Vlad King hadn’t made him do his own introduction. He honestly wouldn't know what to say, and people would get suspicious if he didn't talk about his quirk.

Oboro followed Izuku to his desk, sitting on top of it.  Izuku shuffled his notebook to the side to make more room.

Vlad King cleared his throat to begin the lecture, “because this is our first class, we won't be doing any hand on work today. Just some note taking. Pay attention, because I'll be giving you a quiz about this next week. Anyone who does not pass the quiz will not be able to participate in class until they pass it.” He began to hand out a booklet of papers. “Do I make myself clear?”

The class responds with a formal, “yes Sensei.” The scuffling of paper follows.

Izuku tries his best to pay attention to the lecture, but it isn't very engaging for him. He already knows everything Vlad king is covering due to the amount of injuries he’s had to treat over the years. Besides, even if he didn't know the information, he had two people trying to get his attention.

One of them was Oboro, who was just commenting on everything he saw. Izuku assumed it was a habit he picked up when he didn't have anyone to talk to, so he didn't mind it all that much.

But the other person was at his side, and kept making obnoxiously loud “psst” noises.

Izuku’s resolve finely crumbled and he turned towards the person whispering at him.  It turned out to be a boy with spiky brown hair, and a goofy expression on his face

“Hey! Midoriya right?” he grinned, when Izuku nodded. “Kosei Tsuburaba, my quirk is called solid air.”

Izuku tries to ignore the sweat collecting on the back of his neck, “nice to meet you.” he settled for, pretending not to notice the boy's frown when he failed to mention his quirk.

“So why are you in this class? Why aren't you taking classes with the rest of Gen Ed?” Tsuburaba asked while he scribbled down something on the papers in front of him.

“My class is in English right now. I'm already fluent in all the languages Yamada-Sensei can teach, so he said I could pick something else.” Izuku didn't look at the boy while he was saying this, but he did occasionally glance at Oboro who was paying attention to the conversation.

Tsuburaba's eyes widened, “really?! What do you speak?” 

Izuku was about to respond, but he was cut off by the girl seated in front of Tsuburaba whipping around to face them. “Tsuburaba, I swear if you don't stop bothering him I’ll have your head.”

Tsuburaba raised his hands in surrender. The green haired girl turned to Izuku. “My name's Setsuna Tokage, it's Midoriya right?” 

Izuku nodded while Oboro shifted over so he could get a better look at the girl. Her sharp teeth were put on display when she smiled.

“Tsuburaba doesn't shut up. If you want him to stop, just give him the stink eye like this." Tokage's friendly smile quickly transformed into a harsh glare, which she aimed at the boy behind her.

“It's not a big deal. I really don't mind it.” Izuku said, Oboro raised an eyebrow.

Tokage shrugged, “suit yourself. Let me know if he's buggin you.”

Izuku nodded and turned back to his booklet. Tsuburaba didn't say another word, scared that Tokage would turn back around and yell at him.

“They seem friendly enough.” Oboro said, kicking his feet from his spot on Izuku's desk. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll make a friend.” he teased

‘Oh please.’ Izuku signed, ‘I can tell this class is going to drive me up the wall.’

Oboro huffed, not saying another word. Izuku wasn't bothered for the rest of the period.

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

One thing that made Izuku’s job so easy as a scout was the fact that almost all villains had ghosts. Sure there were one or two cases where the villain hadn't done anything bad enough to warrant someone haunting them, or everyone they had wronged was still alive.

It also made Izuku a great judge of character, as he almost immediately knew if someone was a killer or involved in some type of gang.

It also helped Izuku know exactly who to avoid. If he was on a train and saw someone with a ghost, then he knew not to go anywhere near that person.

Izuku knew that sometimes he avoided nice people that just had cruel ghosts. But that wasn't the case very often so he was willing to take the risk. He wasn't much of an extrovert anyways.

But Izuku was also smart enough to know that just because someone had no ghosts it didn't mean they were a good person. He had met plenty of terrible people that didn't have any ghosts haunting them, it was either because anyone they hurt didn't hold a grudge and was able to move on, or nobody they hurt was dead.

Take Izuku for example. He had been hurt by dozens of people. His mother, his old classmates, the psych ward nurses. But because he wasn't dead, he didn't haunt those people.

Most children and teens didn't have ghosts, because they were too young for the people they harmed to die.

So imagine Izuku’s surprise when the next day, he saw a ghost tailing his classmate.

Izuku’s head immediately whipped to Oboro, who was staring wide eyed at the ghost. The other ghost met Oboro’s eyes, and politely nodded. Oboro just nodded back.

‘ He has a ghost ,’ Oboro signed so the new ghost wouldn’t overhear him. ‘ I don't think I’ve ever seen a student with a ghost.’

Izuku subtly nodded, ‘ it's not very common for children to have ghosts. There's a high chance he's done something terrible.’

Oboro looked conflicted. As if he didn't want to imagine someone so young doing something terrible. ‘What if that's not the case? Couldn't the ghost just be vengeful for no good reason.’

‘Probably not’ Izuku was briefly distracted by Present Mic entering the room, he ignored the man in favor of speaking with Oboro. ‘ It's not often ghosts are the terrible ones. Especially if they’re children, I don’t think I’ve ever met a cruel child ghost.’

Both boys glazed over at the ghost. She was a younger girl, Izuku assumed she was only a pre-teen when she died. She had long wavy silver hair, and stunning purple eyes. She was wearing a middle school uniform, with bright red shoes.

Familiar bright red shoes.

The same bright red shoes that Izuku wore. 

The same bright red shoes that were made only for the quirkless, because nothing else would fit the extra pinky joint they had.

Izuku whipped around to stare at Oboro, startling the older teen and a few of Izuku’s classmates.  ‘She’s quirkless.’

Oboro raised an eyebrow. ‘ How do you know?’ 

‘Her shoes’ Izuku pointed to her shoes, and then to his own. Oboro’s eyes widened.

‘They’re the same as yours. But you're not quirkless? Why do you have to wear those?’ Oboro slid onto the desk beside Izuku’s, the student occupying the desk shivered.

‘I don't know why but I still have the toe joint. That's why I was diagnosed as quirkless.’ Izuku signed back, trying not to look at the other quirkless teen. ‘ Can you do me a favor?’ 

Oboro nodded, ‘can you ask her to meet us in that storage closet after class? I want to talk to her.’ Izuku smiled when Oboro flashed him a thumbs up, and floated over to the other ghost in the room. Izuku could hear Oboro greet the girl, but wasn't able to make out the rest of the conversation over Present Mic’s lecture.

Izuku pulled out his notebook so he could work on some of his analysis. Oboro stayed chatting with the girl for a while, from the tone of the conversation Izuku assumed it was going well. A few different times the girl's tone would turn sour, but Oboro would be quirk to turn the conversation back around, as it wouldn't stay sour for very long. At one point Izuku saw the quirkless ghost's eyes wander down to his shoes, and then widen. 

When Oboro came back he was grinning from ear to ear. ‘I'm going to assume it went well?’ Izuku signed.

‘Yeah all good. She says she’ll meet us there. She was a tad bit sceptical at first, in fact she actually thought that I was haunting you. But I managed to sway her with my irresistible charm.’ Oboro tried to flip what little hair he had, which didn't go very well considering it floated above his head.

Izuku quietly snickered, muffling the sound with his hands so his classmates wouldn't hear. Oboro’s smile somehow grew wider.

The two chatted for a little bit, they both used sign so nobody would be able to overhear their conversation. When the bell rang they were both startled out of their conversation. Izuku rushed to put away his notebook, Oboro helped sweep pens and pencils back into Izuku’s backpack.

Izuku stood and walked out of the classroom, Oboro waved over the new ghost. She followed and the three made their way to the supply closet Izuku had first talked to Oboro in.

As soon as the door clicked close the ghost turned to Izuku. “You’re quirkless.” she accused, pointing at Izuku’s shoes.

Izuku made a so-so gesture with his hand, “I mean sorta. Everyone thinks I am, but my quirk is that I can see ghosts.”

The ghost's eyebrows pinched together, “but your shoes?” 

Izuku nodded, “I still have the toe joint, and when I say everyone thinks I'm quirkless I mean everyone. It doesn't matter how many times I tell them about my quirk, they don't believe me.”

The girl took a moment to process the information. “ My name's Kei Shoda.” She bowed politely.

Izuku returned the gesture, “my name is Midoriya Izuku, this is Shirakumo Oboro.” the older teen beamed.

Oboro pointed his thumbs towards himself, “just call me Oboro, no need for all the formal stuff.”

Shoda nodded, “it's nice to meet you both. Now do you mind me asking why you asked me here? I do have business to attend to.”

Izuku raised an eyebrow, “like knocking over lunch trays?” Shoda glared at Izuku and he raised his hands in surrender, “nevermind.” he mumbled.

Putting his hands down, Izuku turned to Shoda. “I want to know what he did.” 

Shoda’s eyes widened a fraction, but then quickly narrowed. “Why do you want to know?”

“So I can make sure it won't happen again.” Izuku looked Shoda in the eyes, a fierce look of determination written over his face. “And so I know how much payback needs to be given.”

Shoda blinked. Her frown turned into a devious smile. “As Long as I get to help.” she smirked.

“Deal.” Izuku said before taking the ghost's outstretched hand and shaking it. Oboro added his hand to the pile, agreeing with something he didn't quite understand.

“Alright, buckle up cause this is going to be a doozy.” Shoda warned, sitting criss-crossed on the ground. Izuku and Oboro copied her. “When I was around 4 years old everyone started manifesting their quirks. I tried everything to try and manifest mine, I jumped out of trees to see if I had a gliding quirk like my father, I tried looking through walls to see if I had an x-ray quirk like my mother. But nothing ever came.

My father took me to the doctor when I turned 5 and still hadn’t developed a quirk, there we found out that I never would. I tried to keep the news a secret, but my twin brother went and told his school buddies. He honestly didn't mean for it to get out, but one of his friends was a gossip and by the next day everyone knew I wasn't ever going to develop a quirk. At first it started out as pity, people would tell me sorry whenever they saw me in the hallway. Some of them would even get me gifts. I hated it at the time, but later I realised I should have been grateful.

Soon the looks of pity turned into looks of hatred, and the kind words into cruel ones.

It got really bad when they started using their quirk’s on me. They all claimed that I was perfect for practicing, and that they would become awesome heroes. The teachers never did anything, just watched as I was constantly harassed.”

Izuku winced at the familiar experience. It sounded like Shoda’s school hadn’t been all that kind to her as well. Beside Izuku, Oboro had a look of horror on his face. Izuku almost gasped when he saw hints of anger in the older teen’s eyes.

Izuku’s attention was stolen by Shoda taking a deep breath. “When I was twelve I got my first letter that told me to kill myself.”

Oboro shucked in an audible breath, the anger on his face more prominent. The anger only seemed to increase when he didn't see any shock on Izuku’s face. 

“After that note, the bullying only got worse. Being told to end my own life was a common occurrence. I constantly found spider lilies on my desk, and cruel phrases carved into my locker. When I was thirteen I finally decided I had enough.”

Izuku looked into Shoda’s eyes, both could see a deep understanding for each other written in their expressions. Oboro looked between them caution and confusion. “What did you do?” he finally had enough courage to ask.

Shoda turned to Oboro and looked him in the eyes. “Isn't it obvious?” she asked. “I killed myself.”

Chapter Text

Hitoshi wasn't having a good day.

He hadn’t slept well the previous night so he was exhausted. He hadn’t even been able to drink any coffee, as Aizawa had finished the last of it. Hitoshi also didn't have any time to eat breakfast, as he had to chase around Bastard (the cat) in order to get back his tie. And to make matters worse Bastard hadn't even looked guilty.

Hitoshi had thought that maybe the day would be able to turn around, but when he was handed back his math test he knew there was no going back. Even though Hitoshi had tried his absolute hardest on the test, he still hadn’t been able to pass it. Hitoshi thought it was kind of stupid, what kind of hero would need to know how to find the factors of polynomials? 

So when Hitoshi had been approached by two jerks from his middle school, he wasn't even surprised. The leader of the two was a shorter boy with a truly atrocious haircut, his quirk let him make his limbs really heavy. The other boy was tall and lanky with a long braid going down his back, his quirk let him stretch out his arms as long as he wished.

“Look who we have here?” the ringleader teased, “a villain in a hero school?” 

The lanky boy laughed, Hitoshi had to stop himself from gagging at his terrible breath. When Hitoshi didn’t respond the leader grew agitated, he harshly poked Hitoshi in the chest. “Hey! I'm talking to you.”

Hitoshi scowled, “can't you just leave me alone? You’re being a nuisance and your insults aren’t even good.” he whacked away the shorter boy's hand.

The leader bared his teeth before harshly shoving Hitoshi to the ground, his now heavy limbs preventing Hitoshi from regaining his balance. Hitoshi crashed to the floor, he could taste blood in his mouth from where he bit his tongue on the way down.

“Are you trying to use your quirk on me?” the leader jeered, “try it again and you’ll regret it. I make it so you wish you wer-”

The boy was interrupted by the nearby supply closet swinging open. In the doorway stood a very surprised Midoriya. Green eyes blinked before locking onto the two bullies. All nervousness and kindness Hitoshi had known the boy for disappeared as Midoriya glared daggers at the two.

“What do you think you're doing?” he asked, his tone murderous.

The lanky bully quickly went to defend himself, not wanting to be on the other side of Midoriya’s rage for much longer. “We’re teaching him a lesson. He thinks he's better than us, probably waiting for the perfect moment to enslave us and turn us into villains. We're just making sure he knows his place, his quirk is brainwashing after all.”

Hitoshi winced, waiting for Midoriya;s angry gaze to be turned onto him. Midoriya’s glare deepend, but did not turn to Hitoshi. If he weren't already on the floor, Hitoshi might have fallen over in surprise.

“Okay?” Midoriya crossed his arms, briefly glancing to the side before his eyes resumed glaring at the bullies. “I don't see a problem with that.”

Lanky sputtered, “well you see, he can make you do whatever he wants.”

“Is that so?” Midoriya asked, stepping closer to the two boys. They both nervously looked at each other and nodded. “Tell me.” Midoriya pretended to inspect his nails, “do you recognize anyone by the name of Kei Shoda?”

Even though the name meant nothing to Hitoshi, it must have been someone important. Based on the way both bullied eyes widened in horror. Hitoshi assumed it was someone from his old middle school, as the same was ever so slightly familiar to him.

“Uhh, yeah. I know who she is.” the leader finally gathered the courage to say. “She used to go to our school.” that confirmed Hitoshi’s theory.

Midoriya smiled slightly, Hitoshi could feel a bead of sweat trickle down his neck. “Perfect.” Midoriya said with a fake sweetness, “then you remember what you did to her?”

The horror on the bullies face seemed to double. Hitoshi would have laughed if he wasn't so terrified himself. The taller bully opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out.

A quiet tapping echoed in the hallway as Midoriya bounced his finger on his chin, “I wonder what would happen if the principal found out what you did. You know, it does say that bullying is strictly prohibited in U.A.”

Hitoshi watched as Lanky swallowed, Leader was trembling slightly. “Did you know her brother goes here?” Midoriya asked, raising an eyebrow. “ He's in the hero course. I'm sure he would love to know who was responsible for what happened to his twin sister.” 

All the colour seemed to drain from the two boys, Hitoshi could see the sweat gathering on their foreheads. 

“So…” Midoriya eyed the two boys, “unless you want everyone in the school to know what you did, do a little spin.”

Some of the horror on the bullies faces turn to confusion as they looked at eachother. When they saw the seriousness on Midoriya’s face they hesitantly spun in a circle.

Midoriya smirked slightly when the boys faced him, “do it again.”

The bullies spun again, slightly less hesitant this time.

“Sit down,” Midoriya said, directing a finger to the floor. Hitoshi watched in awe as the bullies complied. “Now apologize.”

The boys were much more hesitant, taking a moment to look at each other and then Midoriya, who just raised an eyebrow. Hitoshi nearly gasped when the first “I’m sorry” was spoken, and Hitoshi couldn't find it in himself to close his jaw when more apologies followed.

Hitoshi couldn't help but stare at Midoriya in adoration, who was high fiving.. The air..? That was odd. When Midoriya’s eyes landed on Hitoshi they widened slightly, before he turned back and glared at the boys. “Apologize to Shinsou.”

The bullies turned to Hitoshi, and they began to apologize. The lanky one even went into specifics, apologizing for all the times he called Hitoshi a villain, for being a total asshole, and for that one time he put mud in Hitoshi’s food. Wait, Hitoshi didn't remember that last one. 

Midoriya walked over to Hitoshi, motioning with his spare hand for the boy to finally get off the filthy floor. Hitoshi scrambled up to stand beside Midoriya, the bullies stayed on the floor. When Midoriya began walking down the hallway Hitoshi followed, not really knowing what to do with the apologizing boys. He almost ran into Midoriya when the greenette stopped. 

“By the way.” Midoriya called down the hallway, turning back towards the bullies. ”I just made you do whatever I want, and I don't even have a quirk. I recommend thinking about that before you bother Shinsou again.” 

Midoriya continued down the hallway, Hitoshi scrambled to keep up, for someone with such short legs, Midoriya sure was a fast walker. When the two had traveled a respectable distance from the bully’s Midoriya stopped and put a hand on the wall, his breathing slightly faster than usual.

“Oh my god that was terrifying.” Midoriya said to no one in particular, not even looking in Hitoshi’s direction.

“Are you okay?” Hitoshi walked around Midoriya, so that he stood in front of the boy.

Midoriya seemed to startle, as if he wasn't expecting Hitoshi to still be with him. His face quickly morphed back into a smile. “Yeah I'm fine, how are you? Are you hurt anywhere? I have a first aid kit in my backpack if you need.”

Hitoshi shook his head, “I'm all good, they didn't do any damage. This time.” he mumbled the last part under his breath, but apparently Midoriya had super sonic hearing because he seemed to catch what Hitoshi had said.

“If they pick on you again, come get me. I'm not afraid to expose them and get them expelled. In fact, I might just do that anyway, but I'll sleep on that.” The hand not being used to prop Midoriya up on the wall waved around, but never came close to Hitoshi’'s personal space.

Hitoshi could feel his face flush in embarrassment, “o-okay I will. What did they even do? How do you know all that stuff?” 

That seemed to stump Midoriya, he turned his head slightly as if listening to something. Then nodded slightly, Hitoshi wouldn't have caught it if he hadn't been looking. “He bullied someone pretty badly a few years ago, U.A. has a no bullying policy so I know it wouldn't fly here. Pretty sure Nedzu would expel them if he found out.”

Hitoshi nodded, “that doesn't answer my second question though, how did you know all that stuff.”

Midoriya winced, as if he wanted Hitoshi to forget about that. “I uhh- I was friends with her?” He says it like a question. “Yeah! I was friends with her.”

Hitoshi narrows his eyes, he’s almost certain Midoriya is lying to him. “Sure…” Midoriya swallows, Hitoshi feels bad for making the boy nervous. “Doesn't matter much to me.” Hitoshi says, “everyone’s entitled to their secrets.”

The tension in Midoriya’s shoulder eased slightly, but didn’t disappear. Hitoshi looked around the hallway. There wasn’t anyone else nearby, it was a perfect opportunity to apologize for his hostile attitude. Hitoshi took a deep breath as he turned to the shorter boy, who was staring at the wall.

“Hey Midoriya?” the boy turned towards Hitoshi and raised an eyebrow. 

“I umm- I wanted  to apologize for how Ive been treating you. I thought you didn't like me because of my quirk, and I was mad at you for that. But now that I realise that isn't the case, I feel really bad. So I'm sorry.” Hitoshi tried his best not to look at the ground in embarrassment. His parents had always told him an apology meant more if you looked someone in the eyes, so Hitoshi was doing his best to take their advice. He wasn't really used to apologizing to people, as most of the ones he came across were jerks.

Midoriya's head whipped to stare Hitoshi in the eyes. Hitoshi blinked in surprise while the shorter boy searched his expression, when he didn't find anything Midoriya's jaw opened slightly. It was as if nobody had ever apologized to Midoriya before.

“But- but you know I'm quirkless. Why are you apologizing?” 

Hitoshi could hit himself. He was pretty stupid to have missed it, but it was obvious Midoriya hadn't been shown a lot of decency in his life. He probably didn’t have very much experience with people apologizing to him, the same as Hitoshi. It also explained why Midoriya was so jumpy, and why he hated teachers. Hitoshi knew from experience that children were cruel, and his teacher’s hadn’t really done much.

Rather than voicing his thoughts, Hitoshi smirked. “Us underdogs have to stick together, right?”

Midoriya scanned Hitoshi again, his eyes warry and calculating. He turned to look at the opposite wall again, Hitoshi didn't really understand why he kept doing that.

 “Yeah okay.” Midoriya mumbled, looking into Hitoshi's eyes. “Do you want to be… friends?”

It was Hitoshi's turn to be surprised. He hadn’t really had friends before. There were a few kids when he was in elementary school that had been nice to him, but most of the people in his middle school were assholes. Although Hitoshi assumed the same was true for Midoriya, as he had looked rather hesitant when asking. At least that made things easier, neither of them could blame each other for being awkward.

“Sure,” Hitoshi smiled. “Just letting you know, I'm going to transfer into the hero course. I don't care what anyone else says, I'm finding a way to be a hero.” Although Hitoshi couldn't see it himself, he knew there was a fierce determination in his eyes.

Midoriya nodded, “are you going to get in through the sports festival? I know they sometimes let students transfer that way. I read somewhere that you just have to place, so you wouldn't have to win or anything. Besides, I overheard class 1-A’s teacher already expelled two students, so there's plenty of room.”

Hitoshi blinked. He hadn’t actually known about that. Hitoshi had honestly just been planning on flunking the sports festival, and instead spending his time on figuring out a way to transfer. He’s glad Midoriya had told him about the festival before that happened, Hitoshi couldn't even imagine how angry he would be with himself.

“I mean, I guess I am now.” Hitoshi shrugged, “ how about you? Are you trying to get into the hero course too?”

Midoriya shook his head, “no. I could never become a hero.” he had sad smile on his face, like he had accepted the fact that his dreams were impossible

“I bet you could.” Hitoshi stuffed his hands into his pockets, “people may have told you it's impossible but there are plenty of heroes that fight quirkless. Present Mic can't use his quirk very much because it does too much damage. Snipe can't use his quirk in short range because he doesn't have the time to pull out a gun. It would take a lot of work but you could do it.” Hitoshi hadn’t meant to give a huge speech, but the way Midoriya's face slightly lit up while he talked was enough to get him to keep going.

Midoriya’s eyes were wide as saucers, Hitoshi suspected nobody had ever told him that before. Then he smiles “thanks. I think I'm okay where I am. But I would be happy to help you get into the hero course. It might be easier to win the sports festival if there's two of us.”

Hitoshi grinned, something he had practiced with Shota. “I think that's a great idea. Now come on, let me show you about that spot I was talking about the other day. We can brainstorm.”

Chapter Text

Izuku sat on the ledge of the roof, the cold concrete chilling his legs. He didn't mind the numb feeling creeping into his limbs, it helped him cool down after chasing criminals around all night.

Normally after alerting Tsukauchi to any suspicious activity Izuku would leave the scene. But because he didn’t really have to worry about Tsukauchi catching a glimpse of him, he had decided to stick around and watch the police make the arrest.

The surprise on Tsukauchi’s face had been worth it, as the detective had stopped in his tracks while Izuku waved at him. Izuku contemplated bringing him a coffee next time, the man looked exhausted.

Izuku's head turned when he heard Oboro snicker, eraserhead didn't have any patrols that night so the ghost had decided to hang out with Izuku. Unlucky for both of them, Tsuakuchi needed help.

At first the detective hadn’t been sending Izuku any cases, most likely due to the fact that he was working with a child. That had sent Izuku into a panic, as he was worried he wouldn't be able to afford his apartment anymore. But Tsukauchi eventually gave in, and had sent Izuku a folder of cases he needed help with. Now Izuku was slowly ticking off the cases, and only had a few more simple ones to go through.

Izuku took a moment to just sit on the roofs ledge with oboro beside him, breathing in the chill air. He had been running around and speaking to ghosts all night. It had been easier with oboro around, as the ghost was quite good at guessing criminal hang out spots. Izuku guessed it was because of Eraserheads patrols that Oboro tended to join. It helped Izuku finish his endeavor at double the rate then usual, he might start asking the ghost to tag along more often.

Izuku took in one more deep breath before going to stand, “we should get going.” he said to the still snickering ghost. “I have a math quiz tomorrow, I need at least a little bit of sleep.”

Oboro frowned at Izuku, “you should be getting a healthy eight hours, not your usual five.”

“Usual four” Izuku corrected absentmindedly, wincing when Oboro glared at him. “It's not that bad.” he tried to deflect, “I can always nap in english if I'm tired.”

Oboro’s glare deepened, “you could, but you wont. I know you dont trust your classmates enough to fall asleep near them.” the ghost crossed his arms.

Izuku spun away to avoid the older teens gaze, “well then we best get going.” he jumped down to the first layer of the fire escape with a loud clang. Oboro followed, but his steps were silent.

“You're not getting out of this.” the ghost floated after Izuku, “I’m not letting you get away with your bad sleeping habits anymore.” Izuku kept walking down the metal steps.

The clanging stopped when Izuku finally reached the bottom of the fire escape, his boots making a dull thud against the concrete. He stopped for a moment to let Oboro catch up, but the thud did not fade.

Izuku quickly whipped his head to where he could hear a separate pair of boots. A tall and frankly charred man stood at the mouth of the ally. His long trench coat brushing across the dirty road.

The strange man's footsteps stopped when he spotted izuku. The two stared each other down, trying to gauge the threat of the other person. Oboro took advantage of his invisibility and circled the man, studying him from head to toe. He even shoved his hand through a few of the man's pockets, most likely feeling for weapons.

When Oboro was done he turned back to Izuku, “he's got a switchblade in the front left pocket, but no other weapons.” Izuku still didn't let up his guard, he assumed the man had a powerful fire quirk if his skin was anything to go off of.

Izuku stood up straighter, trying to appear more relaxed while still keeping on guard. He was worried that this strange man might be one of the criminals from the warehouse he had just turned in. If it was, then Izuku was a bit stuck. On one hand he doesn't want  any of the criminals getting away, but on the other Izuku was afraid that the man may attack him for ratting him out.

“Are you from the warehouse?” Izuku placed a hand on his hip and shifted his weight onto one foot. 

Oboro narrowed his eyes at Izuku, “be careful. I don't trust this guy.” he warned.

Trying not to gain the strange man's attention Izuku waved dismissively at Oboro, hopefully communicating that he knows what he's doing.

“No.” the man says, his voice gruff. “You?” he sticks his charred hands into his pockets, no doubt clutching the switch blade that Izuku knew was hidden.

Attempting to lighten the mood, Izuku huffed. “Who do you think turned them in?” He raised an eyebrow even though it couldn't be seen. The sunglasses he wore covered his upper face pretty well.

The strange man looked Izuku up and down, “you did that? You look like you're only 12.”

Oboro let out a surprised laugh while Izuku just squeaked, “I am not 12! You are way off!” he waved a finger to chastise the man.

“The names Dabi.” Izuku could barely hear the man over Oboro’s giggles. “What about you?”

Waiting a moment for Oboro’s laughter to fade, Izuku organized his thoughts.

“You can call me Deku.” Izuku leaned against a nearby dumpster, using an arm to prop himself up.

Dabi shrugged, “works for me. You up for ice cream? There's a 24 hour convenience store around the corner and I don't have anything to do.”

When Izuku opened his mouth to respond he was interrupted by the observing ghost, “Izuku Midoriya you better not be planning on going with this guy. Haven't you ever heard of the term stranger danger? Do you want ice cream is the most common phrase used by a kidnapper.”

Izuku used his left hand to finger spell a response, hiding his answer from Dabi. He doesn't have any ghosts. I'm sure that if he was a kidnapper he would have at least one ghost. Either a child or a vengeful mother. Besides, the self defense lessons you’ve been giving me have been a big help. I'm sure I could hold my own. 

Oboro didn't look convinced, “Izuku this isn't a good idea. You're going to be exhausted tomorrow and I'm going to bully you for it.”

Just trust me on this, Izuku signed back. I’ve been doing this for a long time, I know what I'm doing. 

Knowing he wouldn't be able to change the younger teens mind, Oboro huffed. “Fine. but I’m coming with you.” he crossed his arms, “geez, sometimes I feel like a single mother worrying about you.” Oboro mumbled to himself.

“Sounds good to me. As Long as you're not some sort of creep planning on kidnapping me. I don't have a powerful quirk if that's what you’re after.” Izuku made sure to hold eye contact with Dabi while he spoke, hopefully getting his point across.

Dabi chuckled to himself, “I'm not interested in hauling around a snot nosed kid, dont worry about me.” the scared man turned to the other end of the alley. “It's this way.” he waved Izuku over.

The three made their way to the convenience store, Dabi bought two ice creams and Oboro stared longingly at Izuku’s. I promise to buy you one tomorrow. Izuku signed to the ghost when Dabi had his back turned.

“Rude! You know I can't eat anything while I'm dead.” Oboro crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Izuku blinked, yes you can. He licked his ice cream, which was threatening to melt over the edge of the cone. If I lend you some of my energy you should be able to finish one. I'll just make sure to get a good night's rest after. 

Sparkles shone in Oboro’s eyes “you would do that for me?” at Izuku's nod he continued, “thanks man! Your the best! I haven’t had anything to eat in years!”

Izuku had to keep from laughing at the ghost's antics, especially since he felt Dabi’s eyes on him.

“Do you think we could get mochi too? The vanilla ones? Those were my favorite food growing up and I would ki-” Oboro was accidentally cut off by Dabi. Izuku's head quickly whipped around when he heard the gruff voice.

“Whats a kid like you doing out here so late at night? Dont you have parents to take care of you.”

Swallowing the icecream in his mouth izuku leaned against his free hand. “Nope!” he popped the p, “I live alone, haven't seen my parents in years.”

The light tone dabi had been speaking in earlier faded as he sat up, “seriously? Damn kid. You have anywhere to stay?”

Izuku took a bite of his cone before speaking, “yeah I'm all good. I make a lot of money turning in criminals so I have my own apartment.”

“You know you really shouldn't give out your living arrangements to random strangers.” Oboro piped from Izuku's side, “it’s not very safe.”

Izuku ignored the ghost as he watched Dabi huff, “Good.” he said dryly, “if you ever need a place to stay let me know.” he waited for Izuku to nod, “what do you do anyways?”

“Oh that's easy! I just dig up dirt on criminals. You should give it a try sometime.” Izuku offered. “If you have a computer it’s not that hard. Just start with turning in random criminals and eventually the police will start asking for your help, that's when you start charging them. Just don't email the Musutafu Station because that's where I get all my work.”

Dabi nodded along, Izuku couldn't tell if he was taking his words to heart.

“Izuku. You really should start heading home. If you stay up any later you’re going to sleep through your alarm and I'm not waking you up." Oboro jabbed Izuku’s arm, the younger teen had to keep himself from swatting at the ghost's hand.

Pretending to check a watch, Izuku clicked his teeth. “I really should get going, see you around?”

Dabi nodded, “see you around kid.” The man returned to his own ice cream.

Izuku jumped down from the roof onto the fire escape. Oboro once again trailing behind him.

“You really need to stop doing dangerous stuff. It's going to get you killed one day.” Oboro chastised.

Izuku shrugged, “I mean, I would rather go out with a bang but you do you.”

The ghost's gaze hardened, “Izuku I'm serious. I died when I was around your age and I regret it every day. If I had been more careful I might have survived, but I was reckless and it cost me. Any day now the same thing is going to happen to you.” 

Izuku did not respond, an odd uncomfortable feeling welling in his gut. He really should take Oboro’s words to heart. One day he was going to get himself killed, and he's afraid of why he's not worried about it. 

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

Izuku sat in his homeroom exhausted. It was his fault for staying up super late talking to Dabi. Oboro had warned him that he would be tired but izuku had just ignored him, it turns out Oboro was right, and apparently felt the need to remind Izuku about it every time the younger teen tried to start a conversation.

Unfortunately for Izuku, Oboro was as chipper as ever, currently chatting away with Shoda. Even though the two were being very loud, Izuku couldn’t force himself to break up their conversation and risk Oboro’s mood plummeting.

Present Mic was also being loud, and he hadn’t even started teaching yet. One of Izuku’s classmates was currently speaking with their excited teacher. His name was Itachi Fujiwara if Izuku remembered correctly.

The loud chatter fell quite as the bell chimed, announcing the beginning of classes. The only people still conversing were the two ghosts in the corner, but only Izuku could hear them.

Chairs screeched across the floor as class 1-C made their way to their seats. Once everyone was situated, Present Mic cleared his throat and began speaking.

“Alrighty I have a big announcement to make. The sports festival is on the horizon, and you will all be participating!”

The class had a split reaction, some people groaned and others cheered. Izuku could easily pick out the athletic students just by looking at the ones grinning ear to ear, with the exception being Shinsou. The purple boy was grinning, it was the same terrifying grin he had shown off yesterday. Izuku doubted it was there because Shinsou loved sports, but rather that he was thrilled for a chance to get into the hero course.

Izuku himself was actually excited for the festival. When he was younger he had always liked watching the sports festival. It didn't matter if he was at home or in the hospital, Izuku had always found a way to watch it. If he was at home, he just needed to make sure his mother was in a good mood. If she wasn't she wouldn't turn it on for him, which Izuku had learned at a very young age. When Izuku was staying at the hospital he just needed to make sure to ask the right nurse. Most of them had been mean, but there were one or two that he liked.

Izuku bets he still has some of his old notebooks where he had drawn himself in the sports festival, younger Izuku would scream if he found out that he would actually get to participate one day. 

Izuku's reminiscing was cut off by Hitoshi turning around in his chair so he could face the younger teen. Present Mic had finished speaking while Izuku had been lost in his thoughts, and the teacher had decided to give his students a few minutes to converse with each other. Shinsou pulled out the plan they had been working on the day prior.

The paper was littered in quickly scribbled words that Izuku could hardly make out, Shinsou’s handwriting was truly atrocious. Luckley, Izuku remembered everything they had discussed the day before. The two had gone into great detail planning how they would hide the activation for Shinsou’s quirk. They had discussed that waiting to use his quirk during the final matches would be better, as his opponent wouldn't know what to expect. They had also planned for Izuku to make it to the final round, so they could stage a fight with a fake quirk. 

Shinsou pointed to a chunk of the scribbles, “I don't know how we’re going to do this.” Izuku squinted at the paper and realised Shinsou was pointing at Izuku’s role in their plan. “How are we going to fake an emitter quirk?”

Izuku grinned slightly, “that's the easy part. Because heroic students have more time to practice their quirks and the other courses dont, other students are permitted to bring in any support items they create themselves. This is generally geared towards the support students, but there's nothing in the rules that says Gen-Ed students can't.”

Shinsou blinked, “you’ve read the rules?”

Izuku raised an eyebrow, “you haven’t? Aren't you worried about breaking them and getting expelled? Kids like us need to make sure we're following the rules perfectly, or we could get expelled. Especially from a school like U.A.”

“I don't think U.A. is discriminatory like that. If it was, don't you think we would have already been expelled for the threats you made to those boys yesterday?” Shinsou rested his chin on his fist, which was propped up on his elbow.

Izuku shrugged, “I would rather be safe than sorry.”

Shinsou glared slightly before he swiftly smoothed out his expression, “it's great you know all that stuff, but how is that supposed to help me fake a quirk?”

Izuku didn't answer right away, but instead pulled out his notebook. The collection of papers was slid across the tables and Shinsou leaned in his chair to get a better look.

“Is that… a ray gun?” Shinsou asked, jabbing the blueprints with his finger.

“Sure is!” Izuku cheered, “I have the real thing back at my apartment. I still need to test it but we could do that after school. I was planning on painting it but I can wait, any ideas for colours?”

When Shinsou did not respond, Izuku looked up from the notebook. The purple teen was staring at Izuku with wide eyes. Izuku blinked nervously, before waving a hand in his friend's face.

“Earth to Shinsou.” Izuku said when his movements didn't break Shinsou out of his stupor.

The other boy jolted, which caused Izuku to instinctively flinch away. Shinsou slammed his hands on the table. “You built an entire ray gun?!”  Shinsou asked in disbelief. He continued his rant when Izuku nodded, “why are you even in this course? You’re obviously some sort of super genius, you should be in the support course at least . I don't know why you decided to settle for Gen-Ed when you could be doing way more.”

Shinsou’s hands had left the table and were waving around wildly, causing Izuku to shrink in his chair slightly. Sweat began to pool at the back of Izuku’s neck as he felt the curious eyes of his classmates. 

Obviously concerned with the commotion, Oboro floated over to check what was going on. Izuku caught his eye before turning back to an exasperated Shinsou.

Izuku felt a cold hand brush his shoulder, he was eternally grateful for Oboro’s support.

Out of his other eye, Izuku could see Shoda glaring at Shinsou. She looked like she was about to pounce on the taller teen. Izuku caught her eyes and slightly shook his head, she huffed before backing up slightly.

Shinsou seemed to realize he was only stressing out the greenette, and he stopped talking. When Shinsou’s arms stopped waving, Izuku straightened his posture.

Shinsou offered a quiet apology but Izuku just waved him off. “The ray gun wasn’t very hard to build, so I wouldn't call myself a genius. So how do you feel about testing it out? You need to have a good idea on how to use it if you're going to pretend it's your quirk.” Izuku whispered, not wanting his classmates to overhear.

“Yeah that sounds cool! But can you please confirm the plan because I am very lost.” Shinsou clasped his hands together as he spoke, shaking them every once in a while.

“Oh yeah! Sorry about that!” Izuku apologized, leaning forward so he could be heard better. “Okay here’s the plan…”

Chapter Text

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Oboro asked, placing a cool hand on Izuku’s shoulder, “I know you’re terrified. We could always find out a different way to do this.”

Izuku shook his head, “last time I ignored an issue like this class 1-A was attacked by villains. I won't sit by again, even if it means I'll be expelled.”

He really wanted to take Oboro’s words to heart, and do this a better way. But the guilt eating away at Izuku’s stomach was too large to ignore. So late last night, he had compiled a bunch of evidence against two of his classmates. A lot of the information was about Shoda’s death and the reasons the bullies should be held responsible.

He had also spent a large chunk of time coming up with a believable lie for why he had dug for all this information. Oboro had been extremely concerned when he walked into Izuku’s house to see him practicing his lies in the mirror. It's safe to say the ghost quickly forced Izuku into bed, worried that the boy might have hit his breaking point.

But Izuku was still nervous. He didn't know how discriminatory the principal was. The U.A. website did say they had a no bullying policy, but most schools just added those for show.

Oboro moved his hand to Izuku’s back, rubbing small circles in an act of comfort. Izuku was extremely grateful for the ghost, he didn't know if he would be able to handle this alone.

Raising a shaky hand, Izuku took a deep breath. He lowered his fist to the door, a file strongly clutched in his other hand. Before his hand made contact, the door swung open. Startling Izuku so much he physically jumped back.

Inside the office, Nezu sat at a tall desk chair that was placed in front of a long desk. The principal's black beady eyes scanned Izuku, who was sweating under the intimidating gaze.

“Hello!” the chimera chimed, “what can I do for you today?” The smile placed on his face was terrifying.

Izuku swallowed before taking a few steps into the office, his grip on the folder tightened. “H-hi. I’m Izuku Midoriya and I have some uhh- some information on a few of my classmates I think you might be interested in.” 

One of Nezu;s eyebrows raised as he eyed the wrinkled folder, “oh? And why would that be?”

Using the hand not gripping the papers, Izuku nervously scratched at the back of his neck. “I was just reading through the code of conduct, and there are a few things in there that they violated. And some of the stuff is pretty bad so I thought that I should do something about it.”

Nezu nodded and then held out a hand (paw?), motioning for the folder. Izuku complied with his request, sliding the folder into the principal's grasp before pulling his own hand away. Oboro gave Izuku’s shoulder a squeeze in support as Nezu began to scan the papers.

Izuku could feel the sweat on his neck double as the principal read, his expression unchanging. Nezu’s eyes widened a small fraction somewhere in the middle, Izuku assumed he was reading the information about Shoda.

The awkward silence was broken when Nezu cleared his throat. “This is very alarming information Midoriya, do you mind telling me what exactly compelled you to dig this up?”

Izuku swallowed, this was the part he had practiced. Staring at his shoes, Izuku pulled at his fingers “it’s just… I knew Shoda. Not very well, but I met her a few times. We were both quirkless so we understood each other. When she… When she took her life I was really upset, she was never the kind of girl I would expect to do something like that. And then I saw her brother in my first aid class and I just felt so guilty. I wanted to do something to get back at the people who had wrong her. And when I found out her main perpetrators were in my class, I just couldn't stand it. So I did that.” Izuku weakly motioned to the folder before looking down again. He didn't want the principal to catch him lying.

Taking pity on the boy, Nezu nodded. “I understand. Thank you for trusting me with this Midoriya, I'll make sure the respective parties are punished accordingly.”

“Thank you.” Izuku mumbled, deeply bowing to the principal. He quickly turned to the door and scurried out.

The two teens made their way down a few hallways before Izuku finally snapped and turned to Oboro. “That was the scariest moment of my life.” Izuku said, grabbing Oboro’s shoulders.

His racing heart slowed slightly when Oboro laughed, “I bet! But you handled it like a champ. If I hadn't talked to Shoda before I would have 100% believed you, and you even told me you were planning to lie earlier this morning.”

Izuku huffed in amusement, remembering how he had warned the ghost of his plan. The memory of Oboro’s stunned expression would be cherished for many years to come.

The pair was interrupted by Shoda, who was waving at the two from across the hallway. Oboro waved back immediately, Izuku scanned his surroundings first before he also waved.

The younger ghost approached them, her tether nowhere in sight.

“Hey guys.” she smiled, landing on the ground so she no longer towered over the living boy. “Where have you been? I didn't see you in the cafeteria.”

“We normally don't eat in the cafeteria.” Izuku explained. “It's super crowded and we can't talk with each other without me looking like a psycho. Shinsou doesn't like the cafeteria either, so when I eat with him we eat outside.”

Shoda nodded, “ok cool! I was just going to thank you for helping me out. I don't know what you told the principal but the fact that you at least wanted to try means a lot to me.”

Izuku shot the ghost a warm smile, “it's no problem at all. Are you planning on sticking around? Or will you move on?”

“It really depends.” Shoda shrugged. “If your plan works then I’ll go find someone else to haunt. Those two weren't the only jerks in middle school. If it doesn't then I'll probably stick around. Someone has to teach those two a lesson.

Izuku nodded in understanding, “alright. I assume Nezu will be calling them into his office soon, so you might want to stick by them.”

Taking Izuku’s advice, Shoda moved to go find her tethers, “it was nice meeting you two, thanks for keeping me company Oboro.” she waved while floating backwards down the hallway.

“Yeah! No problem!” Oboro waved back, a wide grin on his face.

Izuku smiled as well, his grin slightly smaller than Oboro’s. “See you around Shoda.”  

“Call me Kei, you’ve sure earned it.” she said, pointing at Izuku.

Nodding, Izuku waved back. “I will, see you around Kei.”

With that Kei turned around and floated down the hallway. No doubt looking for her tethers. Izuku and Oboro smiled at each other, pride but also sadness written across their faces. They know Kei would not be returning

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

When the sports festival finally arrived the whispers of two 1-C students getting expelled died down. Instead replaced with confessions of excitement and nervousness for the upcoming event.

Izuku was one of the nervous students. It didn't matter how many times Oboro tried to ease his nerves, he was still teeming with anxiety.

“It's not like you’ll lose anything if all goes wrong. You could finish dead last and nothing bad would happen. It's not like you’re aiming for the hero course.” Oboro rationalized, attempting to ease at least some of Izuku’s concerns.

Whispering out of the corner of his mouth, Izuku crossed his arms. “I might not be, but Shinsou is. I don't want to be the reason he doesn't get in.”

Oboro raised his eyebrows, “you have like, 20 back up plans! And those are just the ones you’ve written down! I know you have a few more up in that brain of yours.” the ghost jabbed a finger at Izuku’s forehead. “I don't think you have to be worried.” 

Shooting a harsh glare at Oboro, Izuku massaged his forehead. “It's not like I can control my nerves.”

Oboro winced, “okay fair. Do you need anything from me?”

Izuku perked up at that, “actually yeah. I've been meaning to ask you, but do you think you would mind helping me out during some of the events? Everyone else is using their quirks so it makes sense that I use mine.”

“Oh? You want to cheat? I didn't think you would stoop so low Izuku. Guess I was wrong.” Oboro teased, smirking at the younger teen.

Sputtering, Izuku whipped around to glare at the ghost. “It's not cheating! I read the rule book and nowhere does it say that people with secret quirks aren't allowed to use them!”

Oboro laughed before patting Izuku on the back, “chill I'm just teasing. I know it’s not cheating, I would be pumped to help you out.”

Playfulling punching Oboro in the shoulder, Izuku grumbled “you’re a jerk you know that.”

“Who's a jerk?” Shinsou emerged from the doorway, raising an eyebrow at Izuku.

Quickly moving to do damage control, Izuku sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh no one. I'm just talking to myself, it happens when I get nervous.”

Accepting that answer, Shinsou nodded. “Fair enough. I personally can't sit still, I'm a little freaked out right now.”

Trying to lighten the mood, Izuku laughed. “Hey I get it. But just remember we have like 20 backup plans, and those are just the ones we wrote out. I have even more in my head.”

“Hey! I came up with that! You can’t just steal my advice and give it out as if it’s your own!” Oboro complained, throwing his hands in the air.

Rolling his eyes, Shinsou snorted “of course you do. Good to know I’m in the right hands. Anyways, we should get going. It’s about to start.”

Izuku nodded before following Shinsou down the hallway. They made their way to class 1-C’s waiting room, which was filled with nervous chatter.

Anxiety getting the better of him, Izuku subconsciously pushed himself into Oboro’s side. The ghost grinned before wrapping an arm around the shorter boy.

“What do you guys think the first event is going to be?”  a black haired boy asked, Izuku was pretty sure his name was Itachi Fujiwara.

Shinsou led Izuku over to a table, separate from the clump of students in the centre but close enough so they could hear the conversation.

“I'm not sure.” The girl with the sheep mutation chimed, her name was Hino Emina. “I really hope it's not a maze like last year. I bet those things are teeming with spiders.” she shuddered, her ears flicking back with the motion.

“I don't really care what it is.” Akechi Madoka answered, her puffy braids swinging. “I don't plan on getting past the first match. I hate exercise.” she placed a finger on her chin, “but it would be cool if it was similar to those wipeout courses they would televise in the pre-quirk era. That would be fun to watch.”

A chorus of agreement echoed in the room, Izuku was just confused. He wasn't very knowledgeable on pre-quirk movies. Izuku raised an eyebrow at Oboro, hoping for an explanation.

“Do you not know what a wipeout course is?” Oboro’s eyes widened and Izuku shook his head.

“They were these really popular obstacle courses, and people didn't have quirks to do them with so it was a lot harder. Most of the show was just people wiping out, which is why it was so funny.” using two of his fingers Oboro mimicked someone jumping between platforms, as well as them falling.

‘Cool’ Izuku signed back. He was startled when the door was flung open by a tiny robot.

“Please make your way to the entrance tunnel.” it droned, a red dot blinking at the top of it.

Class 1-C watched in silence while the tiny robot turned around and left the room. Only splurging into action when the class president called out, “you heard the robot! Everyone up and at'em.”

The chair Izuku had been sitting on screeched when he pushed it back in, Izuku grimaced at the loud noise. 

“You ready?” Shinsou asked from his side. 

Taking a moment to breathe deeply Izuku smiled, “as ready as I can be. You have the ray gun?”

Shinsou nodded and pulled the tip of the weapon out of his pocket. Just enough for Izuku to see the purple stripes painted on. After spending an entire day getting an above average amount of knowledge on how to use the ray gun, Shinsou had insisted that Izuku use the colour purple to paint it. After one of his usual endeavors Izuku had picked up a small can of purple paint, and immediately went home to paint the thing. Oboro had not been happy when he met up with Izuku to walk him to school, and found him covered head to toe in paint.

“Great. Try not to use that for the first event if you don't have to. Stick to the other stuff.” Izuku waved at Shinsou’s stuffed pockets, which were no doubt filled with the various gadgets Izuku had gifted him.

“Sounds good.” The two teens began to make their way down the hallway, Oboro trailing behind them. When they caught up to their class Izuku was squinting, the bright sun shining into his eyes. 

Oboro noticed this and offered his help. “I can float up and block the sun for you. I don't know how well it will work but it might do something.

Waiting for Izuku to nod before going through with his idea, Oboro floated above Izuku’s classmates, positioning himself so that he covered the entire sun. Izuku let out a breath of relief when the harsh light left his eyes.

“Wow Midoriya, how are you doing that?” Hino asked from his side, her eyes watering. “Isnt the sun totally hurting your eyes?” that caught the attention of several classmates and heads turned to look at him.

“I- umm, I-” Izuku risked a pleading glance at Oboro, the ghost just shrugged. “I used to stare at the sun as a child. I’ve grown immune.” he blurted, his panic getting the better of him.

His classmates gave him an odd look before accepting his answer and turning back to the stadium. Oboro flashed Izuku a thumbs up, the younger teen had to suppress a groan. The sun stayed out of Izuku’s eyes until his class had to enter the stadium and Oboro returned to his side.

The amount of sweat on Izuku’s neck seemed to double when he saw the massive crowd. Sure, he knew the event was going to be huge. But the reality of seeing thousands of people looking at his class really freaked him out. The fact that Izuku knew thousands more were watching from their TVs did nothing to ease his fears.

Class 1-C joined the heroics students in the middle of the arena, watching as the other classes were introduced and joined them. When Midnight called Katsuki up to give the opening speech Izuku buried his face in his hands and suppressed a groan.

“What's wrong?” Oboro asked from above him, the crowd was too tight for him to stand beside Izukul without giving someone frostbite. 

Izuku tilted his head to the side slightly, just enough so that he could see Oboro from the corner of his eye. ‘That kid has the biggest ego imaginable. He’s going to say something self centred.’  

Right on cue, Katsuki cleared his throat into the mic. “I just wanna say. I'm going to win.”

Silence hung over the crowd for a second, before loud jeers of disagreement chorused through the arena. Izuku covered his ears to hide away from some of the noise.

“Yeesh! You were right. You know that kid or something?” Oboro crossed his arms over his chest and leaned backward, as if he was in some sort of hammock.

Lifting his hands from his ears Izuku signed back, ‘ yeah. I've known him since I was a little kid. We were childhood best friends.’ 

The shouting came to a halt when Midnight cracked her whip. The students turned towards the screen mounted on the wall, a wheel of different challenges was being projected. Izuku heard a small cheer of excitement while he was reading the triangle labeled ‘wipeout course.’

A few kids slapped their hands on their thighs, mimicking a drumroll while the wheel spun. Izuku rubbed at the long sleeves covering his arms as he watched the options flicker by.

Eventually the wheel slowed, landing on “obstacle race.’ murmurs erupted from the gathered students but were quickly put to a stop when Midnight cracked her whip again.

“Alright students! Make your way over to that gate way over there!” she called out, pointing to one of the long tunnels exiting the arena. Izuku looked up at Oboro before he made his way over to where the other U.A. students were gathering.

He gazed down the long tunnel, he already knew the cramped quarters would be a challenge to get through. He took a deep breath and prepared himself for the event to start.

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

As soon as the buzzer rang Izuku hoisted himself up onto people's shoulders. He made sure to grab Shinsou’s shoulder and bring him upwards too. Class 1-C had been put in the back of the tunnel, and just pushing through would take too long. Izuku’s idea turned out to be the right one, as a beam of ice shot out and multiple student’s feet were sealed to the ground.

Izuku and Shinsou emerged out the other side of the tunnel, Oboro floated beside the two. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Robots again?” Shinsou complained when he got a good look at the next obstacle. None of the items in their pockets would be useful so they had to improvise. Izuku swiftly scanned his surroundings, spotting a large piece of metal hiding in the wreckage. That would be useful for bashing. He ran over to grab it, also nabbing a sharp steel pole to give to Shinsou.

Izuku groaned when he grabbed the sheet of metal. It was extremely heavy, but Izuku knew it would be useful in getting past the giant robots. He ran back to Shinsou and offered him the pole, the other boy stared at it for a moment before clutching it in his grip.

The two ran towards the robots. Shinsou pulled his arms backwards before swinging at the metal. Izuku raised his chunk of metal over his head and slammed it down on any obstacles. A robot with a giant 3 painted on the front spawned beside Izuku, using the lasers on its face to burn the boy. Oboro gasped and used his body to block the next round of lasers while Izuku swept the robot's legs from under it.

“Let's go.” Izuku said to Shinsou, grabbing onto the boy's wrist and pulling him along. He didn't drop the metal, and glared at Shinsou when he attempted to leave his pipe behind.

The two stopped when they reached a large pit. Ropes were strung in between rocky platforms. Izuku turned to Shinsou and ripped off one of the sleeves on his shirt. Shinsou opened his mouth to question the younger boy, but closed it when Izuku used the sleeve to tie the pipe to Shinsou’s back. 

Izuku used a few strays wires on his sheet of metal to wear it like a backpack before he grabbed onto the ropes and started to shimmy across. The sweat on his hands made his grip weak, and he felt queasy looking down. But he didn't want to let Shinsou down, so he would do whatever it took to place in this race.

The weight of the rope shifted when Shinsou began to dangle from it. Izuku was about to slip when Oboro grabbed his hand. “I got you.” the ghost said before winking at the other boy.

“If you weren't single handedly keeping me from falling into this pit I would smack you.” Izuku whispered at the ghost, shooting him a playful glare. The grip Oboro hand on Izuku loosened when the ghost laughed, but Oboro didn't let go.

When the three reached the other end of the chavern, Oboro helped pull Izuku up. Izuku smiled at him before helping Shinsou, who looked incredibly shaken.

“You good?” Izuku tilted his head to the side. Shinsou just gave a shaky nod, he looked like he was about to hurl. “Alright let's go then.”

The two continued to run, Oboro still trailing behind. They passed a person or two but were suddenly forced to stop as they came across a giant minefield.

Students were slowly making their way across, there were at least 50 people already on the field. If Izuku and Shinsou wanted to make it through this round they would have to pass a huge handful of these people. 

Shinsou also seemed to come to this conclusion, as he was staring at Izuku with wide eyes. The younger teen looked around, trying to come up with a way for them to quickly pass through the crowd. Izuku’s eyes stopped when he noticed one of the mines sticking out of the dirt.

“I have an idea.” Izuku whispered before crouching down in the dirt. He pulled the metal off of his back and began to dig up the mines, collecting them in a giant pile. Shinsou joined him on the ground and began to dig with his pipe, softening the dirt so Izuku could push it around easier.

When Izuku had collected all the mines in the area he pulled Shinsou up. “Grab on.” he told the purple boy, hardening his gaze to show the seriousness of the matter.

When Shinsou’s hands were secured on the metal Izuku began to run, Shinsou followed suit. “Jump!” Izuku called to the older boy. The two jumped, and Izuku shifted his weight so the metal was facing the ground.

Shinsou yelled in alarm when the mines exploded and they launched through the air, a trail of pink smoke following them.

“Midoriya! Are you crazy!” Shinsou yelled over the wind, grabbing Izuku’s gym strip with his spare hand.

Izuku laughed, the wind whipping through his hair giving him a maniac look. “Probably!” he yelled back.

The two passed whoever was in first, Izuku heard the sound of familiar explosions trying to catch up. “Get ready to jump.” Izuku told Shinsou, shifting his grip to the wire hanging off the makeshift magic carpet.

“What?!” Shinsou asked in alarm, his eyes blown wide. Izuku ignored him and instead focused on the two competitors that were quickly approaching, he reared his arms back and called to Shinsou. “Jump!”

No longer questioning Izuku’s methods, Shinsou jumped. That gave Izuku the freedom to flip around and slam the metal into the ground. Blasting away Katsuki and another boy and propelling Izuku and Shinsou further.

The two 1-C students tumbled to the ground, but Izuku quickly rolled and regained his footing. Izuku grabbed Shinsou’s wrist to pull him up before the two started sprinting towards the finish line. Shinsou stumbled on the harsh ground a few times, but Izuku was quick to yank him back up to continue their run.

The two kept running, not even stopping when the harsh light of the sun assaulted their eyeballs. Oboroo assisted in blocking out the sun once more, which meant Izuku could see the finish line right as he and Shinsou crossed it.

Loud cheering echoed in the stadium as the two boys stopped to catch their breath. Izuku could barely hear the sound of other students finishing over the noise. Both 1-C students smiled at each other, Oboro was grinning as well. 

The ghost ruffled Izuku’s hair, which Shinsou glazed at briefly before blaming it on the wind. “Nice job!” the ghost praised, “never do that again because it scared the crickets outta me, but still good job!”

Izuku hid his snort of laughter with a cough, ‘crickets?’ he signed with his free hand. Briefly blushing in embarrassment, Oboro rubbed at the back of his neck, “my mom used to say silly things like that all the time, I guess some of it just stuck.”

Smiling, Izuku pat Oboro on the back of his shoulder. ‘Thats cute. Who knows, maybe I'll slip it into my vocabulary. I could try a phrase or two while on patrol.’ Izuku removed his hand when he noticed Shinsou giving him an odd look.

“I can't believe we actually did that.” Shinsou had his hands on his knees and he was breathing harshly. 

Izuku laughed, the adrenaline making everything 10 times funnier. He only stopped to regulate his breathing when he noticed the edges of his vision darkening.

The good mood didn't last long, as Shinsou had noticed the blistering burn on Izukus arm. Without warning shinsou grabbed the younger boys arm, scanning the burn and scars surrounding it. Izuku yanked his arm back in surprise, eyes blown wide in panic.

“What did you do to your arm?”Shinsou asked, pointing at the wound.

Izuku took a minute to compose himself before he responded, “I just burnt it a little. It's not bad, I'll be okay.” Shinsou didn't look convinced.

“Are you sure you don't want to go see Recovery Girl before the next event begins?”

“I'm sure. It doesn’t even hurt.” izuku assured, shaking his arm as proof.

Shinsou looked like he wanted to argue further, but he was interrupted by Midnight's whip cracking again.

The pro hero went on to show a video of izuku and shinsou crossing the finish line, making sure to zoom up on the part where their feet crossed the finish line. The video revealed that Izuku had been the first to cross the finish line, so he was awarded 10 million points for the next round.

Izuku tensed when he felt many eyes lock onto him, Oboro rubbed circles into his shoulders in silent comfort. The hand stayed while the other teams were revealed. 

With the eyes never leaving him, Izuku wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Shinsou smiled at him to try and provide some comfort but it wasn't working. The way Katsuki was glaring at him wasn't helping. Izuku could tell he was going to regret this.

Chapter Text

Izuku sat on top of three people, a white headband tied around his forehead. He was rather surprised when he and Shinsou had ended up with a full team. He hadn't expected two others to want to join up with them, especially since they were not hero course students. When a pink haired girl had approached Izuku demanding he let her on his team he had blurted yes in surprise. She said her name was Mei, and that she wanted to be on their team so people could see her amazing…babies...? Izuku was pretty sure she was talking about her inventions. 

There was another student that had approached them. A bird headed boy that had yet to find a group. Izuku let him join their group without hesitance, quizzing the boy on his quirk. He ended up explaining that his name was Tokoyami Fumikage and he had a sentient shadow dwelling inside him. At first Izuku had thought that the boy might just have depression, but that was before a shadow creature emerged from Tokoyami’s back.

Izuku had asked Oboro to help them out as well. The ghost could block a few emitter attacks, like the laser beams from the sparkly boy. He could also provide another pair of hands to help nab other headbands, as well as holding on to their own.

The four had discussed a plan in great detail, and Izuku felt more than ready to tackle the next round. However, that didn't stop him from flinching whenever he heard the popping of Bakugo’s explosions.

The buzzer sounded through the arena and the teams took off, a huge handful of them heading towards Izuku’s team. 

“Quick! The boots!” Izuku called to Mei. The girl cackled before clicking a button, then all 4 team members burst into the sky. Oboro yelped when the group took off before glaring at Izuku, “what's with you and flying through the air! You do know this is extremely dangerous!”

Izuku smirked at the ghost, ‘what can i say.’ he signed, ‘I like being up high, it's a great vantage point.’ when Oboro’s glare only hardened he continued, ‘don't act like you're any different! You do flips in the air all the time!’ 

“That's different!” Oboro defended, “I'm not at risk of falling and losing my life. You are.” he jabbed Izuku in the chest, the younger boy wobbled slightly.

‘I'll be fine! If I fall I'm certain someone would catch me. We’re in a school for heroes, there are dozens of hero wannabes that wouldn't hesitate to rescue someone. And none of them know I’m quirkless so I'm set.’ Oboro only frowned.

Izuku would have further argued his point, but he was interrupted by a wave of ice. He heard Shinsou yelp as his foot was encased in the crystals. Panicking, Izuku whipped out the mini flamethrower he had in his pocket and shot it at Shinsou’s foot. Izuku rushed to shut off the weapon when he could only see a thin layer of ice, afraid of burning Shinsou’s foot. The purple teen jerked his ankle out of the ice prison and the team shot out of the way of another fast approaching glacier. 

Shinsou’s eyes widened slightly when he registered the flamethrower, Mei looked delighted. “Where did you get that?!?!” he demanded. 

Izuku shot back a sheepish smile, “I need something to defend myself, I built while you were practicing with the-” Oboro rushed to put a hand over Izuku’s mouth, stopping him from spilling their plan to anyone within earshot.

It looked like Shinsou wanted to reply, but he was forced to look back down when another team fired at them. Izuku mumbled a quick thanks to Oboro before grabbing two small bombs from his pockets. The flamethrower was useful in a way, but it also weakened Dark Shadow. Izuku didn't mind it that much, as he had prepared a few slime bombs the night prior. 

“Shinsou, catch!” Izuku called down to the boy, waiting till they had locked eyes to throw the glittering orb. Shinsou raised an eyebrow in question, Izuku mimicked throwing a ball as an answer. 

Shinsou grinned when he realised the purpose of the orb. The purple boy reared an arm back and chucked it at the closest group. Mei’s face lit up in wonder when the bomb exploded into a mess of sparkly pink slime, the teams caught in the blow collapsed to the ground.

Izuku threw the other bomb, stopping himself from cackling in delight when it hit Bakugo’s group front and centre. Mei however did not catch the memo, and started laughing at the team. 

A quiet buzzer sounded, letting the competitors know that the match was halfway over. Izuku leaned down so his teammates could hear him and began to whisper, “who's ready for phase two?”

Tokoyami and Shinsou nodded, Mei pouted before also nodding. Izuku raised back to his natural height and began to undo the knot at the back of his head. Everyone in the arena seemed to freeze, watching as the boy slipped the 10 million point sash off his head and dangled it over the ground. Tension was strung high in the air when Izuku dropped the sash onto the ground.

And then, just like a bow with its string tightened too much, the tension snapped. Every mobile team in the arena raced towards the bandana, Izuku’s team dove out of the way. Hands snagged headbands as they slid by, Oboro even pitched in to grab a headband or two. The crowd made it easy for the former first place team to snag headbands without being noticed, and all the teams were too focused on the 10 million points to notice their own points being stolen.

Izuku's team emerged from the crowd with at least a dozen headbands in their arms, the points were passed up to Izuku, who slipped them around his neck. Mei cackled again, stealing the attention of a team that hadn't bothered to go for the 10 million points. 

Monoma sat on top of three other 1-B students. Izuku recognized them from his first aid class. The only other person Izuku knew by name was Tsuburaba, who was leading the three team members.

“It looks like someone stole our strategy.” Monoma grinned sadistically, “and they got more points than we did! That just won't do!” 

Izuku didn't have any time to analyze that sentence before team Monoma came rushing at them. Tokoyami was able to spur Izuku’s team into moving before they were hit, but Monoma was still able to brush his hand along Izuku’s bare arm.

Izuku's eyes widened as he made eye contact with the boy. He had seen him fighting with Bakugo earlier, both boys had been hitting each other with explosions. At first Izuku had assumed they just had similar quirks, but if they did Monoma would have set something off when he touched Izuku. Which meant he had some sort of copying quirk.

Monoma’s eyes widened when they landed on Oboro, who was floating beside Izuku. Time seemed to slow as Oboro realised Monoma could see him.

“You can see me.” the ghost accused, Monoma stiffly nodded. Izuku tugged Oboro’s sleeve to get his attention before signing something at the ghost. 

Oboro watched Izuku sign before turning back to Monoma to deliver the message. “We can explain more after. Just leave it alone for now, It won't help you win this battle.”

Monoma nodded, his teammates shot him a worried look. With a slightly shaky voice, Monoma said “it’s a blank. Keep going.”

Tsuburaba and the other members of team Monoma shot each other confused looks before they ran off, Monoma still appearing very shaken. Izuku could imagine how jarring that could be, watching another human appear out of thin air was probably terrifying. Especially since Oboro had been hovering above the ground.

“What was that about?” Shinsou asked, raising an eyebrow at Izuku.

The smaller boy swallowed the lump in his throat, “I'm not sure. I think he tried to copy my quirk.” 

“Ah.” Shinsou huffed. He knew that Izuku didn't have a quirk to copy, which would explain why Monoma was so thrown off. 

The team gathered their bearings to make another move when the buzzer sounded, spooking Izuku so badly that he tumbled off of his teammates into the sand. Oboro yelped in surprise before diving to catch the boy. but he didn't make it in time, resulting in Izuku getting a facefull of dirt.

“Midoriya! Are you alright?” Shinsou asked, crouching down beside him. Izuku was grateful when Shinsou kept his hands away.  The loud shouts of Midnight announcing the winners filled the arena.

“I'm fine!” Izuku said, raising an arm up to further prove his point. That didnt do anything but jostle his burn, which caused Izuku to wince.

Now that the shock of Izuku falling over had worn off, Oboro was cackling. “Are you sure?” the ghost asked between giggles, “that looked like it seriously hurt.”

Izuku swatted in Oboro’s general direction, oblivious to the concerned glances his classmates shared. 

“Do we need to take him to the nurse?” Tokoyami asked Shinsou, only slightly twitching in surprise when Izuku shot up from his position on the ground. 

“I'm fine!” Izuku repeated, only slightly dizzy from standing up so fast. He slowly got to his feet, brushing the sand off of his pants. “I feel great, don't need a nurse!”

Tokoyami seemed to accept this answer, Shinsou looked skeptical, Mei looked like she couldn’t care less. 

Shifting his attention to the board, Izuku clued in to what Midnight was saying. Trying his best to ignore the worried glances Oboro kept shooting his way.

Izuku’s team ended up placing second, first place going to team Todoroki. They must have been the ones to nab the 10 million points. Bakugo’s team was in third, Monoma’s was in fourth. 

The next activity was introduced, one on one battles. Izuku sighed in relief, there wasn't anything too complex about the next challenge so there shouldn't be any complications with their plan. 

The relief quickly turned into dread when Midnight announced the hour-long break, Izuku could already feel Monoma’s eyes burning holes into the back of his head. Oboro grimaced in sympathy.

‘Can he still see you?’ Izuku signed, keeping his back turned so Monoma couldn't see his hands.

Oboro shook his head, “I don't think so. Pretty sure there's a time limit or something, or maybe he can only use one quirk at a time? I’ve tried waving to him a few times, but he didn't even glance in my direction.”

Nodding, Izuku took a deep breath. “Alright. I'm going to go talk to him.” he said in a whisper, not wanting to catch the attention of his classmates. His trek towards Monoma was interrupted by Shinsou.

“Where are you going?” Shinsou raised an eyebrow. 

Not wanting to lie to his new friend, Izuku pointed at Monoma, “I need to talk to him, he tried to copy my quirk.”

Shinsou nodded in understanding, “want some backup. I won't be afraid to punch the guys if he starts shit.” he cracked his knuckles for emphasis.

Desperately shaking his head, Izuku jabbed a finger at Shinsou’s chest. “Don't you dare. You could actually get expelled for beating someone up, blackmail is the best way to go. Besides, I don't think he's going to do anything. I just need to make sure he won't tell anyone.”

Casting one more look at Monoma, Izuku signed. “Okay. But if you're not at our meeting place in 20 minutes I'm going to look for you.”

Izuku gave a determined nod, before pushing past Shinsou and walking towards Monoma.

He waved a hand at the boy, motioning for him to join him down the hallway. “Follow me.” he said when Monoma didn't move.

The blonde quickly moved into action, following Izuku down the unoccupied hallway. The two walked in silence, only the sound being their sneakers hitting the floor echoing through the hallway. Even Oboro was uncharacteristically quiet, not that it affected Monoma in the slightest.

When Izuku was positive they had gotten far enough to have their conversation uninterrupted he stopped. It took a moment for Monoma to realise Izuku had stopped walking, but when he did he slouched across the opposite wall.

“So, are you going to explain what happened back there?” Monoma asked, crossing his arms.

“I’ll explain if you promise to listen.” Izuku replied. He didn't want to be called crazy yet again, the fact that Monoma had seen Oboro might help him prove his point. But the fear still lingered no matter how many times Oboro told himself that. The last time he had told anyone alive about his ability it hadn't ended well. He remembers telling one of the kinder nurses in the psych ward about his quirk, she had sweetly smiled at him. Izuku thought that she might have believed him. But the next day the dose on his medication had been bumped up and he was locked in his room for the rest of the week.

Izuku didn't know if he would be able to handle being rejected again.

It must have shown in his expression, as Monoma nodded without saying a word. Izuku took a deep breath, subconsciously grabbing onto Oboro’s hand for support. “I have a very odd quirk. Nobodys ever believed me when I told them, because it's impossible to prove. Unless you have a copying power.” Izuku took a deep breath and squeezed Oboro’s hand, if the ghost was alive he was sure there would be bones creaking. “I can see ghosts. I’ve been able to my entire life. But when I was younger I was falsely diagnosed with quirklessness and schizophrenia, so nobody ever believes me when I tell them. If you want to make sure I'm not lying, just copy my quirk.”

Izuku held out his arm to let Monoma copy his power, something that seemed to surprise the other boy. Only hesitating a second, Monoma grazed his hand against Izuku’s scarred arm. As soon as he made contact Monoma’s eyes locked onto Oboro and widened. The ghost waved using the hand that wasn’t still holding onto Izuku’s own.

“Hi!” Oboro greeted, a cheesy grin spreading across his face. “The names Shirakumo Oboro, nice to meet you!” he bowed as best he could with the green teen latched onto him.

“You can call me Monoma.” the tall boy said, bowing ever so slightly in return. “I take it you’re a ghost then?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Yep!” came Oboro’s ever so chipper reply, “the friendliest ghost around!”  

Izuku snorted, “that's not even an understatement. He's the only ghost I've ever met that isn't on some sort of revenge plan. I think he’s some sort of defect.” Izuku’s tone turned serious as he turned towards Monoma, “I don't mind you copying my quirk, but I do have to warn you that most ghosts aren't as friendly as Oboro. I recommend pretending you can't see them, or else they might attack you. That's how I got this.” Izuku pointed to a particularly harsh scar on his sleeveless arm; it came from the top of his shoulder all the way down to the middle of his forearm. The scar was easy to spot, even with a starburst burn scars covering parts of it.

“You’re lucky, because you can just stop using the quirk whenever you’d like. But I would still be careful.” Izuku pulled his hand out of Oboro’s grip so he could wipe his sweaty hands on his pants, giving the ghost full mobility again. “And don't tell anyone either. It doesn't matter what you do, they’ll just think you’re crazy and send you off to some psych ward. If you get sent there, I can't help you.”

Monoma raised an eyebrow at this, “you could tell people now. You’ve got me as proof.” he pointed his thumbs at his chest.

Shaking his head, Izuku looked at Monoma with seriousness in his eyes. “Not happening. Nobodys ever believed me. showing up with somebody who has the same delusions that I do wont change a thing.”

Awkward silence filled the corridor, Oboro took this as an opportunity to speak up. “You guys should probably head to the cafeteria. Shinsou’s going to start looking if you don't meet up with him in five. I think he grabbed you something from Lunch Rush already though.” 

Monoma stared in fascination at Oboro’s feet, which were slightly hovering above the ground. Izuku cleared his throat to get his attention. “If anyone asks, I'm quirkless. I promise you that if you tell someone it will end badly, and not just for me.”

With that he turned on his heels and began to make his way over to him and Shinsou’s meeting place, leaving a boy who just had his world flipped upside down all by himself.

Chapter Text

Neito didn't know how to feel.

Normally he would point, laugh and make a big show of things. That's what usually helped him feel less like a background character, less like someone who would be forgotten. But Midoriya’s story was so out of touch for him that he didn't know how to react.

When he had first seen Oboro he had been rather surprised. He had copied multiple weird quirks, but seeing another person just appear out of thin air was quite a shock. He thought that maybe it was some sort of hallucination quirk at first, but then Midoriya had stared the ghost right in the eyes, so that was ruled out.

But then Midoriya had explained, along with practically begging him to keep his secret. Neito also thinks he might have been threatened, but it could have equally been a warning so Neito was unsure. Most people would think that Neito wouldn't bother keeping the secret, and normally he wouldn't. But the issue was so far out of Neito’s territory that he decided Midoriya knew best, especially since he had a ghost backing him up.

The hero part of Neito really wanted to tell someone and get Midoriya some help. But he also knew what it was like to be discriminated against, and the idea of making Midoriya’s life any harder was unbearable.

Neito silently made his way over to the cafeteria, his thoughts distracting him from anyone passing by. At one point he swore he could hear someone ask about secret love children, but he was too preoccupied with his entire world view being flipped to pay it much mind. Every once and a while he would just stop to look around the hallway, wondering if there were ghosts in front of him right at that moment.

After an agonizingly long walk, Neito finally joined his class in the cafeteria. He didn't participate in the anxious conversations happening around him. If his classmates noticed they didn't say anything, probably just assuming Neito was nervous.

It wasn't long before the buzzer went off, letting the students know that the final section of the festival was about to start. Neito followed his classmates when they began to make their way to 1-B’s seats, he also made sure to tell class 1-A “that if their hero careers were toys then they would be the off-brand ones that nobody likes” when he passed by. It helped him blow off a little bit of steam, but he also earned a harsh chop of the back of his neck from Kendo.

He didn't say anything more when he sat down in his seat, instead taking time to study all of the quirk he could be facing off against.

The first battle was anticlimactic. Bakugo’s quirk had caused a great display of light, which made it so Kuroiro didn’t have any shadows to hide it. The shadow boy had been knocked out by a particularly harsh punch to the face.

The second battle was boring. The electricity kid had immediately started his battle off by releasing 1 million volts of electricity. All Yayorozu had to do was produce an insulator blanket and wait for the idiot to fry his brain. After that she had just gently nudged the boy out of the ring, securing her victory.

The third battle was by far Neito’s favorite. Mei, a pink haired support student, had tricked a member of 1-A into wearing some of her inventions. She then used the hero as a walking advertisement, before stepping out of the ring. 

The fourth battle was over in an instant. Todoroki had quickly shot out a giant glacier of ice, trapping the red haired boy in place. That round had taken a while to clean up.

The fifth battle was disappointing. Tsuburaba had started off strong against the sentient shadow creature, but his solid air quirk hadn’t been able to keep up when the shadow creature had picked up the box Tsuburaba had trapped himself in and started shaking it.

Neito was slightly surprised with how the sixth battle ended. He would have bet that the hero student would win, but the Gen-Ed kid had some sort of laser quirk and had been able to shoot off any tape the other boy produced from his elbows. The Gen-Ed kid had won via throwing a pink glitter bomb at the hero course student and trapping him in a sticky glue.

When the sixth battle finished, Neito stood up. His battle was eighth, but it still took some time to get to the gates. With the pace of the previous rounds, Neito wouldn't be surprised if number seven ended quickly as well.

He stood and tried to ignore the disappointment he felt when only a few of his classmates wished him good luck, most of them deciding to cheer for Kaibara instead. It didn’t matter anyway, he tried to convince himself. He was going to win.

—-------♡–♡–♡—------- 

Izuku was sweating bullets. 

The next event definitely wasn't his strong suit. There wasn't anywhere for him to hide, nothing to use as a makeshift weapon. All he had was the few remaining gadgets on his person. 

At Least he wasn't up against Bakugo. He doesn't know if he would have been able to handle that.

Izuku shoots a small smile at Monoma, who had just won his round. Even though his classmate had known Monoma could copy his quirk, he was still no match for Monoma's physical strength. Kaibara was one of the kids that thought they could get by with just a powerful quirk, but Monoma knew better and had at least trained his body a little bit.

The arena hadn't been destroyed so the buzzer signaling the next round sounded immediately. Oboro gave Izuku a reassuring pat on the back before nudging him into the sunlight, Izuku’s opponent could also be seen entering the stadium.

The girl across from Izuku had bubble gum pink skin, as well as two yellow antennae sticking out of her head. She had a wide smile on her face as she waved at Izuku before starting to stretch. He offered a shy wave back and then started taking some deep breaths. He would stretch, but he needed to take care of his nerves first. His punches were always weaker when he was anxious.

Izuku's progress was sent backwards when Ashido reached down and touched her toes. She was flexible, which meant she was probably agile. Izuku’s main plan rested heavily on his opponent not being able to make harsh turns.

It took another moment for Izuku to get his nerves back under control, but he was fairly composed when Midnight went to start the match. Her whip cracked and Ashido immediately launched herself towards Izuku, skating on the acid she had produced from her feet. Once she was close enough, Ashido shot a giant chunk of acid in Izuku’s direction.

Izuku dove out of the way of the main blast, but wasn't quite quick enough to avoid the surroundings droplets. He easily ignored the sting of his flesh melting in favor of charging at her from behind. Izuku shoved through the thin shield of acid she had created to push her over. Ashido wobbles before falling into the puddle of acid at her feet, her uniform begins to dissolve, but she gets to her feet and quickly wipes it off before her clothing dissolves completely.

Izuku takes a few steps back, so that he's at the edge of the arena. Ashido glares at him with a determined fire in her eyes, only giving Izuku seconds to dodge when she comes speeding at him again. 

Luckily, Izuku is fast enough to avoid the girl. For a moment it looks like Ashido is about to shoot another chunk of acid at him, but Oboro quickly intercepts to keep Izuku acid free.

Ashido’s eyes go wide as she realizes what's happened, she tries to regain her footing to turn but is not fast enough. In a desperate final attempt, Ashido grabs Izuku’s uniform to try and pull herself away from the border. But Izuku just swats her hand off and lets her slide out of bounds.

The roar of the crowd is loud, Izuku cringes internally. He does his best to ignore the crowd, instead reaching down to give Ashido a helping hand. Ashido smiles before firmly gripping Izuku’s hand, he ignores the pain in his palms.

“That was a super cool fight!” Ashido praises, smiling in a similar way to Oboro does. “Are you immune to my acid? You blew through that shield like it was nothing!”

Izuku raised an eyebrow in confusion. “No… but it wasn't solid, so I just stuck my hands through it.” trying not to fidget with his hand still in Ashido’s clutches.

The girls eyes widened and she shifts the grip on Izuku’s hand, so that she could see the palm. The skin was red and raw, but nothing he hadn’t dealt with before. “Oh my goodness I'm so sorry!” Ashido apologized, “we should get you to Recovery Girl, this looks pretty bad.”

Izuku immediately ripped his hand out of Ashido’s grip. “No, it's okay. This is nothing. And you don't need to apologize, I did this to myself.”

Concern painted Ashido’s face, “are you sure? The acid I used on my shield was a higher percentage than the other stuff, it could do permanent damage if you don't get it treated.”

“I know how to treat it. You don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine.” he cradled his hand to his chest, ignoring the worried glaces Oboro was shooting over Ashido’s shoulder.

The conversation was interrupted by Midnight, “heya kiddos. I don't mind you guys chatting but can we do it outside the arena? Unless one of you is injured?” she raised an eyebrow in question.

Ashido looked like she was about to snitch, so Izuku was quick to interrupt her. “No, we’re all good. Sorry about that.” he didn't give anyone time to reply before he turned on his heels and scurried out of the arena.

Unfortunately he couldn't outrun the ghost. Oboro jabbed him in the side, “what are you thinking? You’ve got a pretty nasty burn, that’s something you should 100% see a doctor for.”

Izuku swatted his hand away. “It's not that bad. I can treat it myself.” he continued to walk towards his locker, where he had a first aid kit stashed.

Getting frustrated, Oboro huffed before stopping in front of Izuku. “Why don't you want to go to Recovery Girl?” his foot silently tapped against the tile.

Izuku went to side step the ghost, but Oboro just shifted so he was still blocking his path. Annoyance bubbled in Izuku’s gut, “I don't have to tell you anything.” he snapped at the ghost.

Oboro didn't let up, “you do if you want to get past me.”

The silence echoed throughout the corridor, every uncomfortable shuffle Izuku made could be heard from miles away. He pulled harshly at his fingers, the earlier annoyance behind replaced with fear.

“I don't like doctors.” Izuku finally mumbled out, so quiet that Oboro barely caught what he said.

Oboro blinked in surprise, “you don't… like doctors? Are you afraid of them?”

Ashamed, Izuku nodded. “I don't trust them.” 

The younger teen had to stop himself from flinching when he felt a cool hand rest against his shoulder. “Okay, that's fine. How about we go see if we can treat it ourselves, if it's not something you can do yourself then we can see about getting some help.” the ghost said in a gentle tone, purposely avoiding any mention of nurses in fear of setting Izuku off.

He nodded, not having the energy to stop himself from softly smiling when Oboro began to rub circles into his shoulders. The fear hadn’t left completely, but the trust he had in himself to be able to patch up burns helped ease some of it. He had treated much worse burns himself, the ones on his hands would be nothing compared.

Oboro kept his arm around Izuku’s shoulders as they walked towards his locker. When they arrived Izuku slipped from Oboro’s hold and swung the door open. He almost laughed at the ghost's shocked expression when he pulled out the giant first aid kit.

The latch clicked as Izuku began to open the kit, the noise drowned out the sound of someone approaching from behind. In familiar motions, Izuku whipped over his injury with an alcohol swab.

“What are you doing over here?”

Izuku jumped, quickly scrambling to his feet before he realised it was just Shinsou. He let out a sigh of relief before answering the other teen, “just patching up some burns.”  Izuku turned back to his first aid kit.

Shinsou circled around so he was facing Izuku, “isn't that Recovery Girl's job? Or is she some quirkist asshole?”

The tub of cream of Izuku’s hand dropped in surprise, “umm no.. I don't think so. I can just treat these myself so I'm not bothering her.”

One thing Izuku liked about Shinsou is he didn't ask unnecessary questions, he knew some of the struggles Izuku would have faced being quirkless. The purple boy crouched down to offer a helping hand, “alright. But if it turns out you can't then we go see her, deal?”

Unease churned in Izuku’s gut, he really didn't want to go see Recovery Girl. But he also had faith in his first aid abilities. He rolled his eyes before nodding, Shinsou smiled before unscrewing the tub of burn cream.

The purple teen scooped a glob onto his fingers, raising an eyebrow to ask for permission. Izuku hesitated for a moment before offering his burned digits. A cooling sensation twinkled over the burns as Shinsou began to apply a generous amount of cream.

“You don't need to use that much,” he told Shinsou, staring at his now greasy hands. The older teen scoffed, before taking the extra cream on Izuku's hands and applying to the smaller burns dotting his arms.

With a skill that only came with practice, Shinsou gently wrapped Izuku’s hands in bandages. Izuku was grateful, he knew how to bandage his own hands but it would have been painful with charred hands.

“Thanks,” Izuku smiled. 

“Dont worry about it.” The latch on the first aid kit clicked shut as Shinsou closed it, the reusable supplies already tucked away. Meanwhile, Izuku gathered the garbage to deposit in the trash.

When Izuku had made his way back to his locker, Shinsou had already stored the kit inside. The teen was leaning against the wall, Oboro floated beside him. Purple eyes met green and Shinsou began to make his way over. “Do you want to head back to our seats? I think I broke part of the ray gun, do you mind looking over it?”

Izuku snorted, grateful for the distraction. “Of course you did. Yeah let's go take a peak, you're going to need it for your next match. Dark shadow is weak against light.”

Shinsou nodded along to Izuku's rambling, attempting to pay attention to Izuku’s muttered strategy. The three walked off to go watch the rest of the matches.

Chapter Text

Turns out, the part of the ray gun Shinsou had broken was a very simple fix. The distraction was still appreciated, even when it was time for Shinsou to go compete in his match. And as Izuku predicted, the match ended quickly. The ray gun’s bright beams had weakened Dark Shadow, the flash bang that Shinsou threw stunning the creature enough that Shinsou could easily push Tokoyami out of bounds.

Izuku had almost jumped for joy, until he realised that it was now time for his match. Izuku knew that Monoma would have combat experience, and since Izuku didn't have a useful power it would be a fist fight. There was a chance that Monoma would copy his quirk and Oboro could help push him out, but that was unlikely.

Immediately after entering the arena Izuku was assaulted by the harsh sunlight. On the opposite side of the grounds Monoma was pretending he wasn't bothered by the light, but Izuku could see his eyes watering.

The two teens stood across the stadium from each other, Oboro floating right behind Izuku. Midnight did not give them as much time to warm up as she did last round. Halfway through stretching his arms Izuku heard the crack of a whip, Monoma immediately charged at him. 

Izuku was barely able to doge Monoma’s swinging fist. The only reason he hadn't been knocked off his feet is because Oboro had yanked him out of the way just in time. Monoma did not seem phased by Izuku’s dodging, and just immediately turned around to try again. 

This time when Izuku charged at him with his fist reared back, Izuku grabbed his wrist and proceeded to flip the taller boy over his shoulder. Once on the ground, Monoma gasped for breath, the wind having been knocked out of him. Izuku grabbed his ankles and started to drag him over to the edge, knowing he would not be able to incapacitated the boy. After one more inhale Monoma seemed to realise what Izuku was doing, and began trying to kick his feet out of Izuku’s grip.

Oboro attempted to help Izuku keep his grasp on the boy, but eventually the thrashing worked and Monoma was able to slip one of his ankles out of Izuku’s hand and start kicking him. After a particularly violent strike to his fingers Izuku was forced to let go of Monoma’s ankle, letting the boy scramble to his feet.

“I didn't know you had that kind of power, you’re pretty scrawny looking.” Monoma taunted, hoping to get a moment to catch his breath. Izuku didn't give him the satisfaction of an answer or air in his lungs, instead charging at Monoma. The taller boy dodged the punch Izuku threw, but was unable to maneuver around the kick. 

Izuku barley flinched when a fist flew at his face, the crunch of his nose distracting Monoma from the heel about to ram into the back of his knee. The grin stretched across Monoma’s face quickly faltered as his legs collapsed. Izuku used the moment of weakness to shove Monoma over, letting the taller teen tumble over the border.

Izuku could hear the cheers of the audience, as well as his homeroom teacher's excited praise. He offered a hand to Monoma to help the other teen up. Monoma took the offered digit before beginning to dust himself off.

“Good fight.” Monoma dipped his head, Izuku reciprocated the gesture.

“You too.”

Monoma just grunted before turning to walk out of the stadium, Izuku watched him go before turning to leave. He was stopped by a slim hand blocking his path, it was Midnight.

“Hey there Midoriya, you need to get that checked out.” Midnight waved at his bleeding nose. The teen reached up a hand to poke at the injury. It wasn't broken, just bleeding.

“It- it’s not broken. All I need is to clean up the blood and it should be good as new.” he told his teacher, poking at his nose to get his point across.

Midnight frowned, “okay… but if it starts bleeding again you go see Recovery Girl”

Izuku nodded, not actually planning on following up on his end of the deal. Midnight smiled and let him continue to the tunnel, Oboro trailed behind him.

“Are you sure that you don't need a doctor?” Oboro asked once they had made it further down the tunnel, “I know first aid if you did actually break something.”

Izuku shook his head, “I didn't injure myself that badly this time, it's honestly just a simple nosebleed. Now can we go before I get my bio hazard all over the clean floor?”

The ghost rolled his eyes before continuing down the hall, Izuku falling in step beside him.  

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

Hitoshi was relieved.

Midoriya had won his battle, which meant that Hitoshi was guaranteed second place. Unless Midoriya decided he actually hated Hitoshi and countered against their plan, but Hitoshi didn’t think that would happen.

The slight breeze blew a few strands of hair into his face. Midoriya was getting it much worse from the other side of the arena, his poofy curls assaulting his vision. Hitoshi laughed into his hand when he saw Midoriya attempting to blow the hair out of his face.

“Shinsou, do you have an elastic or something?” Midoriya shouted across the stadium, just loud enough for the spectators in the first few rows to hear.

Raising his eyebrows, Hitoshi pointed to his gravity defying hair. “You think I have an elastic?”

Midoriya just huffed while slouching over, trying his best to tuck his curls behind his ears. Midnight laughed, before taking pity on the boy and tossing him an elastic from around her wrist. Definitely not startled, Midoriya caught the elastic. An expression of awe painting his face, before he tied the stray hairs into a ponytail on the top of his head.

Once the boy was situated Midnight cracked her whip, signaling the start of the battle. The crowd obviously expected something to happen, noises of confusion echoing the stadium when neither of the boys charged at each other.

Hitoshi took a few experimental steps towards his “opponent”, Midoriya took that as a sign to also start walking towards the middle of the arena. Both students stopped when they had come face to face, Hitoshi stuck out a hand. Smiling, Midoriya took the other boy's hand. The contact only lasted a second before Midoriya dropped his hand and began to whisper something in Hitoshi’s ear.

“When you fight Bakugo you have to say something to damage his pride. That's how you’ll get him to respond to you. If he still doesn’t talk, mention me.”  Midoriya only pulled away after Hitoshi nodded. The shorter teen offered a small salute to Hitoshi before walking backwards and out of the arena. The crowd began to murmur in surprise, and Present Mic started talking about an unexpected twist.

Hitoshi just turned around and made his way down the corridor, he was absolutely terrified for the next round.

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

Izuku was practically vibrating in his seat.  The plan he and Shinsou had come up with was working perfectly, Shinsou was almost guaranteed a spot in the hero course. Izuku watched the purple boy enter the arena, a scowling Bakugo also entering from the other side.

Midnight gave the students a minute to gather their bearings, Izuku could barely sit still. Sensing the younger teen’s anticipation Oboro slid a hand into his lap, letting Izuku squeeze his hand as much as he needed to.

Without warning, Midnight cracked her whip. Bakugo immediately charged, prepared to launch a right hook. Lucky for Shinsou, Izuku had warned him of the blonde's leading move and he was able to dodge out of the way.

Because he was too far away, Izuku couldn’t hear the words Shinsou spoke. But he must have taken Izuku’s advice, because Bakugo turned around, fuming, before yelling something back.

The grin that spread across Shinsou's face could only be described as manic, and Bakugo came to a halt. Confused murmur’s echoed through the crowd as Bakugo rose from his slouched position, irises turned cloudy.

Then Shinsou turned his gaze to where Izuku was sitting before winking. His mouth moved again before Bakugo robotically spun in a circle, twice. When Bakugo sat down Izuku blinked in realization, these were the same commands Izuku had given to Shinsou’s bullies. 

He could stop the soft smile that crept over his face as Bakugo said sorry. Izuku couldn't actually hear the other boy, but he was skilled enough in lip reading to understand.

After an approving nod from Izuku, Shinsou commanded Bakugo to stand back up. The blonde complied, standing and then making his way out of the arena. Shinsou watched him carefully, only finally realizing his control when Bakugo had crossed over the line.

Bakugo shouts of anger could almost be heard over the cheers of the crowd.  Shinsou couldn't hide the wide smile on his face, watery purple and green eyes locked and Izuku smiled wider.

Eventually Shinsou had to make his way back inside, as he needed to prepare for the medal ceremony. Izuku was just about to open his analysis notebook when he felt a cold hand land on his shoulder, it was Oboro. 

“Shouldn't you make your way to the basement? You got third place, you need to prep for the ceremony too.” the ghost raised an eyebrow.

Third place? That did make sense, considering Izuku had made it to the semi-finals. But he had not yet registered the fact that he had gotten so far. Without warning Izuku shot out of his chair, startling the classmates chatting around him.

“I got third place. I'm supposed to be in the basement.” he whispered . He could hear Akechi giggle beside him. He snagged Oboro’s wrist before bolting, ignoring the amusement from his classmates.

When Oboro realised Izuku was running and finally decided to speed up, Izuku let go of his wrist. He shook his hand once, attempting to dislodge the cold lingering in his bones. The two made their way down to the basement, slowing down when he saw a collection of students and staff.

As soon as Izuku arrived he balanced his hands on his knees and attempted to catch his breath, he could hear Shinsou laugh at him from nearby.

“Did you run all the way here?” the purple teen asked, raising an eyebrow.

Izuku glared at the boy, “ I forgot I placed, I didn't want to keep everyone waiting.”

Shinsou snickered before patting Izuku’s back, the boy didn't flinch at the contact but quickly stood up to avoid it. Izuku immediately regretted it, as Bakugo was glaring at him from across the room.

Swallowing the lump in his throat Izuku turned to Shinsou. “Your match went really well, I'm proud of you.”

The other teen scratched the back of his neck, failing to hide the small grin spreading across his lips. “Yeah well, I wouldn't have been able to do it without you. So thanks.”

Izuku smiled, “it was no issue. I'm glad you’ll finally be able to work towards your dream, I know you’ll be a great hero one day.”

Shinsou’s eyes watered, but he quickly wiped them away. He looked like he wanted to say more, but midnight was already ushering him away to his own platform. Snipe also came over to help Izuku and Todoroki get situated on theirs.

Bakugo was still glaring at Izuku from the other side of the platform, oboro seemed to take notice of this and tried his best to block Izuku's sights while staying away from todoroki. The ghost wouldn’t want to freeze the other boy, essically after the frostbite he had been sporting the previous round.

With the help of Cementoses quirk, the platforms began to rise. Cementoss sure was doing a lot of work, maybe Izuku should get him a bread basket.

The crowd erupted into cheers when the platform finally reached the sunlight, Izuku could feel his anxiety worsening. His eyes briefly scanned over Todoroki when he heard the boy shuffling, subconsciously leaning towards the warmth radiating off the boy. 

Izuku offered a nervous grin when Midnight slipped the bronze metal over his neck, Todoroki did not. Oboro was still blocking most of Izuku's view, but from what he could see Bakugo was not very happy with second place. From the tallet pillar, Izuku could see Shinsou attempting to appear laid back. It was working for the most part, except for his slightly watery eyes, but it wasn't noticeable enough for a crowd to notice and could probably be blamed on the sun.

When the ceremony had finished, Izuku and Shinsou met up. Both had their medals around their necks.

 “You want to go to a cafe or something?” Shinsou asked when they had gotten past the busy gates. “I would have to text my dads to make sure but I think they would be cool with it.”

Izuku could feel his own eyes sparkle, “really? I would love to!” This was the first time he had ever been invited out by a friend.

Shinsou nodded before whipping out his phone, shooting a quick message to his parents. Izuku didn't need to do the same.

Oboro tapped Izuku's shoulder, the younger teen tilted his head ever so slightly to show he was listening. “I'm going to tag along with Sho and Zashi, I'll see you tomorrow?”

The ghost waited for Izuku to nod, before floating off. Tuning into whatever shinsou was rambling about, Izuku started to lead them towards the nearby cafe. That was before Shinsou randomly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

“I need to thank you again Midoriya, I really couldn’t have done that without you.” He said, turning to look Izuku straight in the eyes.

Izuku smiled, “as I said earlier, I’m happy to help. And call me Izuku, I think I trust you enough for that.”

“Then call me Hitoshi, it would be awkward if you didn’t.”

Izuku’s smile widened, “deal.” He chirped before letting Hitoshi lead him away.

Chapter Text

When Izuku awoke the next morning he felt more well rested than he had in years. At first he had panicked, assuming he had slept through his alarm. But then he remembered there was no school for first years, as it was the day of the second year's sports festival.

Deciding to get some work done instead of sleeping another hour, Izuku rolled out of bed. He forgoes getting dressed, choosing to stay in his pajamas. When he exited his room he was surprised to see Oboro sitting at his kitchen table. 

The ghost was focused on something in front of him, not even noticing when Izuku entered the room. Izuku wondered what Oboro was so enthralled with, it couldn't be a book or anything because Oboro couldn't flip the pages. It also wasn't the TV, because Izuku knows he didnt turn it on before going to sleep.

Izuku moved to the other side of the table, making sure Oboro could see him rather than sneaking up on him. All that was in front of the ghost was a pen, which Oboro was trying his hardest to lift. Izuku cleared his throat and Oboro’s head shot up.

“Hey sleepyhead! Look who's finally up!”  Oboro smiled, his posture straightened. Izuku paused to examine the ghost. Something was up, Oboro’s smile didn't feel genuine.

Narrowing his eyes Izuku pointed at the ghost, “what's wrong.”

Oboro’s eyes widened before he quickly smoothed his expression back to his usual smile, “nothings wrong, I don't know what you’re talking about.”

“You're upset.” Izuku stated rather bluntly. “I wore that same smile on my own face for years, you can't fool me.”

The wide smile Oboro was sporting flickered before falling. The ghost started to pick at the peeling wood of the table, not that it did anything.” I- It doesn't matter. It's stupid.”

Izuku took a seat across from the ghost, “if it's upsetting you then it's worth something, even if you might not think it's a big deal. And if it turns out it is nothing then just talking to someone might help.” he said, fiddling with his thumbs.

Oboro blinked up at him, “it's just… last night Sho was injured during patrol. Nothing too bad, but he was stabbed and beat up pretty bad. I was there when it went down, I had to watch it all happen. I couldn't do anything, it's just so frustrating seeing all these people that need my help and not being able to give them a hand. I know it can't be helped, and that there's no way to bring me back to life, but it still sucks. I'm trying to build stamina.” the ghost waved at the pen still on the table, “but at this rate everyone I care about will be dead before I get the hang of it. I can't even lift a pen. It's pathetic.”

To prove his point, Oboro slid three of his fingers underneath the pen. His brows furrowed in concentration as he attempted to lift the pen. Offering his support, Izuku slid his hand on top of Oboro’s. 

As soon as Izuku made contact the pen rocketed into the air, hitting the ceiling before clattering back down onto the table. Both boys stood at the blue mark on the roof, left from the pen grazing the ceiling.  Their gazes flickered back to the pen and then each other, Oboro slid his fingers back under the pen. It lifted easily this time, Oboro even tossed it into the air a few times.

Izuku hesitantly took his hand off Oboro’s, the pen that had been resting in his palm phased through the appendage and rolled onto the table. Oboro tried to lift the pen again, with no luck. He was only able to lift the pen once more when Izuku had resumed their contact.

“Oboro.” Izuku said with a shaky voice, the ghost's eyes lifted to make contact with Izuku’s own. “I think I just figured out a solution to your problem.”

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

Mio considered herself a pretty successful criminal. She had completed many robberies, drug deals, and even a few murders and had never been caught.

Part of that was probably her quirks fault. It was called “forget me not” and gave her the ability to erase people's memories of her, nobody would report a crime they witnessed if they couldn’t remember it. The police hadn't been able to make the connection because a “forget me not” was also a type of flower, so anyone who looked at the registry just assumed she could just grow that flower.

Although recently there had been a little green vigilante following her around. She erased the kid's memory everytime she encountered him, but the kid kept coming back. He wasn't able to make much progress though, because any information he gathered would disappear as soon as Mio used her power.

This night was similar. Mio was just walking through the alley's when a kid wearing all black jumped from the fire escape, blocking her path. She sighed, before lifting her hand and shooting him with a beam, successfully activating her quirk. 

She snuck off while the boy was disoriented, making sure to weave through a few streets before slowing down.

A loud grumble from her stomach alerted Mio to her hunger. She wasn’t too worried about it, all she had to do was nab something from the nearby convenience store.

And nab something she did, making sure to use her power in the cashier before leaving. 

Munching on the granola bar she had stolen, Mio made her way back toward her apartment. At least that’s what she was doing before the annoying vigilante jumped out the sky again.

She rolled her eyes, “seriously, again? You normally leave after the first time.” Shrugging, Mio raised her hand to shoot off her quirk again. But this time instead of the boy standing still, he ducked.

All Mio could do was stare in shock. The kid had never dodged before, something had changed.

The kid charged, fist reared back. Mio could almost laugh at how predictable he was.

She caught his wrist just in time to feel a kick ram into her back. She turned around, but no one was there. It wasn’t possible for the kid to kick her like that with his feet firmly on the ground. Was there someone with an Invisibility power?

Mio swung her own fist at the boy, the hand he would use to block still in Mio’s grip. But she was stopped by an invisible force, until it wasn’t invisible anymore. 

A slightly taller boy stood back to back with the smaller one. His cloudy blue hair stood up straight, and he had a bandage on his nose. Mio fist was caught in his hand, so she did what the only sensible person would do and attempted to kick the teen.

But all the blue haired teen had to do was take a step forward, breaking his contact with the tiny boy. The teen disappeared and Mio’s foot went through where the boy was standing. In her moment of weakness the other boy used one of his legs to knock out Mio’s remaining leg.

With nothing left to support her, Mio collapsed to the ground. The smaller teen was quick to pin her down, and was soon joined by the taller one.

Pulling out zip ties from who knows where, the original kid tied Mio’s wrist behind her back. Keeping his ankle against the other teens torso.

Mio withered on the ground, trying her best to escape the bunds. But the teens were effective and she was unable to escape from the zip ties until the police came to trade them out for quirk suppression cuffs, and by then the boys were long gone.

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

The truth about Izuku’s quirklessness had spread. He didn't know how, but every one of his classmates knew he didn't have a quirk. As soon as Izuku had walked through the doors in his classroom he felt dozens of eyes looking him up and down.

Izuku stopped in the doorway, scanning his classmates' expressions. There were looks of pity, disgust, hatred. looks that Izuku thought he had left back in middle school.

He took a shuddering breath, doing his best to ignore the eyes judging his every move, and made his way to his seat. Izuku didn't bother pulling out his analysis notebook, he knew that if the wrong person saw it the notebooks would be stolen from him. Izuku had a lot of important work in that book, work that was paying his bills. He couldn't afford to lose the time he’d spent gathering those notes.

Hanging his head, Izuku stared down at the clean desk. He had enjoyed not having to clean his desk every morning, the feeling of the smooth pristine wood under his hands had always brought a smile to his face. But of course nothing good could last forever, soon the desk would be covered in cruel black letters and carved out insults.

From his seat in front of Izuku, Hitoshi turned around. He looked like he was about to say something, maybe about the escapade to the cafe they had the other day. Something on Izuku’s face stopped him though, as his jaw slowly closed and his eyebrows furrowed.

“Are you okay?” Hitoshi asked, his head tilting slightly. 

Izuku nodded, unable to gather the energy to actually speak.

“You sure?” Hitoshi’s eyes narrowed, “no offense but you look like some just told you that you're going to be shunned for the rest of your life or something.”

Izuku really did try to hold back his tears, but Hitoshi’s joke hit a little too close to home. Hitoshi’s eyes widened in concern as Izuku choked on a silent sob. Hiding his face in his sleeves, Izuku tried his best to calm down. He really didn't want to be caught crying in the middle of the class.

Hitoshi looked like he wanted to reach out, but had learned from previous experiences that Izuku did not like touch. The teen still offered his hand, placing it palm up on the desk. Izuku did not take Hitoshi’s hand, instead taking deep breaths to try and get his emotions back under control.

It only took a minute or two until Izuku’s silent tears had subsided, Hitoshi passed him a tissue from his backpack.

“Thanks,” Izuku mumbled, dabbing the wetness from his face. Hitoshi nodded, too immersed in his own inner conflict to talk.

Just as Hitoshi gathered the courage to ask Izuku whatever he had been mulling over, Present Mic burst into the room. The teacher’s usual energy had not dimmed in the slightest, even with the busy events from the week prior. 

He quickly sped through the attendance, oblivious to the ghost entering the classroom via the wall. Just as Izuku was about to pull out his most recent commission, Present Mic called on him. “Oh! before we start, Shinsou and Midoriya,” he pointed to each boy as he said their names, “Nezu wanted to talk to you, he said to meet him in his office.”

Izuku blinked in surprise. Why would the principal want to talk to both of them? If it was just Hitoshi, Izuku would understand, because he had gotten first in the sports festival. Izuku would also understand if it was just him, and the principal was expelling him. But there was no good reason he could think of for both of them being summoned.

Hitoshi stood, swinging his bag over his shoulder. After putting his pencils back, Izuku did the same. The two walked out of the classroom, Oboro trailing behind them.

“What do you think he wants to talk about?” Oboro asked, Izuku shrugged. He really didn't know.

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

Shouta was awoken to a small pat on his leg. It was Nezu, waking him up for the meeting they were about to have with 2 of the Gen-Ed students. One of the students was his son, Hitoshi. The other was Hitoshi’s friend, who he had been told had an incredible mind. They were going to ask the boys if they wanted to transfer into the hero course.

Shouta knew that Hitoshi would take up the offer right away, his dream had always been to become a hero. He didn't know what Midoriya would want, the teen was apparently quite skittish as well as a little strange, but who wasn't. Then again, Izuku’s schizophrenia might be an issue. Shouta would have to get him evaluated by Hound dog.

The tired man climbed out of his sleeping bag with a loud sigh, rolling up the yellow eyesore to use another time. He crouched down to let the principal hop into his scarf, a routine he’d hated at first, before picking up the folders on the table. Taking a minute or two before the students would show up, Shouta flipped through Midoriya’s folder again, he already knew what Hitoshi’s looked like.

The file was thick, filled to the brim with medical reports and complaints from old teachers. Not even Nezu had read through the whole thing. After the first few pages Shouta could immediately spot red flags. It seemed like every mistake Midoriya had ever made was written down, the first page was filled with stories of Izuku speaking in class. There were also complaints about Midoriya picking fights, even one or two incidents where Midoriya had shown up with wrong colour socks and had been dress coded. That had been a shock when Shouta had first read it, not even he himself was that strict with the dress code, and Shouta liked to think of himself as a fairly stern teacher.

He placed the file back onto the desk just in time, as two seconds later Hitoshi was pulling the door open. Midoriya stood nervously behind him. The two teens entered the room, Midoriya jumped when the door shut automatically behind them, Hitoshi laughed.

Midoriya didn't startle as much when Nezu popped out of Shouta’s capture scarf and waved. In fact, Hitoshi seemed more shocked than Midoriya did. Shouta hid his evil grin when his son turned to Midoriya just to see him waving at the principal not phased in the slightest, Hitoshi’s eyebrows only furrowed further as he also waved.

“Am I a rat? Am I a bear? I am the principal of U.A.” Nezu chimed. This time it was Midoriya that looked confused, Shouta couldn't even begin to guess why. 

“We have called you here today to talk about your performances in the sports festival. You're qualified to transfer into the hero course if you so chose too. This meeting will tell you what to expect if you accept.” the chimera explained, clasping his paws together.

Shouta looked over to the teens, Hitoshi looked absolutely ecstatic. At Least he did to Shouta, anyone who did know the boy might think that he simply did not care. At his side, Midoriya was softly smiling with a look of pride. The only strange thing about it was that the expression was directed at Hitoshi, as if the boy was proud of his friend rather than himself.

Just as Shouta was about to analyze what Midoriya could be thinking, Nezu spoke up. “Because we are not too far into the year there won't be much you have to catch up on. You will participate in internships, but it will have to be under one of U.A.’s teachers so that you can get caught up on what little you’ve missed.”

Hitoshi shakily cleared his throat, obviously intimidated by the principal. “Do we get to choose which hero we go with? Or are you picking?” The teen definitely had a preference, most likely wanting to go with Shouta. Beside him, Midoriya looked like he couldn't care less.

Nezu riffled through Shouta’s scarf before pulling out one of the dozens of papers he had stored in there, he passed the paper to Shouta, who slid it into Hitoshi’s hands. “There is a list of the teachers you can choose from. we have recommendations if you wish, but you are not required to take them.”

Hitoshi’s eyes scanned the list, Midoriya leaned over the other boy's shoulder to get a closer look. The smaller boy would take a moment to whisper in Hitoshi's ear every few seconds, who would nod before continuing to read down the list. 

At one point Hitoshi turned to whisper back to Midoriya, just loud enough that Shouta could hear it. “Who are you going with?”

Midoriya leaned back with a puzzled expression, “me?” he pointed a finger at his chest.

Raising an eyebrow, Hitoshi nodded, “yeah, this offer is for both of us.” he waved at the paper. “Why else would you have been called here?”

It's almost funny how much Midoriya eyes widen as the boy realises the conversation had also been about him. However, the shock is quickly replaced with denial. Shouta watches as Midoriya’s panicked eyes scanned over the adults in the room, looking for some kind of confirmation. Hopefully providing the boy some relief, Shouta nods.

The boys eyes water but no tears fall. At least not any that Shota sees, as Midoriya looks down into his lap, blocking Shota’s view. “You know… you know I'm quirkless right?” he mumbles, his hand oddly wrapping around the air.

Shouta moves his gaze from the hand onto Midoriya’s still hidden face, “yes, we know you’re quirkless. The offer still stands.”

Midoriya’s eyes peek out from behind his bangs, before he goes back to looking at the hand still strangely curled around the air. 

“I would like to decline.” The statement strings a harsh tension in the air. “It's a very generous offer, but I don't believe I'm cut out to be a hero.”

Midoriya’s head jolts forward slightly, as if someone had whacked him in the back of the head. Everyone in the room watches in silence, Nezu being the one to finally break it. 

“We could set you up with a trial period.” he offers, his paws clasping in front of him. “You could participate in the internship, and if you don't believe heroism is cut out for you when it ends then you can transfer back to 1-C.”

Midoriya bites his lip, Hitoshi looks at the other teen hopefully. It takes the student a minute or two to come up with an answer, a thoughtful look on his face the entire time. 

“Sure, I'll try it out.” he squeezes the...air…? 

Nezu’s loud clap in Shouta’s ear distracts Shouta from the boy’s strange behaviour, “perfect! Who would you two like to intern with?”

Hitoshi spoke up for the first time in a while, “I think I’ll go with Eraserhead.” he continued when Shouta raised an eyebrow, “you have a similar fighting style to the one I want, and you're underground.”

“I uhh- I think i'll go with Yamada-Sensei if that's alright.” Midoriya mumbled, this time it was Hitoshi’s turn to raise an eyebrow in question. “Well he umm- he’s really good at hand to hand, because he can't use his quirk that much. Because of civilian casualties.” 

Shouta nodded in approval, “that's smart, Yamada’s a good choice.” 

Blushing at the praise, Midoriya ducked his head. “Th-” he cleared his throat, “thanks.”

Nezu pulled out two more papers from who knows where and handed them to the teens, “get these signed and hand it into your teacher. They have to be back before internships start.”

Nezu waited for both teens to agree before dismissing them, they were quick to evacuate the office.

The chimera waited until the boys were sure to be far away, and then crawled down from Shouta’s scarf to perch on the desk. Organizing his papers, he cleared his throat.

“In all my years of being principal, I don't believe I've ever had someone decline that offer. It's quite peculiar.” Shouta huffed in agreement before rat continued, “I don't believe it was out of dislike for becoming a hero, but perhaps the result of many telling him he could not achieve that dream. That is why I pushed for him to at least try, this way we can hopefully get Hazashi to convince him to follow his passion.”

“Good idea.” Shouta acknowledged, grabbing a fresh cup of coffee from the pot.

Nezu glared distastefully at the beverage, “that's all, you best head to your classroom. You have a class in 10 minutes.”

Shouta nodded, practically inhaling the coffee before filling up another cup, he would need it to deal with the hell class.

Chapter Text

Later that day Izuku stumbled into his first aid class. He was still a little shell shocked with the events that had taken place earlier that day. He was also extremely anxious, as he had seen Bakugo giving him the nastiest look in the cafeteria during lunch hour. The explosive boy was probably fuming, wondering how a quirkless freak managed to cheat their way into the best hero school in the country.

He didn't even bother pulling out his notebook, knowing he wouldn't be able to get his thoughts in order. From beside his desk, Oboro nudged him, “you good?”

Shakily, Izuku nodded. Oboro raised an eyebrow at the obvious lie.

‘ I promise I'm fine.’ Izuku signed to the ghost, ‘just a little shaken’ the ghost offered a knowing smile before patting Izuku on the back.

The chatter that had been filling the room ceased as Vlad King swung the door open and entered. The man immediately began to introduce the assignment for the day, which would be a group project. 

Izuku had to resist curling into a ball and bawling his eyes out. He hated group projects with a passion, usually because he either did all the work, or none of it. Unfortunately, group projects were also what saved his grade back in middle school. As he would be allowed to get as high as a grade he wished without being worried about being called out for cheating. The teacher would just assume the rest of the group did the work and he was allowed to keep his high grade, instead of just assuming he was cheating like they did on most solo assignments.

So far the teachers at U.A. hadn't accused him of cheating, even when he had allowed himself to get a 90 on his most recent math test. He was planning on risking a 100 on his next quiz, just to see how it would go. It was refreshing, but the lack of low grades made the group project even more unappealing to Izuku. He didn't even know if anyone would want to group with him, considering he wasn't always in this class. He also wasn't sure if this class knew about his quirk status. As far as he could tell, nobody knew yet. There were no odd looks on any of his classmate’s faces, but there was always a chance that one of them knew and was just waiting for an opportunity to spill the beans.

Vlad King finished speaking and the class quickly scattered to find a group. Izuku didn't bother getting up, knowing he would just get shoved in whatever group wasn't able to scrounge up enough members. 

So that's why he was so shocked when Monoma walked up to him, “do you want to group up?” the blonde asked, leaning against Izuku’s desk.

He blinked in surprise, before silently nodding. Somehow, Izuku’s eyes got even wider when Tetsutetsu asked to be in their group. Monoma raised an eyebrow in question at Izuku, but made the decision to let Tetsutetsu into their group when he saw the utter shock on Izuku’s face.

The group had huddled down in the corner of the room, Vlad King had stopped by to drop off their supplies and practice dummy. As well as the paper stating all of the injuries the dummy supposedly had. 

Izuku read through the list, deciding it was probably best for him to treat the “burns,” as he had the most experience. Tetsutetsu and Monoma began to work on the dummy's “broken leg.”

At one point Monoma leaned over to whisper in Izuku’s ear, “are there any ghosts here right now”

Izuku nodded, staring right at where Oboro was floating. Monoma gazed at where Izuku was looking, but didn't see anything. That is until Izuku offered his arm out, giving the other boy permission to use his quirk.

Monoma brushed his hand against Izuku’s arm, his eyes widened when he was able to see Oboro waving. “Hey! What's up!” Oboro greeted, his usually wide smile somehow even wider.

“Not much, you?” Monoma replied, keeping his voice low so Tetsutetsu wouldn’t overhear.

Oboro’s eyes sparkled, “I’m great! We actually figured out this really cool thing with Izuku’s quirk! Do you want to tell him or should I?” The ghost raised an eyebrow at Izuku.

Waving his hand, Izuku huffed “I don't care, knock yourself out.” He went back to applying the burn cream onto the dummy’s “wounds.”

“So, I was sitting in the kitchen and I was pretty gloomy. I’m friends with a pro hero that had gotten injured, so I felt really crumby.” Oboro’s hands moved around animatedly while he talked, Izuku interrupted him.

“Are you ever going to tell me who this pro hero is? Or am I just going to have to guess?” he asked, wrapping the arm of the dummy with some of the bandages.

Oboro did not answer his question, instead choosing to shrug before continuing his story. Izuku had to suppress a sigh. 

“Anyway, I was trying to lift this pen but it wasn't working very well. That is until Izuku came over and put his hand on mine. The pen flew into the air! There's actually still a mark in the ceiling where the pen hit. So we realised that if I'm touching Izuku, then I can touch objects in the real world. So then we went out an-” the ghost was cut off by Izuku shoving his hand into his mouth, which looked like Izuku just sticking his arm out straight to anyone else.

When Oboro had stopped talking, Izuku moved his hand from the ghost's lips to sign something to him. ‘Do not tell him about that. Don't you remember that what we did was ILLEGAL.’ he flicked Oboro’s forehead for good measure.

The ghost had enough sensibility to look guilty as he turned back to Monoma, “sorry, can't tell you that part. You should still get the picture though.”

Monoma slowly nodded, his eyes narrowed at the two. If he wanted to continue that conversation he was out of luck, as Tetsutetsu called him over from where he had poorly wrapped the dummy’s leg.

Izuku shrugged when Monoma’s glare shifted onto him and then tossed him a roll of bandage. “Wrapped the bandage around the leg first, then both the leg and the splint. The wood could give them splitters, which is not a good idea when it comes to exposed veins.”

Catching the bandages Monoma nodded. He then turned to go help Tetsutetsu out with whatever disaster had happened while they were conversing.

Oboro floated in front of Izuku, signing so that Monoma wouldn't be able to hear him. ‘That guy doesn't seem too bad to me.’

Izuku smiled before signing back, ‘ he doesn't seem that bad to me either’

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

There was absolutely no way that Izuku could’ve predicted the chaos that would arise that afternoon.

He had just been walking to math, which was the last class in his busy day. He had to pass by the teachers lounge, as he always chose to take the long way. The normal hallways were too crowded for comfort, so he used the floor above to travel.

He was talking with Oboro. Well… Oboro was talking, Izuku was signing so he didn’t get overheard by the occasional passing student. He didn’t want everyone to think he was crazy, especially since he knew his quirklessness would be spread across the school by the end of the week.

Normally he walked past the teachers lounge without bumping into any teachers. This time he did, literally.

Izuku had been so busy signing to Oboro, that he hadn’t noticed the scrawny but tall man exiting the staff room. He rammed right into the man’s chest before flying backwards onto his butt.

Slightly disoriented, Izuku looked towards Oboro for a helping hand. Choosing to ignore the man’s repeating apologies. But instead of locking eyes with Oboro, Izuku managed to find the eyes of seven different ghosts.

Panic spiked in Izuku’s chest. He didn’t like being near this many ghosts at once, there were too many of them to fend off. If they all chose to attack him, he wouldn’t survive.

He also couldn’t expect this man to protect him. He never trusted people who had ghosts, and this man had seven. That was the most Izuku had ever seen tethered to one person.

Izuku’s breathing didn’t slow down, neither did the sweat pouring down the back of his neck. He scanned over the ghosts, most of them were male. Two of them had pale white hair, one with striking green eyes and another with a scar across his eye. 

There was another man with a scar, a giant x in the centre of his face. His hair was a light red, boardline pink. Beside him was a man dressed in a similar outfit. His hair was blue, and pulled back into a spiky ponytail.

A tall muscular man with no shirt was leaning towards Izuku, the boy scrambled to get away from the bald man. Luckily the man couldn't get any closer, as he was being held back by a tall black haired woman. Half of the woman's hair was pulled back, but the rest hung down her back. 

Across from her stood a black haired man, who had his coat pulled up to his mouth. It sort of reminded Izuku of Best Jeanist. 

The woman took a step back, her mouth was moving but Izuku couldn't hear what she was saying.

Cotton filled Izuku’s ears as he fought to get a proper breath. He's pretty sure the living man had stopped apologizing, as his mouth had stopped moving. His hands drifted closer to the panicking boy, Izuku violently flinched backwards and the hands drew back.

Some time while Izuku’s vision was fading in and out, the man was pushed to the side and replaced. Except the new person wasn't hovering over Izuku, instead sitting an arms length away, giving the panicking boy as much space as he needed. Izuku was grateful, he didn't know if he’d be able to handle anyone else trying to touch him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku could see Oboro attempting to get the other ghosts to leave. He didn't think it was working though, as the ghosts were still attempting to get a good look at the clairvoyant boy.

Izuku’s pretty sure some of them were talking, as well as the figure that had sat in front of him. But he couldn't make out what they were saying through the ringing in his ears.

Izuku sat like that for a while. People were staring at him, both living and dead, while he fought to get air into his lungs.  He only began to calm down when the original man decided to leave, bringing the gaggle of ghosts with him.

The hallway was empty once again, the only people occupying it being Izuku, Oboro, and the man that had joined them earlier. With his vision beginning to clear, Izuku could recognize the figure as his homeroom teacher, Present Mic.

The man was speaking, Izuku was pretty sure he was rambling about some book he had read. He kind of wanted to listen to the rant, but couldn't find the energy to tune into what was being said. So he just listened to the hum of the voice, doing his best to slow his breathing to an acceptable rate.

Eventually, Present Mic seemed to clue into the fact that Izuku was calming down, as the retelling of his book ceased. 

“Hey there kiddo, you back with me?” he asked, making an effort to keep his hands on his lap, where Izuku could see them.

Izuku took another deep breath before shakily nodding, tilting his head to rest against the wall. Oboro took a few experimental steps forward, Izuku didn't flinch away this time. When the ghost had gotten close enough he sat down and subtly offered his hand. Izuku didn't hesitate to take the appendage in his grasp.

Present Mic smiled at him, “alright, do you think you could match my breathing?” the man took an exaggerated breath.

Izuku thought it was a bit childish, but he complied anyway. There were a few times he messed up, but his teacher didn't seem bothered. It almost made Izuku cry, how patient the man was being. If this was his old school he would be getting yelled at for blocking a hallway, or seeking attention, or some other stupid excuse that the teachers would come up with.

After a couple minutes, Izuku found his breathing shifting back to a normal pace. Present Mic stopped his over exaggerated breathing as soon as Izuku had gotten control of his own. The three sat in silence, even Oboro was uncharacteristically quiet.

All Izuku wanted to do was bask in the silence, but Present Mic had other plans. “Do you think you're okay to walk now, So that we can get you to Recovery Girl?”

Izuku's breath caught, he began to rapidly shake his head. If Oboro had bones, Izuku’s positive they would be breaking with the iron grip Izuku had on his hands. His teacher immediately began to backpedal.

“Okay, it's okay, we don't have to go see her. As Long as you can take a deep breath for me. Does that sound okay?”

Izuku nodded before he inhaled. Allowing his chest to fill before shakily breathing back out. Oboro squeezed his hand in support, Izuku squeezed back, grateful that the ghost couldn't feel pain.

Present Mic kept his hands visible while he cleared his throat, “could I check you over for injuries?” he spoke slowly, as if he was afraid saying something wrong would hurle Izuku back into another breakdown.

Although that might not be a terrible assumption, as Izuku was really close to shutting everyone out and crying his eyes out. But instead he took a deep breath and hesitantly fiddled with a loose thread on his pants. Present Mic seemed to understand the teen’s hesitance, as he mulled over his thoughts for a second before offering a solution.

“How about I just check over your head? And if you don't have a concussion then I can trust you to let me know if you have anything else that needs to be treated.”

Unable to find the will to speak, Izuku just nodded again. With a gentle nudge from Oboro, Izuku began to scoot away from the wall. Present Mic offered a soft smile before flashing the light of his phone into Izuku’s eyes, checking his pupils. After a moment the teacher lowered the light and asked Izuku to follow his finger, which the student did.

“Alright. I'm just going to feel the back of your head. I'll be fast, I promise.” Present Mic said, slowly raising his hands. His movements were slow and precise, letting Izuku know exactly what he was going to do before he did it. When the hands made contact with the back of Izuku’s head he flinched, but Present Mic ignored that in favor of feeling for any bumps or bruises.

It only took a minute or two before Present Mic lifted his hand away and set them back in his lap, “alright little listener It looks like you're all good. Are there any injuries that might need to be looked at?”

Izuku shook his head, “n-no. All I did was scrape my hands a bit but they aren’t bleeding.” he held up the hands in question, Present Mic gaze shifted to the injuries. 

With a satisfied nod, Present Mic stood. Izuku copied his teacher, Oboro helped lift him back to his feet.

“Do you need another minute or two?” Present Mic asked, placing a hand on his hip “or would you rather head to class.”

Izuku’s eyes widened in panic when Present Mic’s words hit him. He was supposed to be in class. He didn't exactly remember the bell ringing, but it probably did while he was freaking out on the ground. His homeroom teacher seemed to sense his inner turmoil, and laughed slightly.

“Don’t worry about being late listener. I can just give you a late pass and it wont go on your record.” The teacher pulled a slip of obnoxiously bright yellow paper from one of his many pockets and waved it around. “Do you have a pen?”

Izuku blinked in surprise before nodding. Seconds later the pen had been pulled from inside his blazer and tossed to his teacher. The man smiled before turning to the wall, using it as a hard surface while he wrote.

The panic that had been flooding Izuku’s system minutes earlier had been replaced by shock. He had never had a teacher go out of their way to get him out of trouble. Infact, most of the time they would do the exact opposite. A teacher showing him basic human decency was a little bit jarring.

Just as Oboro was getting concerned, Izuku was snapped out of his trance. The yellow slip was held an arms length away from him, Present Mic wasn't anywhere his personal space. 

The boy took the late pass with a sheepish smile and bowed, “thank you Yamada-Sensei.”

The teacher smiled before waving him off, “it's no biggie. Now get to class.

Izuku nodded before scampering in the direction of his math classroom. He missed the small smile adorning his teacher's face. With the shock and confusion following the encounter, Izuku had completely forgotten about the seven strange ghosts.

Chapter Text

Izuku was so close to just giving up and banging his head against the wall.

He and Oboro had been out trying to catch another criminal. The night had started successfully, as they were easily able to locate the man they were searching for. Unfortunately, the man had spotted them and ran.

The two were able to catch up to him a few times, but were always stopped by the man's quirk. Izuku didn't know exactly what the man's ability was, but he had a few guesses.

Everytime it was used Izuku, Oboro, and any unlucky bystanders would find their feet stuck to the ground. At first Izuku had thought it was some sort of glue quirk, but then Oboro had just let go of Izuku’s hand and had been able to phase through whatever was trapping them. It also made Izuku’s feet really cold, so he was assuming it was some sort of invisible ice.

If Oboro could solidify on his own, then their issue would be solved. But unfortunately the ghost could only do so with contact from Izuku, and if the boy was stuck in ice then that would be useless.

After the third time being encased in the cold crystals, Izuku was officially annoyed. Anyone within a 100 mile radius could hear the loud, annoyed groan that spilled from his lips.

And hear someone did, because just seconds later a familiar man was stepping out of an alley and into the street.

Dabi’s long trench coat dragged against the concrete as he approached, an amused smirk decorated his face. “Looks like you’ve got yourself in quite the pickle.” he teased, stopping a foot or two in front of Izuku.

Izuku rolled his eyes, pulling the knife out of his back pocket to begin the tedious task of chipping himself out of the ice. Dabi raised his eyebrows and just watched. Oboro glared at the man from his spot floating beside Izuku.

After a minute of watching Izuku suffer, Dabi decided to put himself to use. He crouched down and lit his hand ablaze, melting the ice in a record speed.

Izuku watched in awe, Oboro was a little more skeptical. When the transparent ice had mostly melted, Dabi pulled his hand away, which allowed Izuku to pull his feet out of the now very thin ice. The teen immediately turned to Dabi, determination written across his features.

“We need your help.” Izuku said, pointing a finger at Dabi’s chest.

Izuku had a plan. Something that would allow him to catch the pesky villain. But he didn't exactly have the skill set for it, he needed Dabi’s quirk

Dabi raised an eyebrow, “we?”

“Me, the police, and my friend.” Izuku crossed his arms, “this guy traps my feet in ice anytime I get close to him, and then he bolts. It takes me half an hour at least to locate him again. But, if you were able to melt everything then we wouldn't have a problem.”

Dabi took a moment to think over the request, “I'm not opposed, but what's in it for me?”

Giving Dabi an unimpressed stare, Izuku sighed, “you get to be a good person? Bring people to justice?” Dabi huffed a laugh and began to leave. Izuku groaned, kissing goodbye to his last paycheck, “I'll take you to dinner or something. Not a romantic one of course, but to pay you back. It will be one of those nice restaurants too. I'll pay, and you can choose whatever you’d like from the menu.”

Dabi stopped, “anyplace? Anything on the menu?”

Izuku nodded, Dabi grinned sadistically, “Alright, let's catch this fucker.”

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

It took forty-five minutes for Izuku, Oboro, and Dabi to locate the criminal. He was hiding away in a back alley, chugging a likely stolen bottle of water. He didn't seem to be aware of the six eyes lurking in the shadows, but Izuku knew the minute they attempted to make a move he would be.

The vigilante was nudged by a strong arm, he almost topped off the roof he was perched on. He immediately recognized it as Dabi’s arm, as he was warm to the touch. Oboro was always cold, a consequence of being a ghost. Izuku leaned closer so he could hear the fire user better.

“What did this guy even do? Because if it's something silly like stealing from a grocery store then I'm leaving, and you’ll still owe me a meal.” Dabi grumbled, brushing some dust off his coat.

A huff of amusement escaped Izuku before he’d even fully registered the question, “no nothing like that.” he said shaking his head, “he’s suspected for abuse of his seven year old daughter. She showed up to school with bruises and an alarming amount of frostbite. He disappeared when the police came knocking, which is suspicious. And his quirk matches up with the frostbite, there's no way someone could have gotten frostbite in this weather without some sort of ice quirk involved.”

A harsh glare consumed Dabi’s features, although it wasn’t directed at Izuku “was there a mother in the picture?” he asked, keeping his gaze on the criminal.

“Yeah. I don't know her involvement, but she's in police custody right now. They’ll be able to piece it together.”

Dabi nodded, a newfound determination radiating off him. Izuku could safely assume that Dabi had an issue with abusers, he couldn't quite tell if it was personal or not though.

“Our job is to catch him, so he can’t hurt anyone ever again.” Izuku quietly slammed his fist into his palm, Dabi nodded.

“Alright.” Dabi placed his charred hands onto the parapet, getting ready to hop over the ledge. “Let's do this.”

Izuku nodded and they both took off.

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

Cold soba.

That was what Dabi wanted Izuku to buy him.

It wasn't cheap but it was worth it. They had been able to get the criminal into custody, and the soba was delicious.

Sure, the cashier had been a bit skeptical when a teen dressed in all black and a man with severe burn scars had walked into the store. But Izuku's cheery attitude had quickly brushed away any concern. Izuku was just glad she had not freaked out when Oboro had appeared from out of the blue, the face Dabi had made was worth any amount of money Izuku had to spend on the endeavor.

Oboro loudly slurped his noodles, his knee pressed against Izuku’s so he could actually eat. The ghost looked close to tears of joy.

“This is so good,” he said, mouth full. “I should get you to start paying me, one meal per criminal.”

Izuku rolled his eyes, “we’ll work on a contract later. For now, don't talk while you eat.”

Unbothered, Oboro shrugged before focusing back on his food. Dabi watched the two with an amused look on his face.

The older man swallowed what was in his mouth, and then gestured to the two across the table with his chopsticks. “So how does this work? How do you make him appear? Is he still there even when I can't see him?”

Izuku shrugged, not wanting to give too much away. “It's a part of my quirk. And yeah, he's still there when I let go. Only I can see him though.” he didn't mention anything about how Oboro also couldn't touch anything, just in case it could be used against him.

Oboro silently nodded, face still stuffed.

The younger teen did consider telling Dabi the truth about his quirk, but he ended up deciding not to. You never know what a person truly stands for in the underground. If Dabi ever decided to turn on Izuku then he would have the upper hand.

“What about you?” Izuku said, twirling the noodles around his chopsticks. “How does your quirk work?”

“It's called cremation. Just a fire quirk, nothing special.”

Izuku furrowed his brows in confusion before setting his chopstick down, “how did you get those burns then?” He pointed to the scared purple skin encasing Dabi's arms. “Fire quirks normally have some sort of fire resistance, there’s only a few cases where someone didn’t.”

The atmosphere tensed, and even Oboro had stopped eating. If looks could kill, Izuku would be dead, as Dabi was shooting him the nastiest glare from across the table.

“It's none of your business.” he spat, angrily pointing the noodles tapped between his chopsticks in Izuku's direction.

Izuku raised his arms in surrender, he didn't want to make Dabi angry. Especially if his fire was as hot as Izuku thought it was. Besides, you couldn't guess the connections someone could have in the underground. For all Izuku knows, Dabi could have all might on speed dial, ready to kick Izuku’s butt.

The man took a deep breath, shoving the rest of his soba into his mouth. “So what should I call you?” he looked at Oboro, “I can't imagine you want to be known as “Deku’s friend”.”

Oboro swallowed the noodles he had been chewing, “you can call me loud cloud i guess? You going to finish that?” he pointed at Izuku's half filled plate. Izuku shook his head and Oboro was quick to fill his dish back up.

“Cool, loud cloud it is.” Dabi said, beginning to stand. He turned to leave, sliding a piece of paper onto the table. “It's my contact information.” he explained, “for emergencies.”

Izuku nodded, and Dabi took a few steps towards the door. He turned about halfway, “I also wouldn't be opposed to doing something like this again. As long as the meal’s included.”

“Preach!” Oboro called across the small shop, obviously excited at the idea of getting another meal sometime soon. Dabi huffed out a laugh.

“See you around kid.” and with that, he was out the door.

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

The next day, Izuku could be found sitting in his math classroom working on a booklet Ectoplasm had handed out a few days prior. Izuku was slightly behind on the booklet, as he had missed most of the lesson from two days ago. Luckily, he already knew a majority of the material and didn't need to ask his teacher for any help.

Oboro was sitting on the desk beside him, the usual occupant eating lunch in the cafeteria with the rest of the class. Ectoplasm sat at his own desk, grading last week's test. The sound of whistling filled the space, Ectoplasm being completely deaf to the noise.

After he’d finished whistling his fourth song, Oboro groaned. “Why is this taking you so long.” he pouted, “lunch is when we usually get to talk! But now we can't because you have to do that ! Why do you even have to do that anyways? You normally can get all your work done in record speeds.” the ghost complained, lying down with his feet and head dangling off the desk.

Izuku rolled his eyes. I normally am, he signed. but I was held up last week by those strange ghosts.

At the reminder of the ghosts, Izuku shot up the best he could while still staying seated. His knees banging against the desk so loudly that Ectoplasm looked up to make sure he was okay. 

“Sorry!” Izuku squeaked from across the room. Ectoplasm brushed him off and returned to his grading. Izuku did not return to his work booklet.

“You forgot all about those other ghosts didn't you?” Oboro asked, raising his eyebrows judgmentally. Izuku nodded.

Who even was that guy? Izuku's eyebrows furrowed slightly, what did he do to get so many ghosts? He doesn't look like any heroes I know of. 

Oboro shrugged the best he could from his awkward position on the desk, “I'm not sure. But those ghosts didn't seem like terrible people. One of them even asked me if you were alright a few hours after.” he placed a finger on his lips, deep in thought. “There could always be a chance that those ghosts are like me. Y’know, not out for revenge and stuff. They could also be nice ghosts like Kei.”

If the ghosts are like Kei then that means that man probably isn’t a good person. But I know that he’s a U.A. Staff member, and Nezu doesn’t let anyone teach at his school without a thorough background check. So I doubt it. Izuku countered.

“That doesn’t rule out the possibility that they could be like me.” The ghost stated, sitting up properly.

Izuku considered it for a moment, battling the pros and cons of speaking to these ghosts. Pros were that he and Oboro could possibly gain some more friends, cons were that these new ghosts could turn on Izuku and attack him.

Okay, fine. We can talk to ONE of them. Izuku made sure to sign slowly to relay the seriousness of the matter. The one who came to see if I was okay. Tell her to meet us.

Oboro grinned and immediately turned to go locate the other ghosts haunting U.A. He turned back around when he heard Izuku’s pencil click against the table.

Storage closet? He asked, raising an eyebrow.

The ghost nodded, “storage closet.”

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

Nana was curious.

Two days ago, Toshinori had bumped into one of the Gen Ed students. Normally that wouldn’t be such a big deal, but the Gen Ed student had freaked out.

Nana was almost certain that he could see her and the other vestiges, Banjo and Hikage were too. It lined up perfectly. The way the boy had kept making eye contact with the different vestiges, and the way the blue ghost had defended him like no ghosts Nana had met before were just too perfect for him to not be able to see them.

The other vestiges were more skeptical, not wanting to get their hopes up in case of it just being a huge coincidence. But Nana was never one to believe in coincidences, so she went searching for answers.

As it was planned by fate, Nana ended up running into the blue ghost from the incident. 

“Oh!” He had exclaimed upon spotting Nana, “I didn’t actually expect to find you this quickly. Where’s your tether?”

Nana blinked, had he also been searching for her. Nevertheless, she answered the boy’s question truthfully . “I don’t have one. What about you?”

The new ghost beamed at her words, “oh this is perfect! You see I had thought that there must have been other ghosts like me out there! I don’t have a tether either,” he clapped his hands together in joy.

Nana eyed the other ghost for any malicious intent. Upon finding none, she opened her lips to speak again. “Where was that student you were with a couple days ago? Isn’t he your tether?”

The boy shook his head, “nah, he’s just a buddy of mine. He’s in class right now, but he wanted to talk to you after his classes.”

Nana internally cheered, her theory was right. She couldn’t wait to rub it in Second’s face.

“Alright.” She said instead of spinning in circles of joy, “should I get the others?” She jabbed her thumb in the direction of the other vestiges.

The younger ghost rapidly shook his head, his hands coming up in a stopping gesture. “No, that would actually set us back. You see… he’s a little bit scared of you guys. Having all of you at once would freak him out again. Don’t tell him I said that though.”

Nana nodded, “don’t worry, I get it. Where would you like to meet?”

He smirked, “you know the storage closet on the third floor?”

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

Nana was pleasantly surprised when she arrived at the third floor storage closet. The two teens were already there waiting for her, she could hear chatter from the other side of the door.

Without warning, Nana stepped through the door. The teen’s conversation came to a halt as she was inspected by the shorter boy. His striking  green eyes scanned her up and down, searching for any threats.

Nana floated closer to the two, making sure to leave plenty of space if the living one decided to bolt, she didn’t want to freak anyone out.

“Hey there!” She smiled, “my name is Shimura Nana, it’s nice to properly meet you.”

The green boy nodded, “Midoriya Izuku.” He jammed his thumb at the other ghost, “Shirakumo Oboro.”

“Nice to meet you as well, and just call me Oboro!” Shirakumo grinned, shooting Nana a Thumbs up.

“Sure thing.” Nana agreed, “anyways, what did you need to talk to me about?” She addressed Midoriya.

The living boy glanced at Oboro for a moment before turning back to look at Nana, “we want to know your deal.”

Nana raised an eyebrow in confusion, “my deal?”

“Why you’re still on earth, and not wherever all the other ghosts go.” Midoriya further explained, sitting on a cardboard box that was placed on the floor. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but most ghosts are out for revenge.”

Nana nodded, the other vestiges had informed her of the other spirits hostility. It was one of the main reasons they chose to avoid the dead. It was easy enough, as most ghosts were too busy screaming at their tethers to pay any attention to their surroundings. So Nana and the other vestiges weren’t bothered very often. 

That’s why it had taken them so long to realise Oboro wasn’t alive. He had been saying such friendly things to Midoriya that the possibility of him not being a ghost never crossed their minds.

“Yeah, we’ve noticed. We aren’t like the other ghosts though, we’re a very special case.” Nana explained, Oboro’s face lit up.

“Does that mean you're like me? You don’t want any sort of revenge!” The younger ghost's eyes sparkled with hope.

Nana winced, “not quite. We are sort of out for revenge. although I wouldn’t exactly call it revenge, More like justice. He’s a really bad guy.”

Midoriya eyed her skeptically, “uh huh. What did he do?”

Nana huffed in amusement, “what, do you want a list? It might take a while for me to get one. He's been around for almost 200 years and he gets worse with each one.”

The two teens looked at each other in confusion, and Midoriya turned back towards Nana. “Immortality quirk?” he guessed.

Nana shrugged, not seeing a point in lying to the kid, “I mean, that's one of his quirks.”

Midoriya's eyes lit up with recognition, “the boogeyman of the underground…” he mumbled under his breath, Oboro raised a confused eyebrow at him.

Ahh, so the kid was familiar with the underground. Nana honestly wasn’t that surprised, most quirkless people were. Even if the kid wasn't actually quirkless, he still would have been treated like he was, hence the needed underground support system.

“The what?” the teenage ghost asked, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. The younger teen was quick to jump in and explain.

“It's an old myth in the underground, isn't confirmed to be true or not. All that is known about him is that he's hundreds of years old, and that he has the ability to take and give away quirks as he pleases.” Midoriya crossed his arms, “I've never personally believed it, but now I'm inclined to. Did he kill you and the ghosts you were with?”

Nana nodded, Midoriya put a finger to his lips.

“Then why are you hanging around that blonde guy? Is he the boogeyman?” the boy said, his voice rising in pitch at the thought of such a dangerous man being a part of the U.A. staff.

Slightly amused, Nana shook her head. “Nah. we’re following him around for different reasons. I unfortunately can't share those reasons with you.”

Seeming unoffended, Midoriya shrugged. “Doesn't bother me, everyone is entitled to their secrets. Will I be seeing you around?”

Nana beamed, “hopefully! I can also introduce you to the others once you're a bit more comfortable. No pressure though, take your time.”

“Can I meet them?” Oboro piped up from his criss cross position floating beside Midoriya, “it might help Izuku feel safer if I meet them first, so I can gouge their trustworthiness.”

Nana looked at Midoriya, who just shrugged. “I don't mind, it would be nice to actually be able to focus on my classes for once. I haven't had a peaceful moment since Kei.”

Deciding not to dig into who Kei was, Nana nodded. Oboro was too busy squawking in offence to notice.

In order to get the other ghost’s attention, Nana spoke up. “We could go right now if you’d like. Lunch hour ends in 3 anyways.”

Oboro checked in with Midoriya quickly, to make sure the boy was actually okay with him leaving. When he didn't spot anything concerning, he placed his feet on the ground.

“Alrighty! Let's head out then! See you later Izuku!” he chimed to his friend, Midoriya just waved.

Nana smiled as she led Oboro towards the other vestiges. She would be able to confirm her theory with them, as well as rub her win into Second’s face. And who knows, maybe they would make some new allies.

That was good, even if half of them were dead. right?

Chapter Text

Izuku woke up on the morning of his internship with a terrible anxiety bubbling in his gut.

He really didn't want to do this internship, the only reason he had even done it was because Oboro had pressured him into taking it. Something about how, “he shouldn't say he doesn't want to be a hero without giving it a shot.”

At least Oboro was tagging along. Izuku doesn't know if he would be able to keep his sanity in check if he had to do this by himself.

The train stop they were currently at was loud, and busy. The only thing keeping Izuku from bolting out of there was Oboro’s supportive hand in his own.  

Hitoshi was on Izuku’s other side. He was staying in Musutafu with Eraserhead, but still had to come by the train station. Eraserhead was responsible for making sure class 1-A all safely made it on the train, and Hitoshi was forced to tag along.                                                                                                                 

The rest of class 1-A had been eyeing Hitoshi and Izuku with curiosity at first, but then Hitoshi had sensed Izuku’s unease and shot a warning glare at the heroics students. They were mainly left alone after that. The only person who hadn’t ceased staring was Bakugo, who was glaring at Izuku from across the station.

“You want me to deal with him?” Hitoshi asked, leaning in closer to whisper in Izuku’s ear, not quite touching him.

Izuku’s green curls bounced as he shook his head, “no, he's not worth it. I wouldn't want you getting in trouble just because I couldn't handle a few dirty looks.”

“What about me?” Oboro piped up from his spot beside Izuku. “I'm a ghost, so I can't be held responsible for anything that happens to him. All you have to do is lend me a bit of energy and I can swat him right in the back of his giant head!” he said with a slightly crazed smile. Oboro had already been informed about Izuku and Bakugo’s middle school relationship, now the ghost held some sort of grudge.

Oboro seemed to catch his violent attitude, as he stopped smiling and mumbled to himself. “Maybe some of Hazashi’s anger has rubbed off on me? I don't think I’ve ever felt this included to violence before, but now I get what Zashi was feeling. I really should have let him go wild more often…”

Horrified, Izuku whacked Oboro’s arm. “No thank you, save the violence for the villains. I do not need you beating up my childhood friend in the middle of a train stop.”

“Childhood bully” Oboro corrected, Izuku ignored him in favour of turning to Hitoshi, who was staring at him with a puzzled expression.

The purple teen put a finger behind his ear, “sorry, I didn't quite catch that. Do you mind repeating it?”

Izuku shut his jaw with a loud snap of his teeth, he had forgotten he was in a public place. Talking to ghosts was generally frowned upon, especially when you were the only one who could see them. 

Scrambling for an excuse, Izuku scratched at the back of his neck, “sorry, I was just talking to myself. Don't worry about it.”

A tad skeptical, Hitoshi turned back to watch the 1-A students depart. With Oboro’s arm now around his shoulders, Izuku joined him.

That is until they were interrupted by a particularly loud man. If it wasn't for the strong grip Oboro had on him, Izuku would have fallen over in surprise. His overly bright teacher had appeared out of nowhere

“Hey there listener! How are you doing today?” he said with a cheesy grin. “You excited for your internship?”

Izuku shakily smiled, attempting to match his teacher's energy. “I umm… sure?” Oboro whacked the back of his head.

Ignoring his student’s hesitance, Present Mic flashed a thumbs up, “alrighty then! You got everything you need? We won't be able to come back and pick anything up.”

“I think so. Let me just double check that I have my computer.” Izuku sat his bright yellow backpack on the floor, poking around until he spotted the mentioned device and its charger before zipping it back up. 

“Okay, I'm ready” he confirmed, letting go of Oboro’s hand to hoist his bag over his shoulders.

Somehow, Present Mic’s smile got even wider, “alrighty then, let's head off then!”

Izuku and Oboro followed the teacher onto the train, the living student made sure to wave goodbye to Hitoshi before getting on board.

There were a few other 1-A students that also got on the train. Izuku could see a blue haired boy with engines popping out of his legs, as well as Todoroki, who he remembered from the sports festival.

Present Mic was trying to get them to talk to each other, but it wasn't working very well. Taking pity on his teacher, Izuku spoke up. “Who are you guys interning with?”

Todoroki was the first to speak up, “I'm interning with my father, Endeavor.” 

“He doesn't seem very excited,” Oboro observed from his spot floating above the walkway. “I'm going to guess he's not a big fan of his father. I don't blame him though, Endeavor’s a real piece of work.”

Izuku was inclined to agree. He had seen the number two hero’s causality rates, and they weren’t pretty. The scowl on the man’s face was practically a permanent feature.

“I am interning with Manual, The normal hero.” the engine boy responded.

Izuku and Oboro shared a look. it wouldn't make sense for a boy with a speed quirk to intern with Manual. He probably would have benefited better through working with the Ingenium agency.

Instead of voicing his opinions, Izuku just smiled and nodded. “Manual is a good hero, I'm sure you’ll learn a lot.”

Engine boy smiled weakly, before turning back to the window. So he definitely isn't a talker. Izuku turned back to Todoroki to hopefully strike up some conversation there.

He was mostly successful, as he and Todoroki were able to make small talk until they arrived at the heterochromatic boy’s stop. Smiling at a successful human interaction, Izuku let most of the tension out of his shoulders and leaned back in his chair. The slightly hunched over position he had been sitting in couldn’t be good for his back.

The English teacher watched him with a fond smile, before turning back to type on his phone. Izuku was pretty sure he was writing an email, most likely to Eraserhead. He liked to imagine the scruffy teacher liked to know where his students were, especially considering the USJ attack. A scare like that would bond anyone for life.

Izuku kind of felt bad for Hitoshi. Class 1-A would have probably already bonded over their shared trauma, he doesn't know how happy the hero students would be with someone pushing their way into their close knit group. 

Izuku almost flew off his seat when the train stopped. His only saving grace being Oboro’s hands shooting out to steady him. 

Present Mic stood, swinging his duffel bag over his shoulder. Izuku quickly scrambled to follow his teacher, only putting on his backpack halfway. The teacher waved goodbye to the engine boy, before leading Izuku through the train station.

“My agency isn't too far away.” the man explained, scanning the streets as they walked. “Should only take us about 5 minutes to get there, as long as we aren't interrupted. But Hosu is usually pretty peaceful at this hour.”

Peaceful isn't how Izuku would describe it. He could already see two or three ghosts, and they hadn't even gotten to the sketchy part of town. Izuku raised an eyebrow at Oboro, who was waving to the other ghosts with a cheerful grin. When he caught the younger teen’s gaze, Oboro just shrugged.

“It's called being friendly. I know most of those guys are probably jerks, but now that I know there's a chance there could be more nice ghosts out there I'm not going to waste any chances. Think about it, that scraggly man had seven nice ghosts. Someone out here's got to have at least one.”

Normally, Izuku would respond. But unfortunately for him, an deaf man was standing right beside him, which meant anything he tried to communicate via sign would be intercepted. So Izuku just nodded before focusing back on the walk to the agency.

When the three had made their way inside Izuku's jaw dropped. He had seen the height of the building from the outside, but the inside was huge. The decorations were all very bright, without being an eyesore. Heroes and civilians alike were bustling around, talking to each other, and delivering important looking papers. Even from the front room, Izuku could tell that each role was needed for the agency to run smoothly.

Many sidekicks and office workers waved as Present Mic walked by, some even stopped to wave at Izuku as well. After a nudge from Oboro, Izuku waved back.

“Hey Yamada! This the intern you were talking about?” The receptionist called from her place at the front desk, her large saber-tooth fangs clicking together while she talked. Present mic strayed from his original course to go socialize with the woman, dragging Izuku along with him.

“Kuzunoha! Great to see you! Yeah this is my intern, go ahead and introduce yourself!” Present Mic cheered, not needing his quirk in order to be loud.

Squeaking at the sudden attention drawn to him, Izuku offered a small wave. “I’m uhh- I'm Midoriya Izuku.”

“Araki Kuzunoha!” she beamed, Izuku was able to spot the saber-tooth tiger markings on her face now that he was closer, “feel free to call me Kuzunoha! You’re ten times more likely to get a response out’a me that way. I grew up with a twin brother, so its what I’m usually called.”

Izuku nodded at her greeting. The thing with the twin brother made sense to him. Most people would have called them by their given names, as to not cause confusion. She had probably just gotten so used to it that anyone calling her by her family name threw her for a loop. 

Oboro nudged him in the side of the arm, alerting Izuku to the mutters that had been pouring from his lips. He clamped his jaw shut and offered a sheepish smile, Kuzunoha let out a booming laugh.

“Hey! I like this one! You should keep him around!” her energy almost matched Present Mic’s, although it made sense for the agency she was working at.

The pro hero winked, “that's the plan! Now, as much as I would love to stay and chat, I really should get Midoriya situated. I'll see you tomorrow?”

Barring her massive fangs, Kuzunoha grinned. “See ya!”

The two adulted waved goodbye to each other, Izuku and Oboro just watched before the living teen was led away by his teacher.

“Alright Midoriya,” Present Mic said. “Let's show you around, ya dig?”

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

After dropping off Izuku stuff at his dorm for the week present mic gave him a brief tour of the agency. They both stopped for a quick lunch, which had been a delicious stew, before making their way to one of the spare gyms.

“Alright kiddo,” present mic said once both of them had changed into more suitable outfits, “now, I don't by any means expect you to be any good at this but I do want to get a general idea of your fighting abilities. So we are going to do a quick spar. I'll start off easy, but if I notice you need more of a challenge then i'Ill up my own level. Sound good?”

Izuku nodded, slightly anxious at the idea of fighting his teacher . Oboro gave a supporting pat on the shoulder, giving him enough courage to step onto the mat and get into a fight stance.

Luckly, Izuku wasn't going into this completely blind. His combat lesson with Oboro had been quickly progressing, and he had learned several tips and tricks from the ghost. There were also a few sayings he had overheard in the underground, such as “no fight is a fair fight.” Although he wasn't a big fan of fighting dirty against his pro hero teacher, it was a big part of his combat style, so he was planning on including it in the spar. That is, if he was good enough to get the opportunity.

Present mic mirrored Izuku’s fighting stance, something he had also probably learned while attending U.A., same as Oboro. As soon as he gave the go ahead, Izuku charged.

Izuku swung back an obvious fist, hoping that his teacher would underestimate him. He counted himself lucky when the man caught the fist but failed to notice the kick coming for the back of his knees.

Unfortunately for Izuku, the pro hero had experience with criminals trying to buckle his knees. The man only stumbled for a moment, before launching a kick of his own.

Izuku was barely able to move back in time, his fist still caught in Present Mic grip. The boy spun, twisting the pros arm so he could be released. The man took Izuku's second of weakness to throw a punch, which clipped him in the jaw.

Without flinching, Izuku accepted the blow. He turned to charge at his teacher again, aiming for the hero's torso this time. However, the man was able to predict his movement, and sidestepped out of the way before izuku could tackle him to the ground.

A strong arm to his back later, Izuku found himself collapsing against the floor mats. His balance having been dislodged by the blow. His teacher quickly moved to pinn him to the ground, keeping a strong knee against his back.

After five seconds had passed, Present Mic let Izuku up. The two made their way over to the bench, both grabbing a sip of water.

When they had both caught their breath, Present Mic spoke up. “That was pretty good kid. You’re obviously able to hold your own, though you do seem to struggle in the offensive category.”

Izuku winced. He and Oboro hadn't gotten that far in their own training, the ghost had been oddly persistent that Izuku learns how to defend himself before he learns to attack others.

“Your sneak attack to the back of my knee was pretty nifty. That would have sent most people tumbling, the only reason I didn't was because I have an evil little niece who likes to go for the knees. I’ve built an immunity.”

Izuku laughed as he imagined Present Mic getting attacked by a younger girl, the teacher beamed at his amusement.

The man took another swig of his water before turning back to Izuku, “that's probably all the time we have for today. Get a good sleep, after I teach you the basics we can do an evening patrol ya dig?”

“I dig.” Izuku said, nodding, his face impassive.

At his teacher's dismissal, Izuku began to make his way towards the locker room. He stopped when he heard the man chirp from behind. 

“Good job today listener, you’ve really got potential.” he flashed a thumbs up from his spot at the bench.

Izuku blushed, smiling before scampering off to get changed back into his regular clothes. Oboro stayed outside, giving Izuku all the privacy he could need.

When the younger boy had finished changing, Present Mic had already disappeared. Most likely off to attend to his agency. However, Oboro was still waiting by the entrance.

“You ready to go grab some grub?” the ghost asked, the hope in his eyes giving away the fact that he too would like something to eat.

“Sure,” Izuku started to walk out of the gym, “we can go into my room so we can talk freely.”

Oboro pumped the air with his fist, silently celebrating. Izuku couldn't help but smile, maybe the internship wouldn’t be so bad.

Chapter Text

Oboro was going to lose his mind.

That morning had been extremely boring for him. Izuku had slept for an abnormally long time (abnormal for Izuku, regular for any other human) and had been training with Hazashi since breakfast.

The ghost hadn’t even been able to enjoy his usual breakfast chat with the student, as he had been surrounded by sidekicks the moment he left his room. So for the past 12 hours, Oboro had nobody to talk to.

If he wanted to, he could watch Izuku train. But he watched teenage children train enough due to his best friend's careers, so the activity had lost its entertainment value.

There had also been an hour or two where Oboro had scoured the building for possible friendly ghosts. The hope from being introduced to Shimura and the other vestiges still hasn't faded, and Oboro was positive there would be other friendly ghosts out there. However, that hope had flickered slightly when the nicest ghost he managed to stumble upon was busy insulting someone in a way Oboro couldn't even imagine. The teen’s vocabulary had grown significantly. The sour encounter had damped Oboro’s mood enough that he stopped searching, eluding any chances of being cussed out at again.

Unfortunately, that did mean Oboro was back to being bored again. None of the secretary's conversations were interesting enough for him to stick around, so he was watching Hazashi lead Izuku through a few different offensive maneuvers. Again.

It wasn't too bad, as Izuku was quickly picking up the techniques. That meant Oboro wasn't forced to sit through the same move being demonstrated over and over again, so it was a bit of a plus. But even though the green boy was a fast learner, Oboro still felt himself slowly going insane.

Just as the ghost was about to crack and start ripping hair out, Hazashi called a stop to the spar that had been going on.

“Alrighty, “ he said, clamping his sweaty hands together. “I think it's time we shake things up. How do you feel about joining me on patrol this evening?”

Izuku immediately brightened, no doubt bored of the repetitive training as well. The blonde man quickly launched into an explanation.

“It wouldn’t be like my usual patrol, as I mainly patrol in the daytime. But I had a coworker come down with the flu so I have to cover her shift. If you want to skip this one that's totally fine too, there will be more patrols throughout the week and those ones will be more public centered.” 

At the mention of possibly skipping out, Izuku exuberantly shook his head. The boy's enthusiasm sparked a laugh out of Hazashi.

“Ok then.” the man flashed a thumbs up, “meet at the front doors in an hour. I'll get someone to drop off what you can wear at your dorm, make sure you grab some grub before we head out.”

Izuku was quick to agree, Hazashi beamed and sent the boy to change out of his sweat soaked clothes.

Going to change out of his own soiled gym strip, Hazashi left Oboro in the gym alone, not that he knew that of course.

Oboro was grateful for the man's absence when Izuku exited the change room and was able to beam up at the ghost. 

“Hey Oboro! How’ve you been today? I know you were here for most of the day but I also know you left for a few hours, which I'm assuming was to look for friendly ghosts because that's all you’ve been talking about for the past two days. But I'm pretty sure you didn't find any because you came back looking a bit bummed and you would be ten times more excited if you did manage to stumble upon someone nice.” Izuku spoke quickly, probably to make up for the lack of conversation throughout the day.

Used to the boy muttering, Oboro nodded. “Spot on! How was your training? You seem like you’re picking up things pretty quickly, especially that cool kick that Mic was showing you near the end.”

Somehow, the boys smile got wider, “it was great! I didn't know too much about offensive fighting, cause we mainly study defense and the only fights I've really been in are the criminals we ambush. I think I could hold my own against a tougher criminal now, so I'll be set for our next patrol. I probably won't even need to call Dabi, but I should still keep his number just in case.”

Oboro nodded, he wholeheartedly agreed. “You want to head back to the dorm? If you want to crash for half an hour I can wake you up.”

Izuku shook his head, “nah, I’m plenty energised. Besides, I haven't gotten to talk to you all day. Especially with that weird crowd this morning.”

A small chuckle filled the space as Oboro fell into step with his friend, “yeah. The sidekicks really weren't expecting Mic to bring in an intern this year. Especially since he's teaching general studies this year. When he homerooms a hero class he usually gets one or two interns, but I think this is only the second time he's managed to score one while teaching anything else.”

The two turned a corner while Izuku nodded, the living boy had to pause to return a wave to one of the sidekicks passing by. “I mean, I wasn't really expecting it either.” Izuku scratched at the back of his head, “the only reason I did as well as I did in the sports festival was so Hitoshi could make it into the hero course. I don't really want to be there myself.”

Oboro raised a skeptical eyebrow, “really? You seemed to really enjoy the training, as well as the idea of a real hero patrol. You’ve got the smarts for it, and the motivation. I don't see why you couldn't be a hero, nor why you wouldn't want to.”

Izuku glared slightly, “you know why I can't be a hero. It would only be inhumane if I let myself keep dreaming when it's never going to happen.”

Frustrated, Oboro’s voice raised slightly, “but it can happen! You’re being given an opportunity right now . The teachers at U.A. don't care that you’re quirkless, even though you do have a quirk.” the ghost crossed his arms, “they would believe you if you told them. I could lift something, and Monoma could help too. “

Izuku opened his mouth to protest, but Oboro held up a finger. “And even if you didn't tell them, you could still become a hero even without a quirk helping you out. It would take a lot of work but you could do it!”

Green curls whipped around as Izuku shook his head, “I couldn't. You don't understand.”

The ghost stopped, feeling the conversation was too important to not have face to face. “Then explain it.”

Also stopping, Izuku ran over his explanation through his head a few times, “for one, the hero commission would never allow it. They’re probably one of the most quirkist organizations in Japan, but they’re good at covering their tracks. They would never allow someone without a quirk to get a license, no matter how much training or skill they may have.  Second of all, society would never allow it. I know from first hand experience that quirkless people aren't very favoured, so I wouldn't be able to climb up the rankings.”

“I wouldn't be able to be an underground hero either, “ Izuku explained when he saw Oboro begin to protest. “Heros are quirkist too, and there would only be one or two who would be willing to work with me. The other would just think im a liability. I wouldn't be able to get enough missions to make a living, and I wouldn't be able to join an agency because the head of said agency would receive some serious backlash from the public.”

Izuku started to walk again, making his way back to his temporary room. Oboro was quick to catch up.

“There's too many obstacles that I can't find a way to overcome. I don't think I would be able to make it through the heartbreak of giving it my all and still not making it, so I would rather not try. I can find other ways to be heroic, but I can't become a pro.”

Floating a few inches off the ground, Oboro tried to find a solution, “but-”

The ghost was cut off by Izuku, “just drop it please.” the younger teen asked, Oboro didn't have the heart to continue arguing.

The awkward silence only lasted for a minute or two, until Oboro was able to introduce a new topic. Izuku was quick to ignore the recent dispute in favor of talking to his friend.

The disagreement still pulled at the back of Oboro’s mind, and he knew it was something he should bring up further. But he couldn't be bothered, especially with the boredom he was feeling earlier.

Oh well, he would bring it up later.

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

To say Izuku was excited for his patrol that night would be an understatement.

Sure, he had been on plenty of patrols before, but none of them were perfectly legal. It would be refreshing to be able to witness a professional patrol without needing to worry about being dragged into a station.

Oboro seemed a bit less excited, but he had been on plenty of patrols before. Izuku was pretty sure he was friends with at least two pro heroes just from the way he would talk about them. He wasn't sure what Kayama did, but Oboro seemed to mention her a lot.

“Kinda bummed you won't get to talk to me during this patrol.” Oboro mentioned as they made their way to the lobby, where Yamada-Sensei had told Izuku to wait. Izuku nodded agreement, too close to other people to risk responding aloud. He would normally just sign a response, but there was a high chance at least one of the sidekicks would understand him. Hero’s tended to know at least a little bit of sign, enough to know that Izuku was having a conversation with someone who wasn't really there.

Oboro’s mood did tend to dampen whenever Izuku couldn't respond. The ghost understood why the living boy wasn't always able to talk to him, but it still disappointed him nonetheless. Izuku often would stay awake feeling guilty for it, and he always tried his best not to brush the ghost off. 

The two arrived in the lobby and were immediately joined by Yamada-Sensei. The blonde was covered head to toe in leather, decked out in his hero costume.

Izuku was wearing something similar in colour. A black jumpsuit similar to the one Eraserhead wore pulled tight against his skin. The only difference was Izuku didn't have a utility belt, but rather a plethora of pockets. There was even a pouch on his ankle, which Izuku had never seen before. There was also a visor that slightly tinted his vision red, which coincidentally matched with his bright boots.

“Loving the getup little listener!” Yamada-Sensei exclaimed upon getting a look at Izuku, “sorry I couldn’t get the visor in green, but we were on a time crunch. I picked the red to match with your shoes, and that notebook you always carry around!”

Izuku waved his hands in dismissal, blushing slightly as his notebooks were called out, “it's all good! I really like it!”

Yamada-Sensei beamed, “I'm glad you like it kiddo! Now let's head out, we’ve got a patrol to start!”

The two made their way out the front doors, Oboro two steps behind them.

The cool air immediately made Izuku wish he had brought his mask. The weather wasn't too cold considering it was summer, but Izuku had gotten used to the warmth around his face. Although, his torso was warmer than usual despite being lighter. Izuku could easily assume the fabric was made specially for hero work.

The patrol started out simple, the two only needed to stop a few small altercations. As well as walking a drunk man home.

“It's important to help out the citizens that cant help themselves” Yamada-Sensei had explained while they escorted the man back to his apartment. “Most fights start out because someone needed a hand and it wasn't given to them, so if we can start at the source of the problem we won't have to deal with as many down the line. Of course there's no excuse for turning into a villain, but there usually is a cause. If you have free time while on patrol, then it should be spent being a good samaritan.”

Oboro nodded from Izuku otherside, “I agree. Except for the part where there's no excuse for being a villain. While in most cases there aren't, I feel like there are a few cases where turning to villany was someone's only option.” the ghost shrugged, “but people can have different opinions, so I wont chastise you if you agree with him.”

At one point the teacher and student stopped at a bench for a quick break. Izuku was grateful for the chance to sit down, as his feet were killing him. His teacher handed him a granola bar, before pulling out one for himself. Izuku thanked the man and started to munch on the snack.

The two ate in silence, even Oboro was quiet. All three of them were content to just enjoy the night air and the stars that broke through the thick veil of light pollution.

Maybe it was the fault of the peaceful atmosphere that Izuku was so surprised when all hell broke loose.

In just a second the quiet buzz of electricity had turned into sounds of indescribable horror. All Izuku could hear was screaming and the crumbling of nearby buildings.

Yamada-Sensei was quickly on his feet, Izuku and Oboro were quick to follow. The three made their way to the centre of the commotion, Izuku tried his best to resist the urge to shield his ears.

The screaming was like nothing he’d ever heard before, and that was saying something. Izuku had heard plenty of unpleasurable things during his stay in the psych ward, yet the screeching that filled his ears now could not be compared.

It didn't take long for the pair to stumble across the issue, Izuku couldn't be more hoffired.

The street was a mess, rubble and injured civilians scattered everywhere. Flames coated anything slightly flammable, cars were flipped over, the street looked like there had been an explosion seconds prior.

And in the centre of the destruction were several hunking beats. Appendages sewn to the creatures at randoms. The smallest one already towered over izuku, even without spreading its massive flesh wings.

But the most horrifying thing of all was the amalgamation of souls attached to the beast. The terrible screams had been coming from the ghosts, as they attempted to claw themselves free of their makeshift prison.

Izuku hardly registers the two gasps that sound from beside him, most likely coming from Yamada-Sensei and Oboro. All the boy could hear was the pounding of his heart, and the cries of anguish from the ghosts nearby.

A hand settled on Izuku’s shoulder. The cold that immediately spread altered Izuku to the hand belonging to Oboro, who was no doubt also staring at the trapped spirits.

Finished analyzing the current situation, Yamada-Sensei spurred into action.

“Get back to the agency.” he told his student, “it's not safe for you to be here.”

Izuku hesitated, concerned by the amount of civilians still on the scene. But the sight of nearby heroes quickly approaching was enough to ease that worry, leaving only the fear of the terrifying creatures remaining.

Both Oboro and Izuku turned to flee the scene, sticking to alley ways to make their way back to home base. They didn't talk while they ran, choosing to saving their energy for any possible foes in their paths.

A handful of sidekicks passed the two, no doubt making their way to the disaster. Izuku ignored them in favor of making it back home in one piece.

They had almost made it back to the agency when Izuku's attention was stolen by the loud clang of metal. Both he and Oboro stopped and the ghost raised an eyebrow in a silent question. Should they go investigate.

A cry of pain was enough to seal Izuku's decision and he immediately took off in the direction of the noise. Oboro followed as the living boy climbed the nearest fire escape, hoping for a vantage point.

The scene Izuku stumbled upon was violent. Not quite jarring enough to erase the image of the creatures still lingering in Izuku's mind, but still enough to get him on guard.

Slumped against a wall was the hero Izuku recognized as native. There was a small bloodstain on the man's arm, but no other noticeable injuries. But he wasn't who Izuku was worried about.

No, Izuku was much more concerned for the metal man pinned underneath a bandaged wrapped villain. Izuku was almost certain it was Stain, if the description given by those in the underground was reliable enough to go off of.

The villain was holding a katana, poised to drive it into the arm of the hero. The only thing stopping him was the monologue he was busy spewing.

Izuku was about to get involved when he heard a gasp from the ghost beside him. He turned and raised an eyebrow in alarm, worried he may be missing something.

Oboro turned to him, a horrified expression carved on his face. The words he uttered echoed through izuku’s mind for what felt like hours.

“That's a hero student.”

Chapter Text

Fear.

Fear and regret.

That's what Tenya Iida was feeling at that given moment.

That moment, where he lay paralyzed underneath a villain who was planning to kill him.

The hopelessness was nothing compared to what the boy had felt before. knowing he would be left to die, and that no one was coming for him. That he would never be able to talk to his parents again, or his older brother.

Regret is what settled in his gut next. His brother would be so disappointed in him. The Ingenium legacy would die with him, as there were no other younger brothers and Tensei didn't have children.

So many things would be destroyed, simply because Tenya let his grief get the best of him. So many people would be killed.

Tenya would die. As would Native. As would the multitude of civilians Tenya would never be able to save, all because he let his emotions cloud his vision. And all because he let his temper get the better of him.

Finished with his monologue, Stain raised his katana even higher. He was aiming to kill.

Tenya took a deep breath, and prepared to have his guts spilled across the sidewalk.

Except the blow never came. No, it was impeded by a green haired boy. A boy who shot from the roof to land a strong kick to the side of the villain's head.

Stain stumbled to the side, somehow still conscious. His hand went to the new bleeding gash by his ear. A demonic smile stretched across the villain's face.

“Where did you come from?” Stain smeared, “trying to play hero.”

The mentioned “hero” did not respond. Instead, he turned his head slightly to the side, as if he were listening to something. 

Stain watched the boy, most likely in curiosity. Tenya also took a moment to look at his savior, and he almost gasped once he did.

Tenya recognized the boy. He was one of the students who had come third in the sports festival. The general education student that had come in third. The boy likely had no combat experience, practically fated to lose against a powerful opponent like Stain.

“You have to get out of here!” Tenya told the boy, “you don't have any training, he’ll kill you! This is my fight, and I’ll finish what I've started.”

The look of disgust that had been focused on Stain was turned to Tenya, if the boy could move he would flinch.

“You don't have very much experience either. Last time I checked, I placed higher than you in the festival. If it’s anyone that should be leaving it should be you, especially after the unheroic acts you’ve committed.” the boy told Tenya, green curls blowing in the wind.

Tenya couldn't stop the guilt that swirled in his chest. The boy was right, if tenya had been any less selfish then his first concern would have be native. But instead he had foolishly attacked Stain, not caring if the hero would die because of it.

He was pulled from his self deprecation thoughts as Stains raspy voice carried throughout the alley, “took the words right out of my mouth.” The villain chuckled, “I like you, so I’ll strike a deal. If you leave right now I won’t kill you.”

The boy- Midoriya, Tenya was reminded, raised an eyebrow. “Can I take these two with me?”

The small flicker of hope Tenya felt was swiftly squashed when stain started to laugh. How the villain found this at all amusing was beyond him.

“Of course not,” the man said, “they have to pay for what they’ve done.”

Midoriya shifted on his feet, and raised an eyebrow. “What about one of them? Could I take one?”

Stain opened his mouth to respond, thinking about his next words carefully. Before the man could get a word out Midoriya launched at him. The green boy's fist reared back, in an obvious punch.

With a punch that bad, there was no doubt that Midoriya was inexperienced. He wouldn't make it out of this fight alive, and neither would Tenya or Native. As predicted, Stain caught the move, even with Midoriya’s sudden attack.

The hope that had just burned out in Tenya’s chest flickered back to life as Midoriya kicked the back of Stains knees. The brief loss in balance distracted Stain enough for Midoriya to use his free hand to steal the man’s katana.

The boy scrambled back, raising the katana in defence. Tenyas heart pounded. The villain grinned at the surprise move, before pulling a Yoroi-dōshi from a sheath on his thigh. Midoriya’s face visibly paled.

Tenya could feel his own blood leave his face. There was no way they were getting out of this fight alive.

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

Izuku was royally screwed.

He just had to go picking a fight with the hero killer. A fact that Oboro would not stop reminding him of.

“Seriously Izuku, if you get killed then I am going to haunt your ghost.” he threatened, voice slightly shaky.

“Yeah yeah I got it.” Izuku mumbled, clutching the stolen katana with all his might. “Now can you lend me a hand here? I dont think I'm going to be able to do this on my own.”

Oboro nodded, failing into a defensive position beside Izuku.  The two ghosts that had been haunting Stain watched in bewilderment, Izuku raised an eyebrow at them.

Izuku’s attention was quickly stolen when he had to doge out of the way of Stains swinging blade, Oboro took over communicating with the others ghosts. Which they should have started with, considering Izuku couldn't actually talk to them without tipping Stain off.

“Are you two going to help or not?” he could hear Oboro asking as he blocked another slash with the katana. Stain grinned wickedly, somehow finding pleasure in Izuku’s weak defense tactics.

Oboro was back at Izuku’s side in an instant, as well as one of Stain’s ghosts. She stretched out a hand and Izuku was quick to transfer some energy. Izuku could barely spot her through her pitch black hair as she floated to a nearby roof. The remaining two wrapped their pinkies together, giving Oboro the energy to launch a strong kick to Stain’s ribs.

Suddenly distracted by the sudden move, as well as the pain most likely blooming across his side, stain turned to Oboro.

Even though he couldn't see the ghost, Stain grabbed another blade to swing at where the unexpected contact had come from. All Oboro had to do was unlatched his pinky, before he became intangible again. Izuku took Stain’s moment of distraction to steal the Yoroi-dōsh from Stain’s other hand, leaving him with one blade once again.

Izuku scrambled back before Stain could swing at him again, then he tossed the knife far behind him. He could barely hear the sound of the blade clattering on a nearby roof as stain began to laugh.

“I see your strategy now.” the villain licked his teeth, “you plan to slowly dwindle my supply of knives, then I’ll be defenseless right? Well, you won’t have a lot of luck with that. I have more knives than you can imagine.”

Izuku didn't doubt it, and the confirmation from one of Stain’s own ghosts furthered his beliefs. But he still needed to stall, Oboro had some sort of plan if the way he was talking to the ghosts was anything to go by.

“Yeah? How do I know that it's not some sort of bluff? You might only have one knife left, and you’re just trying to throw me off.” Izuku accused, watching from the corner of his eye as the ghosts formed a chain leading to Stain.

Stain smirked, “while that could be the case, I could also be telling the truth. Then you would be wasting your efforts, and have almost no shot on making it out here alive.”

Izuku matched the terrifying grin, he could hear the hero student shudder at the look on his face. “True, but I don't think I would ever take the word of a dirty villain who wants to play god.”

And with that, Izuku grabbed onto the outstretched hand that the new ghost had been offering

Oboro, the ghost on the end of the human chain, launched himself at Stain. The two toppled to the ground, Stain was attempting to stab oboro. But Oboro had severed the connection he had with Izuku, so there was nothing for stain to stab. The villain was so distracted, he didn't pay any mind to the fire that had been set on the roof above.

However, because of the severed connection, there was nothing to hold the villain down. And Izuku wasn't stupid enough to launch himself onto a knife wielding man.

Oboro and Stain both got up, the ghost immediately apologized. “Sorry. I was going for his skull, but I missed.”

Izuku quickly made eye contact and nodded at the ghost, silently letting him know that it was fine and Izuku didn't blame him. The living boy was quick to turn back to Stain, who was shaking with anger.

“I’m done playing your games, hero” he spat the word like it was a curse before charging at Izuku, knives at the ready.

The younger boy was quick to doge out of the way, but not without receiving a slashed to the cheek. Izuku took Stain’s brief moment of triumph to knock the blade far away, which only seemed to anger the hero killer further.

The blade was replaced, and the villain swung at Izuku again. The boy crossed his arms over his chest, unable to dodge in time. However, the blow was never delivered, as a wave of ice was shot through the alley. 

Shoto Todoroki stood at the entrance, his eyes quick and calculating. With the villain incapacitated via the ice on his ankles, he began to speak.

“You should have been clearer with your distress signal.” he told Izuku, the only one in the ally able to move. “I almost didn't show up.”

Izuku opened his mouth to respond, but was quickly cut off by the feeling of a blade stabbing into his calf. Stain had chipped away at the ice and stabbed the boy.

Izuku stumbled, saving from tipping over by Oboro. He was about to thank the ghost before he was cut off again, this time by the loss of feeling as well as control in his limbs as he tipped over.

“Shit!” Izuku cursed as the wind was knocked out of him, Stain stood cackling above.

“Not so formidable now, hero?” Stain mocked, dodging another wave of ice from Todoroki.

Izuku didn't bother to respond, he was too busy trying to will his limbs to move. Oboro was hovering at his side, not knowing what to do.

The paralyzed teen could hear bickering from the other end of the ally, but his vision was blocked by the ice. There was also a loud clang of metal, Izuku feared the worst.

“What should I do?” Oboro asked, visibly panicking. The ghost was quick to stick his head through the ice to see what was happening, when his head returned he was somehow even more freaked.

Also panicking, Izuku said the only thing he could think of. “Posses me”

Oboro was shocked enough by the statement that his hands stopped fluttering around Izuku, he raised his eyebrows in a desperate plea for an explanation.

“I don't know if it will actually work, but I read a paper on the student of the paranormal.” Izuku recalled, “it said that if a ghost and living person have a similar motivation, but the living is unable to control their own body then the ghost should be able to take over. There was a bunch of evidence towards it, though it was mainly with dissociation and seizure victims. I still, think we should try it, especially considering what's going on over there.”

As if on cue, a grunt of pain echoed through the alley. Oboro winced.

After not much convincing, Oboro nodded. “Okay I'll try it. But if it hurts you in any way we are stopping.”

Izuku glared, but agreed. Oboro was quick to jump into action. The ghost touched Izuku, obviously concentrating if his closed eyes and pinched expression were anything to off of.

Doing his best to focus as well, Izuku shut his eyes.

The moment they were successful was immediately apparent to Izuku, as he could feel his body moving. Although it was strange not being the one moving it. Oboro took a moment to admire his living body before jumping into action and launching himself over the ice.

On the other side, disaster was ensuing. Todoroki had a blade in his shoulder and was collapsed on the ground, in the same position Izuku was in moments before. Iida was standing again, he was attempting to kick Stain with his powered legs.

Izuku watched as his arms grabbed a discarded beer bottle, his body was slowly creeping towards Stain, who was too busy lecturing Iida to realise Izuku had gotten up.

Oboro raised the bottle up high above his head, before pumping it into the back of Stains skull as hard as he could.

Luckley, he was successful, as a moment later Stain was crumpling to the ground. Oboro was panting, before he was launched out of Izuku's body.

His body now his own again, Izuku fell forward. He was saved from kissing the ground by Iida’s strong, armoured arm, the paralysation still hasn't worn off.

“Midoriya!” Iida bellowed, the arm supporting said boy twitched as if Iida wanted to swing it. Although that would make sense with the vicarious hand chops Izuku had spotted the teen doing whenever he’d pass by. “Are you alright!”

If not for the paralyzation Izuku would have nodded, instead he croaked out. “All good, I'm starting to gain feeling in my fingers. Just give me a minute.”

Iida complied but didn't say more, giving oboro the ample opportunity to talk uninterrupted.

“Oh my goodness, that was so weird.” Oboro exclaimed, wingling his now translucent fingers. “It was like I was alive again, but my proportions were totally wrong. You are waaayy shorter than I thought you were, so I had to get used to that. Are you okay after that?” the ghost's eyes shifted from excited to nervous. “No repercussions or anything like that? Does the paralyzation hurt?”

With some of the paralyzation wearing off, Izuku shook his head. His fingers were not mobile enough to sign, so he left it at that. 

At that point, Todoroki was walking around again. The scared boy was making his way over to native, who it seemed was also gaining feeling in his own limbs.

As soon as Izuku felt right enough to walk he gave Iida a pat on the arm. The armored boy seemed to understand well enough, as he immediately moved his arm. Izuku straightened up, and went to properly restrain Stain. Unfortunately he had forgotten about the knife in his calf, the pain sent him tumbling back to the ground.

Iida was not quick enough to save Izuku from falling into the pavement, but Izuku’s recently unfrozen arms were now able to save him from knocking himself out. Both Oboro and Iida were quick to make it to Izuku’s side, but their efforts were for nothing as Izuku waved them off.

“I'm fine. Make sure Stain is restrained."He mainly told Iida, but part of the message was for oboro.

The living teen only hesitated a moment before he nodded and complied. Oboro, unable to actually help, stayed by Izuku’s side.

“I'm so sorry.” Oboro said, applying the best medical aid he could while only touching Izuku. Which turned out to be applying pressure to the bleeding parts of the wound. “The adrenaline was pumping so much that I totally forgot about that. It's just been so long since I was actually injured and I kinda forgot about it. I'm so so s-”

Izuku raised a hand to cut him off, “it's fine.” he mumbled, hands busy supporting himself.

From the corner of his eye, Izuku could see native approaching. He quickly spun around to make sure the hero wouldn't be able to do anything without being spotted.

Native’s eyes widened slightly, as if he wasn't expecting Izuku to whip around so suddenly. The man was quick to crouch in front of Izuku and smile softly.

“Hey, thanks for what you did back there.” the man's head tilted slightly as his smile grew. “Think I can help you out now? I don't think it would be a very good idea to walk on that.” he motioned to Izuku’s bloody leg.

Conscious of Todoroki, who was moving to help Iida out with Stain, Izuku’s eyes narrowed. “How would you help me exactly?”

The hero jabbed a thumb over his shoulder, “I was thinking I could just carry you on my back, if that's alright with you.”

Oboro decided to pipe up from beside Izuku, “I think it's probably a good idea. You’ll be able to make a quick escape if he tries anything, and I'll be here the entire time.”

Reluctantly, Izuku nodded, giving Native permission to hoist him onto his back. The hero lifted him up, which gave Izuku a perfect vantage point to watch Iida and Todoroki drag a tied up, unconscious, Stain out of the alley.

Native and Iida both went on to thank the others, as well as apologize. Izuku was too tuckered out to tune into that conversation though. He was quite startled to see a few heroes gathering, most staring in awe at the detained villain.

Izuku just rested his head on Native’s shoulder. The earlier adrenaline was starting to wear off, so the stab wound was starting to sting.

The adrenaline was quick the race back when he was ripped off of Natives back and thrown into the sky. Izuku yelped as sharp talons dug into his sides, and the sound of horrific screaming filled his ears.

Looking up, he could see another amalgamation of souls. This time, the creature had long bat-like wings sprouting from its back.izuku tried to trash out of the monster's grip, but the claws only dug in harsher.

Looking down at the ground below, Izuku grew nauseous. The only thing saving him from hurling all over the beast was Oboro, who was speeding his way up to Izuku.

However, before the ghost could reach him, Izuku was falling back down towards the ground. The talons that had been digging into his ribs had released, causing the earlier clogged wound to actively bleed and throb.

Blood loss wasn't the highest priority at the moment, as Izuku was hurling towards the concrete below at a high speed with no chance of survival.

As dazed as he was, Izuku could feel someone grab his collar right before he smashed into the sidewalk. Successfully stopping his descent. He used the last of his strength to look up, to see the villain's stain dragging him across the pavement.

The villain was ranting about something, but izuku was far too out of it to process any of the words. The only thing that wasn’t blurry was Oboro, who was waving a hand in front of Izuku's eyes.

Izuku was pretty sure that Oboro was telling him to stay awake, but the adrenaline was running off far too fast for Izuku to stay conscious.

The last thing Izuku saw before blacking out was Stain collapsing to the ground and the heroes rushing towards him.

Chapter Text

One way Shouta didn't expect to be woken up that night was via a phone call alerting him to the fact that three of his students had gotten into a fight with the hero killer and were currently in the hospital.

He had been quick to ask for an address, as his students were currently spread across Japan, and had been shocked when Hosu was given as his answer. Sure, stain had last been seen in Hosu, but Shouta would have guessed he’d moved on by now, especially since he didn't have three students in Hosu.

He knew that Iida and Todoroki were stationed there, but there was nobody else even remotely nearby. He’s pretty sure the closet, bar from Shouta himself, was Shoji, who was an hour away. 

However, the identity of the mystery student would be future Shouta’s problem, as he had a hospital to get to.

Shouta was about to leave, before he remembered to leave a note to Hitoshi, who was sound asleep in his bedroom. In the more than likely case the teen woke up, the note would explain that Shouta was dealing with an emergency in Hosu, and not to worry. It was barely legible due to Shouta’s rushed nature, but Hitoshi had bouts of experience reading Shouta's chicken scratch and would fare just fine.

The car ride to the hospital was agonizingly long, especially with the mass of civilians evacuating the city. However, the traffic did give Shouta a moment to catch up on the current situation.

The Nomu attack was news to Shouta, although he wasn't very surprised. The U.A. staff had assumed the League of Villains would be planning something nefarious after their failed attack on the USJ. However, Shouta was a little more concerned, considering the league had somehow dragged the hero killer into their schemes.

By the time he’d finally reached the hospital it was in shambles.

There were dozens citizens being admitted at once, all with various injuries from the attack. Shouta really didn't want to take up the time of the poor receptionist, but he did need to know the location of his students.

The line didn't take nearly as much time as the drive, which was great for Shouta’s impatience. The receptionist greeted Shouta with a warm but tired smile, politely asking what he needed.

“I need the room number for the three hero students that came across the hero killer, I'm their homeroom teacher.” he didn't spare pleasantries, they wouldn't be appreciated in such a rush.

The nurse nodded curtly, “your name?”

Shouta easily offered his name, pulling his ID out to solidify his identity. The gesture seemed to be appreciated, as the receptionist smiled and handed over the room number as well as the floor.

The hero  made sure to thank the women, before he was speeding off to locate his students. Bustling hallways caused the trek to take longer than it should have, but Shouta tried his best to be patient. It would be illogical for him to complain, as it would only delay him locating his students further.

When Shouta finally reached the room he had been given, he took a moment to collect himself. Just as he was about to reach for the handle, the door was swung open by a panicked Iida.

The teen startled when he came face to face with his homeroom teacher.  A look of guilt flashed across his face but was quickly replaced with the earlier panic.

“Sensei!” he bellowed, a little loud for a hospital. “It's good that you're here! There's an emergency!”

Shouta raised an eyebrow in concern before stepping further into the room. There were four beds, one in each corner. Two had empty but messy sheets, implying that there had once been someone there, while another held a disoriented looking todoroki. There was no third student in the room.

“What happened?” Shouta asked, almost dreading an answer.

“It was Midoriya, the Gen ED kid!” Iida gestured to the window, “he woke up and immediately jumped out the window!”

A quirk induced shout of, “What!?!?!?” came from behind Shouta, causing the pro to whip around.

There stood a panicked looking Hazashi, whose green eyes were blown so wide Shouta thought they might fall out. The English teacher was quick to look at Todoroki, who nodded in conformation, before practically sprinting to the opened window.

The relieved sigh from Hazashi cleared the worst of Shouta fears. In all honesty, the kid shouldn't be alive, considering they were on the 3rd floor. If Hazashi was relived, then it meant the kid wasn't a pancake on the asphalt. 

However, it did open another issue for the couple, considering they did not know Midoriya's whereabouts. nor how injured the kid was.

At least one of the questions could easily be answered, Shouta thought before turning to Iida. “Do you know what his injuries were?”

Iida put a finger to his chin, thinking it over. “I don't know all the details,” the teen warned, “but I know he had a stab wound in his calf, as well as a few punctures near his ribs. I don't know anything else though.”

Well, that was bad, Shouta thought grimly. The chances of the kid reopening his stitches was almost definite, and there was a chance he may have some internal bleeding. However, sitting around and freaking out would only serve as a waste of time.

Shouta turned to Hazashi, “let's go.” his husband nodded, and the two followed out the window. They were far too skilled to risk an injury, and the stairs were a waste of time. Once safely on the ground the two turned opposite directions, far too in sync to need words.

Shouta ran down the streets, the light from the sunrise blinding him. He scanned every alley he passed, scanning for any sort of commotion. Through all this, once thought rang through his head. 

They had to find this kid.

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

Izuku couldn't breathe.

It didn't matter how many heaving breaths he took, he simply couldn't get enough air into his lungs.

He was sweaty and his heart was pounding. He couldn't hear a thing over the ringing in his ears, and his vision was blurred. The only thing that wasn't a blurred mess was Oboro, who was desperately trying to calm him down without touching him.

The ghost had originally tried to comfort Izuku via touch. But the boy had reacted so negatively to the feeling of a ghost, someone who could hurt him in an instant, coming into contact with his skin that Oboro had been forced to stop. Unless he wanted to risk Izuku reopening more wounds that is.

Izuku was starting to hurt, the adrenaline from when he first woke up was quickly fading. He was also positive he’d ripped some of the stitches in his ribs. But he couldn't go back to the hospital, not when he had woken up there.

It had all been too much. The smell of antiseptic, the familiar IV pumping strange drugs inside of him. The window had been unlocked, he wasn't going to throw away the opportunity to escape. He knew that if he didn't take the opportunity, he would be stuck taking drugs that did nothing, for an illness he did not have.

He had made it out just fine, but now his feet hurt. There was a sharp pain in his leg where he had been stabbed, as well as his ribs. However, he did not have the energy to treat himself and he refused to go back to the asylum.

Izuku was tired. Cold from the freezing pavement was seeping into his bones, the alley he was hunched in blocked the rising sun. Unfortunately, the panic threatening to drown him kept him awake, although he was pretty close to passing out with all the hyperventilating he was doing.

Through his tunnel vision, Izuku was able to see Oboro move away. He was about to complain, but the ghost was quickly replaced. By whom Izuku didn’t know, as his brain was too muddled to put face to a name. But Oboro wasn’t trying to fight the new person, so Izuku wouldn’t either.

The person slid a hand under Izuku’s own, stopping him from digging his nails any further into his arm. Blood leaked from the marks and Izuku’s hands were pulled away from himself, resting on something warm and steady.

Someone’s chest, Izuku’s mind informed. That made sense, given the way the chest was rising and falling in exaggerated slow but deep breaths.

Izuku did his best to copy the breathing. It took a few tries, but eventually he was calm enough to recognize the person in front of him. 

It was Eraserhead, Bakugou’s homeroom teacher.

Upon noticing his hands on the hero's chest, Izuku pulled away. The man let him, but kept a watchful eye that his breathing was still slowing down. Izuku’s hands moved to his own chest, lightly scratching at his sternum. Eraserhead didn’t pull his hands away.

“Good job.” The man praised when Izuku’s breathing had finally gone back to normal. If he wasn’t so shaken, Izuku probably would have been embarrassed. Instead, his gaze flickered toward Oboro, who offered a small smile and thumbs up.

“Are you ready to head back to the hospital?” The man asked, raising an eyebrow.

Izuku’s breath hitched, and his eyes widened. He shook his head vigorously, the movement making him dizzy. Eraserheads brows furrowed in concern.

“Are you…” Eraserhead paused, “afraid of the hospital?”

Izuku nodded, choking back a sob. Wet hot tears began to pour down his cheeks. Eraserhead reached out a hand to comfort him, but pulled it away when Izuku flinched.

“Okay kid. It’s okay.” He comforted, keeping his hands on his knees. “Can we make a deal?”

Izuku sniffled, wiping away some of the tears resting on his cheeks. He motioned for Eraserhead to continue.

“We have to head back to the hospital. You have injuries that need professional attention.” At Izuku’s crestfallen face he held up a hand, “but, I will stay with you the whole time. Make sure they are only giving you what you need, nothing more. I’ll even see if there’s anything I can do about you getting discharged early.”

Oboro nodded along, not that Eraserhead could see him, “it's not a psych-ward. Just a hospital. Even if it was, Eraser will make sure nothing sketchy is going on. I promise.”

Izuku grabbed at his arms, his hands pressing into the nail indents from earlier. Eraserhead slid a hand into his pocket, pulling out a small teddy bear keychain and handing it to Izuku.

The strangeness was enough to knock Izuku out of his panic, he moved his fingers from his arms to grab at the toy, all while raising a questioning eyebrow at Eraserhead.

The hero shrugged, “I carry it with me for rescues. Children are much more likely to come with me if I give them something like that. It works well for confusing teenagers though.”

Izuku snorted at the terrible attempt at a joke, Oboro actually laughed. Eraserhead smiled softly at the boy's amusement.

The man stood, “would you like me to carry you?” He asked, hands moving to rest in his pockets, “I know you still have a pretty nasty stab wound, as well as the claw marks.”

Izuku hesitated. Logically, he knew he probably wouldn’t be able to walk on his own, but he really didn’t want Eraserhead to touch him. Especially with what happened the last time he was on someone’s back.

Apparently sensing his delima, Oboro piped up from the dumpster he was sitting cross legged on, “I can help carry you if you want. You would probably have to do most of the walking, but I can definitely help support you.”

Izuku offered a subtle nod to Oboro before turning back to Eraserhead.

“I can walk.” He said, voice horse from his earlier freak out. With Oboro's help, Izuku slowly got to his feet, leaning most of his weight onto the ghost. 

Eraserhead nodded, keeping an eye on Izuku’s wobbly steps out of the alley. Oboro kept a steady arm around the boy as he began to limp down the street in the direction of the hospital. Every few minutes, he would squeeze Izuku’s arm as reassurance, which always caused the living teen to smile.

It helped a lot with the anxiety rolling around Izuku’s gut. Sure, he knew he wasn't going to be admitted to a psych ward just because he stepped into the hospital. But the support from the ghost was a big help in keeping his head on straight.

The further they walked, the more prominent Izuku's limp became. His calf was starting to burn with pain, and Izuku was practically using Oboro as a crutch. He could sense Eraserhead staring at his awkward position, knowing that he probably looked extremely strange to someone who couldn't see Oboro.

At one point on their walk Oboro stopped, which also forced Izuku to a halt. Eraserhead stopped as well, raising an eyebrow at Izuku. The boy paid him no mind, instead tuning into whatever the ghost had to say.

“Look.” He pointed to a candle show that they had stopped beside, “you could grab one of those. I'm sure it will help with the antiseptic smell I know you hate, and I don't think Eraser here would mind.”

Izuku mulled it over, his gaze fixed on the candle shop. He was about to ask when Eraserhead beat him to the punch.

“Would you like a candle? Will it help?” The man's posture was laid back and relaxed, as if he didn't care if they went into the store or not.

After looking back at Oboro for reassurance, Izuku nodded. Eraserhead was quick to hold the door open, who with Oboro's help was able to waddle into the shop.

The shopkeeper was a teenager, probably from somewhere in North America if her facial features were anything to go off of. She also had light blue skin, and periwinkle coloured hair. 

She glanced at Izuku’s odd posture and hospital gown as he entered, but was quick to kill her curiosity and offer a warm smile and wave.

Oboro waved back, even though she couldn't see him. Izuku decided to pass along the message, waving the hand not leaning on Oboro's shoulder.

Eraserhead followed him inside, curtly nodding to the woman. She smiled back at him, before turning her attention back to the paper she was filling out.

“Five minutes.” the man warned, Izuku nodded in understanding before stepping up to one of the closer tables.

He picked up the candle on the top of the stack, which seemed to be some sort of floral scent. He held it out to give Oboro an opportunity to sniff it, and the ghost wrinkled his eyes in thought. 

“It’s not bad, but it’s very strong.” he said before tapping on the lid of another candle. “Try this one.”

Izuku complied, smelling said candle before offering it to Oboro. It smelled a lot like cinnamon, which Izuku wasn't the biggest fan of, so he set it down before getting Oboro's opinion.

The third candle he tried was by far the best, the slightly sweet but not too strong smell was comforting. Like being wrapped in a big fuzzy blanket. When Izuku offered the candle up to Oboro, the ghost didn't hesitate to smell it. But when he pulled away, he just took a moment to stare at the wall.

Izuku nudged him and the ghost startled. He looked at Izuku’s concerned brows and began to rub at the back of his neck.

“Sorry about that,” he said sheepishly, “just reminds me of someone.”

Izuku raised an eyebrow, but Oboro shook his head, “really it’s fine. I think you should get that one, smells nice.”

Far too drained of energy to continue pressing, Izuku placed the lid back on the candle. Eraserhead followed him as he limped up to the counter.

Izuku placed the candle down, and was about to go digging for his wallet when he noticed he was in a hospital gown and had no wallet. He softly patted down his leg to double check and yep, no wallet.

However, Izuku was startled when Eraserhead cleared his through. A bag with the clearly paid for candle in his right hand, his own wallet in his left.

Izuku opened his mouth to protest and argue that Eraserhead didn't have to pay for him. But the man just ushered him towards the door, with the help of Oboro, who was dragging him along.

Once they were back on the street Izuku looked up at the man, “you didn't have to do that.”

Eraserhead sighed before he continued walking, “not a big deal, don't worry about it kid. Now lets get going, Yamadas getting impatient”

Eraserhead held off his phone, which was vibrating from the sheer altitude of the texts from someone named Hazashi. Izuku assumed that was his homeroom teacher, and let out a small snort.

The man pocketed his phone, and the three made their way back to the hospital in a comfortable silence.

Chapter Text

The first thing that Izuku was greeted with upon entering his hospital room was a very distressed Yamada-Sensei. The man had been pacing across the floor with what Izuku assumed was anxiety, which had come to a halt as soon as he had eyes on his missing student.

By some miracle, Yamada-Sensei seemed to be aware of Izuku’s aversion to touch, as his fluttering hands never did land on the boy. Although, it did look like it was a very difficult job for the pro hero.

“Oh my goodness Midoriya!" the man dropped to his knees, giving him a better view of Izuku. “What happened? Are you injured? Here, come sit down.”

Izuku followed his teacher to the bed he had originally fled from. He could sense the eyes of his schoolmates, no doubt eyeing the odd way he was leaning while he walked. However, Izuku couldn't find the effort to care, as his shoulder was starting to ache from the strain Oboro was accidentally putting on it. The pain quickly resided once Oboro dropped him on the mattress.

Yamada-Sensei was quick to call a nurse, most likely because of the recent blood stain now on Izuku’s hospital gown. The stitches still intact kept him from bleeding out, but he had definitely torn one of two.

At the sight of a nurse entering the room, Izuku felt his breath catch. Oboro squeezed his hand supportively but it didn't do much against the storm growing in Izuku’s chest. Due to his alert state, Izuku was easily able to catch when Eraserhead strolled over to his bedside table, newly bought candle in hand.

Without consulting a nurse, Eraserhead pulled out a lighter (from who knows where) and lit the candle. Izuku’s attention was immediately caught by the bright flame and sweet aroma filtering into the room. It didn't immediately drown out the smell of the antiseptic, but that wasn't Izuku’s biggest concern.

Surprisingly, the scent was helping keep Izuku's thoughts in order. He strictly remembered the no scented supplies rule that was kept in the psych ward. The fact that he was able to smell something that wasn't antiseptic was a sign that he wasn't back in the ward, as the candle would have immediately been confiscated.

The erratic heaves could no longer be heard in izuku ear, instead having toned down just to slightly fearful, but otherwise normal, inhales. There was still a layer of cold sweat coated down Izuku’s back, but it had fortunately ceased its multiplying. He still kept a careful eye on the nurse as she finished up her conversation with Yamada-Sensei and began to make his way over to him and Eraserhead.

As soon as Izuku caught sight of the strained smile on the nurse's face he knew she was quirkist. One skill he had picked up during his time in the psych ward was the ability to know when someone didn't like him but was hiding it for the sake of professionalism. Izuku wasn't the biggest fan of those types of people, but it was better than the nurses that didn't even bother to hide it. 

The nurse in front of him was keeping up the facade of not minding Izuku's quirk status, and she was doing it surprisingly well. Izuku was almost certain he was the only one who had picked up her distaste. He wondered if she was trying extra hard because she knew he was a student of U.A, and that his pro hero teacher was standing in the room with them.

She was quick to administer the anesthetic, barely explaining what she was doing before doing it. Izuku was lucky he had gotten stitches before and knew what to expect, or else he would most likely be freaking out by now.

The general anxiety of being in a medical facility wouldn't help either. Although Oboro's cold hand in his, as well as the candle, was doing wonders for Izuku's nerves. The thought that Eraserhead would step in if any medical malpractice was committed was comforting as well, not that Izuku realised that.

Probably wanting to get away from the quirkless freak, the nurse was quick to leave while the numbing kicked in. It seemed she wasn't stupid enough to try giving Izuku stitches while he could still feel them, unlike other nurses Izuku remembered. However, it did seem she was still uncomfortable around Izuku, not that he wanted the nurse near him anyway. Now, the only occupants in the room were U.A. students and faculty, which helped calm down Izuku just a smidge.

With their privacy reinstalled, Yamada-Sensei turned to Izuku, “I've been meaning to ask you, how did you even get down from the window in one piece?”

Izuku blinked, taking a moment to process the question. He really had been expecting to get lectured, so the friendly attitude came as a surprise. 

“I uhhh-” Izuku began, his bearings gathered, “I slid down the rain pipe. Like, the same way you would with those poles at the playgrounds.”

Eraserhead raised an eyebrow in amusement before strolling over to the nearby window and sticking his head out, confirming the truth of Izuku’s tale. All it takes is a nod from the dark haired man for Present Mic to break out into a wide grin, the blonde obviously entertained by his student’s mischievous, if not slightly illegal, antics.

“You know I had a friend who did something similar once.” Yamada-Sensei chuckled, “although he was sneaking out of my bedroom rather than a hospital. Although it wasn't very smart of him, considering his quirk could float him down if he was smart enough to actually use it.”

Eraserhead cracked a small grin, but was quick to hide it within his capture scarf. Izuku had assumed the teachers had been friends since they were younger, but their similar reaction to the tale just confirmed it. However, due to Izuku's focus on the adults, he missed Oboro's matching smile.

The other two students in the room listened to Yamada-Sensei’s story intently, their attention successfully driven away from Izuku. The clairvoyant was grateful, considering all the attention made him nervous.

Yamada-Sensei kept telling stories, mostly about his old friend. Before Izuku knew it the nurse was back and administering his stitches, which went over with no qualms. The two teachers stayed even after Izuku was all patched up, no doubt supervising the three law breaking students. Izuku wondered if they would have stayed if he didn't run off, but something gave him the feeling that at least Eraserhead wouldn’t have left.

Oboro stayed by his side the whole time, adding bits to Yamada-Sensei’s story that went unheard by almost everyone in the room. Izuku had to keep himself from bursting into uncontrolled laughter every time the ghost told him skipped over details that improved whatever tale Present Mic had been reciting, something that kept Oboro quite amused.

Eventually visiting hours ended, forcing the two U.A. staff members to leave the hospital. They left with much reluctance, not wanting to desert their delinquent students. Eventually the nurses won them over and the two were making their way out, but not before Eraserhead handed Izuku his lighter that he had used earlier on the candle.

The gesture stirred an unfamiliar emotion in Izuku's gut, as he hadn't even thought about the candle possibly going out. The fact that Eraserhead had thought of that circumstance and had figured out a solution warmed Izuku’s chest in a way he rarely encountered. It wasn’t necessary for the teacher to worry about him, especially considering he wasn't even one of the man's students. But he still had. Eraserhead had gone out of his way to make sure Izuku was comfortable in the unsettling environment, even going as far as to give up one of his possessions. 

Izuku had originally panicked about taking something that did not belong to him, but both Eraserhead and Oboro were quick to reassure him that he was just borrowing it and that the man would be back for it. As much as he hated to admit it, the confirmation that he was not stealing the teacher’s lighter was enough to calm him back down, allowing Eraserhead to leave.

With the two adults gone Todoroki, Iida, and Izuku started preparing to get some shut eye. Oboro was also in the room, but considering he has a ghost and didn't actually need sleep there wasn't much for him to do. So he just continued telling stories while floating above Izuku, the younger boy reacting with a tired hum whenever it was appropriate.

As soon as the lights were shut off Izuku was forced to come to the rushing realization of how exhausted he was. Jumping out of a window and running down the street had taken a lot of energy from the boy, especially after he came down from his panicky adrenaline rush.

It took no more than two minutes for Izuku to fall asleep, the candle still burning.

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

Izuku almost collapsed as soon as he stepped into his small apartment. He was beat, even though it was only mid day. Between the long train ride home and the terrifying meeting with the chief of police Izuku barely had enough energy to haul his belongings up the stairs, including his new candle.

On the thought of the chief police Izuku shuddered. In all honesty, the meeting had went quite terribly. 

At first they had just been visited by their mentors, minus Endeavor. Yamada-sensei had already been in the room, so really the only new edition was manual. Well, that was until they were introduced to the chief of police.

The man's tall and bulky stature already put Izuku on edge, knowing it would be quite difficult to escape from such an attack. The dog head replacing a humanoid one was also a bit strange, but Izuku had seen weirder in the world of quirks.

The man had immediately gone into a tangent about all the laws the three had broken. However he did seem to be singling out Izuku, staring right at him while he scolded the trio. Like he had all his life, Izuku had just taken it, although this time he wasn't sure if it was because he was quirkless or if it was because he was technically a civilian. In all probability it was a mixture of the two, but Izuku couldn't be sure.

The other two boys in the room looked beyond ticked off, Izuku assumed it was because they didn't have near the amount of experience that he did with being lectured for doing the right thing. Although it was a possibility Todoroki had dealt with a similar situation, considering the worsening angry scowl on his face and the clenched fists at his side.

However, when the chief mentioned legal consequences Izuku felt himself pale. If there was one thing that would ruin his life, it would be a criminal record. Izuku was already likely to be unemployed once he finally graduated due to his quirkless status, but with a criminal record on top of it his chances were akin to zero. It wouldn't matter if he was a U.A. student, because the quirklessness on top of a criminal record would immediately blacklist him from any possible employment.

On the topic of U.A, there was absolutely no shot of him staying enrolled. Izuku knew that the staff would be eager to get him kicked out, once again because of his lack of quirk. If he gained a criminal record then he would surely be expelled. Hell, he may even be expelled for just getting involved in a situation like the one he was currently in, criminal record aside.

Noticing his friend's spiral, Oboro was quick to grip Izuku's hand. Which stopped the boy from working himself into a panic attack, and allowing him to tune into the harsh insults Todoroki was currently throwing at the heteromorph.

Yamada-sensei was quick to calm the two toned boy down, which worked somewhat. However, it was enough for the police chief to finish his statement, revealing the lack of legal consequences that would be involved in the event.

Izuku almost started kissing the chief's Boots at the revelation, but he opted for a sigh of relief instead. Sure, he was a little bit sour that Endeavor would be taking the credit, considering the pro was a flaming piece of garage. Nevertheless, it was better than a black mark on his perfect record.

With a sigh, Izuku flopped onto his ratty couch, letting his duffle bag slide to the floor. Oboro snickered at Izuku's expense, before joining him on the squeaky furniture. As usual, the couch didn't move in the slightest when Oboro took his seat.

The two sat in a comfortable silence for only a moment before Oboro decided to speak up, no doubt angsty from the lack of conversation between the two friends.

“what’cha thinking about?” he asked, his head lolling to rest against the back of the sofa.

“Not much,” Izuku replied, eyes slipping shut, "just letting everything hit me, trying to decipher how embarrassed I am right now.”

Oboro chuckled, “yeah? What for?”

Izuku groaned, dragging his hands down his face in a slow and slightly painful movement, “I don't know? All of it? The main thing is probably how worried Yamada-Sensei was. I mean, did you see those messages?!”

And yep, the main thing looping in Izuku's mind was the frantic messages that had been on Eraserhead's phone. The only benefit from  the whole interaction was getting to know Present Mic’s civilian name, which would let him update the man's page in his analysis book. Although, Izuku was sure that he had heard that name before…

Izuku shot up in his seat, eyes blown wide and turned towards Oboro.

“You knew Yamada-Sensei when you were alive! That's why you hang around him!” Izuku accused, a finger now pointing right in front of Oboro's nose.

The ghost went cross eyed for a moment, trying to get a look at the finger threatening to poke his eyes out. His palms raised and he leaned back slightly, Izuku lowered his finger.

“Have I never told you that before? Yeah, me, Hazahi and Shouta were all buddies back in high school.” Oboro informed, an eyebrow slightly raised. The ghost looked quite amused, but Izuku swore he could see a small hint of concern over his enthusiasm.

In return, Izuku furrowed his brows, deep in thought, “Shouta? That must be Eraserhead right? It would explain his reaction at the hospital. Actually, this explains a lot of what went down at the hospital.”

“Really?” Oboro asked, “how so?”

“You kept adding things to Yamada-Sensei’s stories. I didn't question it at the time, probably because I was a little loopy, but it makes so much sense now.” Izuku explained.

Oboro shot him a goofy smile, “yeah, you were a little out of it. Probably because you were so tired.”

Izuku smiled softly, appreciative of the domestic moment as he sunk into the couch further, relief seeping into his bones. Izuku had been eternally grateful when the hospital staff had not questioned his lack of a parental guardian. It was most likely because he was quirkless, and most of the staff didn't care about his well being. It was also the only time his lack of quirk helped him out, as any possible suspicion from his teachers would be majorly unhelpful.

They had already been a little skeptical when he had walked out of the hospital himself, promising that his mother was waiting for him in the lobby. It had been nearly impossible to get Eraserhead off his tail, but an accidental distraction from Iida and a promise to text the man when he was safely reunited with his mom was enough to detour the man.

Izuku sent the text as soon as he was out of the hospital doors, double checking to make sure Eraserhead hadn’t been secretly tailing him, and then made his way to the train station. Yamada-Sensei had brought his duffle bag earlier, not wanting the boy to have to stop by the agency on his way home.

Present Mic had also told Izuku to hand the duffle bag over to his mom as soon as he saw her. Izuku had agreed, and technically he wasn't lying. He would give it to his mom, but he plans not to see her so that deal is sort of thrown out the window.

As soon as Oboro realised this, the ghost had been appalled. In no less than 3 seconds, the duffle bag had been lifted off Izuku’s shoulder and placed onto Oboros. The cold hand the ghost had on Izuku’s shoulder allowed him to keep a physical hold on the duffle bag, although to anyone else it looked like the bag was floating.

Sure, if Oboro really wanted to he could manifest a visible form, but the two had realized early on that it drains a lot of energy from Izuku. With that in mind, the two kept Oboro invisible unless it was absolutely necessary.

Another thing they had discovered about Izuku's quirk was his own control on how he spent his energy. Izuku found he could also decide if Oboro could be visible or even tangible if he truly wanted to, it was the main reason Oboro hadn’t been able to turn visible and immediately start spilling Izuku’s secrets. The other reason was Oboro's general respect for Izuku making his own decisions, as he understood the boy hadn’t really been able to make any of his own when he was younger.

The new revelation in his ability had stilled some thoughts in Izuku. Oboro had been wanting him to tell the U.A. staff about his quirk, but he had never had any proof to justify his claims so he always refused. But now that he could show Oboro off to other people, he was a little tempted. However, as soon as he tried to arrange a meeting of sorts his words had caught in his throat and  he had chicken out. The instinctual fear from keeping such a secret for years had seized him by his throat, and immediately squashed that train of thought down.

But as of right now, with Izuku lying side by side with Oboro on his worn out couch, he couldn't help but think that he didn't mind his quirk. Yes, it had been the source of almost all the issues in his life. But without it he never would have met Oboro, his best friend, his family.

He thinks he would be okay, not telling anyone about his quirk and just living life like a quirkless person. The opinions of others wouldn't matter to him as long as he had oboro beside him, the person who had helped him feel like a person again.

With the ghost by his side, Izuku could tackle anything. And in the end, it would all be alright.

Chapter Text

As soon as he got up Izuku could tell it was going to be an annoying day.

Why? You ask? Well, it was because he could already smell something burning and he hadn't even gotten up.

The most likely scenario was that Oboro was trying to cook something. Trying being the key word, because whatever it was supposed to be was most definitely reduced to a clump of ash. However, the only way that Oboro could possibly muster up the strength to actually hold a frying pan was for Izuku to be touching him.

The only way that was possible was if Izuku was in the kitchen, which meant that something that wasn't supposed to be on fire was. Probably the building.

Fully expecting to be evacuated, Izuku blinked open his eyes. He however, was immediately thrown off guard by the marble counter his cheek had been resting on. It was in fact, Oboro attempting to make breakfast.

In all honesty, the feat was quite impressive considering the ghost had to keep a hand on Izuku the entire time he cooked, therefore not burning anything down while one handed.

Sure, if Oboro really wanted to he could use both hands. But, that would involve Oboro floating in the air, and keep his feet touching Izuku. Which Izuku appreciates did not happen, as he isn't quite fond of waking up to crusty teenage feet in his face.

However, it was good that Izuku had woken up when he did. Oboro was two seconds away from burning down his kitchen, which he could not afford to pay for, nor explain. So despite wanting nothing more than to fall back asleep and leave the disaster to Oboro, he reluctantly got up.

“Izuku!!!” Oboro explained with such exuberance that Izuku almost tumbled from the stool he was on. Blinking once more, Izuku looked to the oven which was a lot closer than it should be, considering all the stools were supposed to be at the island. But it seems that Oboro moved the one Izuku was on, so that he could use the stove while still touching the living boy.

With a huge exhale, Izuku cracked his stiff back. He could see Oboro wince in sympathy at the loud crackle that echoed through the room.

“Morning,” Izuku said with a small wave to Oboro after he had finished stretching, "whatcha cooking?”

Oboro looked at the burnt monstrosity on the pan and winced again. A hand rose so the ghost could sheepishly rub at the back of his head.

“I was trying to make you some eggs and toast. I thought it was easy, but I never actually learned how to cook and I guess I over estimated my skills. Also, cooking with one arm is hard.” Oboro defended, exuberantly waving at the hot mess of a kitchen.

Izuku raised his hands in defence, “hey, im not judging. But I do think I'm going to choose something else to eat. I’m not a huge fan of straight charcoal."

With a squawk of offence, Oboro dramatically clutched at his heart. That is until he looked down upon the semblance of a meal he had created and curled his nose in disgust.

“Yeah… I don’t think I can blame you.” the ghost sighed, accepting that his kitchen skills were seemingly non-existent.

Grabbing the pan and bringing it to the sink, Izuku snorted, "I'll teach you how to cook if you’d like. Not right now of course, but maybe before our next investigation? That's only if you’re up for it though.”

Narrowly missing one of the open cabinets, Izuku watches Oboro beam, “I would love to! But yeah definitely not right now. If you take any longer you’re going to be late.”

In a flash of panic, Izuku dropped the pan into the sink of overflowing dishes. A swift turn towards the microwave clock lets Izuku know he is indeed close to being late for school.

“What!!” Izuku exclaims, this time banging his head on the open cabinet door in his haste. “Why didn't you tell me that earlier!”

Oboros laughs as Izuku launches himself down the hallway and towards his bedroom. The sound only being muffled when Izuku slams the door to give himself some semblance of privacy while he changes.

The laughing has ceased by the time Izuku emerges from the bedroom and throws himself into the bathroom. However, if Oboro had seen Izuku’s display of trying to brush his teeth at the same time he applied deodorant all while he tried to tame his chaotic curls then the laughter would surely continue.

Skipping breakfast all together, Izuku was quick to snatch up his backpack and keys from the island. Not even giving Oboro a warning before rushing out the front door and locking it behind him.

“Rude!” Oboro scolded once he had caught up, “you could have held the door open for me!”

Slightly jogging, Izuku raised an eyebrow, “why does it matter? you can phase through walls.”

Oboro huffed dramatically from his floating position, reminding Izuku of a movie typical sunbather, “it's still rude!”

Deciding to save his breath for the trek to the train, Izuku just smiled. Fortunately Oboro understood the message and held up a conversation for both of them, his undead lungs not actually needing air to stay conscious.

Izuku was finally able to partake in the conversation once he was snugly on the train. He was sure to pull his phone up to his ear so it looked like he was talking to a living human being, and not a wall.

When Izuku stopped finally came around, he and Oboro got off. Via his jog to the station, Izuku had caught the necessary train, allowing him to walk rather than sprint the rest of the way to U.A.

The first thing Izuku was greeted with when entering his classroom was a beaming Yamada-sensei, who was currently making conversation with an exhausted looking Hitoshi.

When the hero's sharp eyes caught wind of Izuku he was quick to wave the boy over.

“Hey Midoriya! Perfect timing! I just wanted to let the both of you know that principal Nezu wants to meet with you.” Yamada-Sensei explained, a warm grin of his face. “You two aren't in trouble or anything of the sort if you were worried. It's just about transfer paper work as well as your internships.”

Hitoshi nodded, and Izuku was quick to parrot the movement. Yamada-sensei’s smile somehow widened before he shooed the students off. Izuku and Hitoshi obliged their teachers commands, making their way to the principals office without falter.

As per usual, the door swung open before either of the boys could knock. How the principal knew they were coming did not concern Izuku, definitely not…

With only a glance, Izuku could already see  Principal Nezu waiting. Neither Hitoshi, Izuku, or even Oboro stood in the entrance very long, not wanting to waste the important figure’s time..

“Midoriya! Shinsou! Great to see you two!” Nezu chimed from his place behind the desk, uncharacteristically not spotting a cup of tea. Although, that could be due to the fact that there were papers that needed to be signed neatly scattered around the desk, and any beverage could ruin the documents.

“Likewise,” Izuku responded, bowing slightly. When he rose he immediately clasped his hands together in front of him, not wanting to be disrespectful by shoving the sweaty things in his pockets.

With absolutely no effort put into respecting his elders, Hitoshi just nodded. Izuku had to resist smacking him upside the head. However, Izuku didn't think physical violence would be something appreciated by the Principal.

“First and foremost,” Nezu started, his tail flicking back and forth behind him, "I would like to inform you all of something that is being told to your classmates right now. I wouldn't want you to miss out on any important information due to our little meeting.”

This time both Izuku and Hitoshi nod, neither student having anything to add.

“I would like to inform the both of you that U.A. is inflicting a dorm program as a part of our huge security update. With the league of villains still at large, we want to keep a close eye on our students. Unfortunately, moving into the dorms will become a requirement. But fear not, if you do not wish to partake in our dorm program that U.A. will send a stunning letter of recommendation that would surely get you into another high school of your choice. Your homeroom teacher has the necessary documents for your parents to sign if you wish to proceed with the program. He should also have a packet with any small details that we won't be covering here, does that sound alright to you two?”

“Yes sir” the students reply, although Hitoshi drops the formalities.

“Perfect.” The chimera beamed, clasping his paws together in front of him. “For the second topic I wanted to discuss your possible transfer to the heroics course. That is, if you're still up for it?”

Hitoshi responds so fast it almost gives Izuku whiplash, “of course! What do I have to do? What do I have to sign?”

Oboro snorted at Hitoshi's impatience, although Izuku can't find it in his heart to be amused. He knows Hitoshi has been trying to become a hero since before he even knew what a hero was, but couldn't due to unfair circumstances. He knew that Hitoshi had faced unjust and even cruel discrimination, all because he had a certain quirk. Izuku also knew the feeling of everyone telling you that your dreams were unobtainable, and how much it sucked.

“Alrght well, that a yes from Shinsou.” Nezu smiled, checking something off on one of the documents, “how about you Midoriya?”

Izuku blinked, once again forgetting that these meetings were also about him. It took a moment for him to clear his throat and plan out exactly what he wanted to say…

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

The ordeal of packing away most of his belongings was not a huge project for Izuku, especially considering he was made to leave all of his kitchen supplies behind. All he had left was the few pairs of clothing he had, as well as the wifi box he refused to leave behind.

Sure, wifi would be provided within the dorm building, but Izuku really doesn't want to do his semi-illegal activities on his hero schools wifi. Especially considering he had no doubt that Nezu would be keeping track of everyone's search history and maybe even emails.

He also had to pack his costume for his nightly outings, but that was buried deep into his box of clothes.

With only three small cardboard boxes he needed to carry, Izuku did not call the help of a vehicle. Considering the uniform he was wearing, no smart thief would even consider nabbing Izuku's stuff. Not with such a large risk of him being a hero student with a powerful quirk.

“Hey Izuku!!” Oboro chimed, phasing through the front door of the apartment. The ghost was quick to stop when he noticed the balancing act going on. “Aww yikes! Need a hand?”

Without waiting for a response, Oboro linked his arm around Izuku and snatched one of the boxes. Relieving Izuku's arms of enough weight so the living boy could exit his home and lock the door.

“Thanks,” Izuku said, pocketing the keys. In any other circumstance, he would just hand over the keys to the landlord and permanently move into U.A. But the packet had stated that they would be returning home during holidays, and Izuku would rather have a home than have to stay in a hotel. He would have settled for a creepy motel during holidays if he had to pay for his dorm, but U.A. had generously offered to cover the full expense of the dorm rooms including meals. That gave Izuku the available funds to keep his apartment. 

Besides, it would be strange if Izuku showed up to the dorms with every kitchen appliance he owns, including the refrigerator.

Not wanting the box to just appear to be floating, both Izuku and Oboro work to keep the ghost visible. A silent agreement that they’ll give all the boxes back to Izuku once they get close to U.A.

The train wide is uneventful except for the few odd stares they attract, and the two arrive at their destination with no qualms.

Oboro helps transfer his box to Izuku's pile, his hands now free to wave around while he talks.

“So…? How are you feeling about moving in with 17 other rowdy teenagers?” Oboro humours, if Izuku wasn’t currently balancing all of his possessions he's sure that Oboro would have lightly elbowed him.

Blowing a hit of hair from between his eyes, Izuku sighed, "I don't know. Not great..? I’m really not going to enjoy my privacy being constantly invaded. I also hate people, especially people my age… so yeah… not great”

Oboro winced in sympathy, “yeah good point. Sometimes I forget you're not as social as I was.”

With a raised eyebrow, Izuku scoffs, “was? You’re still crazy social. Just because you haven't been able to talk with many people doesn't change that.”

A slightly sad but soft smile crossed over Oboro's face, an expression that Izuku can't really see due to the obstacles blocking his field of vision.

“Yeah I guess” Oboro says, a humorless laugh makes its way out of the ghost. Izuku can tell he's upset with his current circumstance.

Just as he’s about to provide some semblance of comfort to his friend, Izuku nearly runs into the large burgundy door. The only thing saving him is Oboro grabbing onto his wrist, as well as the handle of the door, allowing Izuku to pass into the dorm without collision.

With a quick scan of the main floor, Izuku can see that none of the other students have arrived. It makes sense, considering Izuku had left early on purpose to avoid a possibly crowded train. It's easy for the boy to find his room and begin unpacking his stuff, with no one to bother him but his undead companion.

With the privacy of his own room, Izuku is free to touch and talk to Oboro all he wants. They keep the ghost’s visibility off, not wanting to waste Izuku energy when the boy can already see Oboro. It also provides a failsafe, in case someone comes barging into the room.

It only takes half an hour for all the boxes to be emptied, but by the end of it Izuku is starving. Him and Oboro begin to make their way down towards the lobby, a snack on both teen’s minds.

Izuku’s quite surprised to see another figure in the room, the spiky red hair immediately catching Izuku’s eyes. He avoids the person via a quick sidestep, watching as his fellow student begins to make their way up the stairs without a word.

A frown makes its way onto Izuku's face. He knew the news of his quirklessness had spread throughout his class, but he really didn't expect the hostility to start up so fast.

Hearing more chatter outside the door, Izuku sighed. With a step of courage he makes his way over to where his class is no doubt gathering outside. Oboro trails behind as Izuku swings open the door, being greeted by none other than class 1-C

Chapter Text

Hitoshi was not the happiest with the new dorm arrangements. Sure, he was overjoyed that he finally had a place in the hero course, but the requirement of living in a dorm was not as exciting.

He would have much preferred to stay with his dads in the teacher dorm, but apparently that wasn't allowed because of unfairness or something. The only perks Hitoshi had due to his parents being staff, was the bouts of boredom that came with arriving a day early. He thought nepotism was supposed to be cool.

And the worst part was, everyone in the class was already buddy buddy with each other. It would make settling in ten times more awkward, especially considering Izuku wasn't in the class with him.

Hitoshi was still slightly bitter that the boy had denied his ticket into the hero course, leaving Hitoshi to be the only person in their year to transfer. But another side of Hitoshi could see that Izuku didn't really want to be a hero, and begrudgingly, respected that.

The only good thing about being in the dorms was Hitoshi would be able to see Izuku all the time now. Well… most of the time. While students were allowed to mingle with others in different classes, there was a curfew commanding all students to be in their respective dorms by 10pm sharp. 

But, considering his parents were not only the guardians of class 1-A, but also class 1-C, Hitoshi may be able to use nepotism to his advantage.

Nonetheless, that was future Hitoshi's problem. Present Hitoshi's problem was the gaggle of new classmates that had barged their way through the heights alliance doors and right into Hitoshi’s face.

“Hi there!” an almost obnoxiously pink girl greeted. “My name’s Ashido Mina, but you can just call me Mina! What about you?”

“Uhhh… Shinsou Hitoshi” his response sounded more like a question.

“Cool! I'm Kaminari Denki, this is Kirishima Eijrou, Sero Hanta, and that spiky angry looking guy is Bakugo Katsuki." The humanoid version of pikachu responded, not at all put off by Hitoshi’s awkwardness.

Everyone mentioned waving, excluding one furious looking Bakugo Katsuki, not that Hitoshi cared. He didn't want to talk to the temperamental blonde anyway.

“Hello.”  Hitoshi hid his hands in the pockets of his jeans, hoping to conceal the river of sweat he could feel emerging from his palms. He really didn't want to make a fool of himself, the risk of another class leaving him to spend the year alone was much too high. He also didn't trust himself to say anything more, lest he say something strange or taboo.

“You’re the guy that's going to be joining our class right? Because you placed first in the sports festival, right?" Mina asked, her head tilting slightly. Hitoshi swears he can hear a faint “so manly” coming from the artificial red head.

A small nod is all it takes for the group's eyes to practically light up, Hitoshi doesn't even need to say anything.

“That's so cool!” Kamanari says, “we actually really wanted to ask you about your quirk! Do you need that ray gun in order to use it, or is that just to direct it like Present Mic’s speaker?” The boy is practically vibrating with how excited he looks. It reminds Hitoshi how Izuku also gets when asking about quirks. Maybe they would be friends, should Hitoshi introduce them?

Thinking back to Kaminari's question, Hitoshi raises an eyebrow. He tries to come up with a decent response, considering he had no idea what the blonde was saying, but all he can manage is a baffled, “what?”

Kaminari blinks in surprise, “you know… your laser quirk? And the ray gun you used to control it?”

An enormous weight is now somehow pushing into Hitoshi's shoulders, the blonde's question now having caused severe inner turmoil in Hitoshi. Thousands of different possibilities swirled through his head, and not one of them was positive. 

The reason the 1-A students were so friendly was because they didn't know Hitoshi's quirk. Hitoshi had thought they already knew, considering he used it on live television on one of their classmates. So unless Bakugo just hadn’t told them (which was possible considering the teens fragile ego) Hitoshi was right to assume they would know.

But it seemed that class 1-A was filled with idiots. Idiots that would shun Hitoshi as soon as they figured out about his real quirk. His villainous quirk.

Sealing his fate, Hitoshi licked his lips nervously before speaking. “Oh umm… I don't have a laser quirk. That was just a support item me and my friend made…”

This seemed to stun the group, but they were quick to recover. This time it was Sero who spoke.

“So then what's your actual quirk? Is it whatever you did to make Bakugo walk out of the ring?” Sero's hand came up to rest on his chin.

Hitoshi took a deep breath, “yeah. My actual quirk is brainwashing, and that's why I didn't pass the entrance exam. Its not very useful against robots.” he attempt to joke, hoping it would lessen the blow of when they would start to become wary of Hitoshi

However, instead of the glares of distrust Hitoshi had predicted, the groups just all looked like a lightbulb had gone off inside their small brains.

“Oooooh! That makes so much sense dude!” Kirishima chirped, his hands flying into the air briefly. “We were wondering why Bakugo just walked out of the ring, but he wouldn't answer any of our questions when we asked."

Mina nodded eccentrically, “yeah! We ended up assuming that you said something real mean, and hurt his feelings, so he just chickened out. But I guess that's only half true” she teased in a whisper shout.

“Hey!” Bakugo shouts from the kitchen, the distant sound of small explosions echo in the background. “I heard that raccoon eyes!”

“I know!” Mina laughs, scampering upstairs to avoid the fuming student. Bakugo is quick to give chase, leaving Kaminari, Kirishima, Sero, and a stunned Hitsohi behind.

While everyone watches the two disappear, Hitoshi just stands. He doesn't know if the pure shock he's feeling can be seen on his face, but he doesn't have the capacity to care.

Not a single member of class 1-A that had heard Hitoshi had reacted negatively. They all just kinda, didn't care. Like Izuku.

It obviously wasn't  the same with Izuku, as he actually understood what Hitoshi had dealt with. But they were still surprisingly empathetic, like they didn't care if he could control all their minds. They just believed he wouldn't do it. 

It was extremely overwhelming for Hitoshi, so he did what any sensible person would do in the situation.

“ I uhhh- I gotta go.” he jabbed a thumb towards the huge double doors, and without waiting for a response, sped walked out of the dorm.

Muffled through the now closed door, Hitoshi could hear Mina's aspirated whine of “where did Shinsou goooo!”

Hitoshi couldn't be bothered to return, instead making a beeline for where he knew the 1-C dorms were. He needed to talk to Izuku. Everything  was much too overwhelming for him to deal with all by himself.

When he reached 1-C’s dorm building he didn't bother knocking, instead just making his way through the doors. The few people gathered in the common room looked up at the sound of someone entering, but upon seeing Hitoshi then quickly went back to whatever they were doing. 

He passed by where Hazashi was helping organize dishes in the kitchen. When the man spotted him, he smiled and held up three fingers, likely the number for the floor Izuku was on. 

Hitoshi nodded in thanks and made his way towards the elevator, much too lazy to take the stairs. He didn't have to wait long before he was on the third floor, and by proxy, Izuku’s room.

He could hear a light chatter inside, but it was quick to cease when he knocked on the door. It was probably just Izuku muttering to himself again, so he wasn't worried about interrupting an important conversation.

As Hitoshi suspected, when Izuku swung open the door no one else was there. The room was also surprisingly bare, Hitoshi had expected much more hero merch to be owned by the number one hero nerd. However, the only merch in sight was a few posters placed strategically on the wall.

“Hitoshi!” Izuku’s chipper greeting distracted him from the boring room, instead putting his focus onto his best friend. “What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be meeting all the hero students? Wait- did it go bad? Oh my goodness Hitoshi I am so sor-”

Hitoshi cut off Izuku’s rambling by lifting a hand, doing his best not to let anything be revealed through his gaze.

“The opposite actually,” Hitoshi explained, “they were all really nice and didn't give a rat's ass about my quirk. It was just really overwhelming.” 

Eye sparkling, Izuku pulled hitoshi into his room and shut the door, "that's great! Tell me all about it! Did you get any info on their quirks? I’ve been dying to know how the Jirou’s works. I met her on one of the first days and she was pretty cool, but I didn't get to ask her in more detail how her quirk works because we had to get over a wall and stuff.”

Hitoshi waits for Izuku to finish his spiel instead of cutting him off, he knows that the younger boy was often picked on for his rambling so he didn't want to give off the vibe that he hated it as well.

“I didn't really talk to her, but I can let you know once I know more. I can even maybe try asking her if you want?” Hitoshi offered, his voice rising in pitch at the end of the sentence.

“You would really do that for me!” Izuku asked, his hands grabbing onto Hitoshi’s in his excitement.

Hitoshi's brain stops momentarily. It seems that today was just a rollercoaster of reeling experiences for Hitoshi, because as of now Midoriya Izuku was holding his hand. Midoriya “I hate physical contact” Izuku was holding his hand, and it wasn't involuntary.

Not wanting to discourage the trust Izuku was placing in him, Hitoshi just nodded and grinned. “Yeah, I'll get it for you. In fact, you could probably just visit the 1-A dorms and ask the questions yourself.”

At that Izuku falters, and Hitoshi worries he’s said something terribly wrong. However, Izuku's hands don't move from where they’re clasped around Hitoshi’s, so that helps with the anxiety he's feeling.

“I’m not sure… Bakugo’s in the class, and he hates my guts. He wouldn't hesitate to tell everyone I'm quirkless, and I know they reacted well to your quirk but I don't have one at all. They might totally hate me and then they might hate you just because you associate with me. And I would hate for me to be the reason the whole class hates you.” Izuku nervously rambles, a genuine worry present in his emerald eyes.

Hitoshi shrugs, "I wouldn't care. You're my best friend and if they don't like you because you Can't spit acid out of your fingers, or can't command a giant shadow monster, or can't control someone’s brain and force them to do whatever you want then I don't want to be friends with them either.”

Still obviously nervous, Izuku looked to a point beside Hitoshi. When the taller boy shifted his own head to look at whatever Izuku had focused on there was nothing there.

“But-” Izuku started his hands now having left Hitoshi’s to wring together uncomfortably. 

This time Hitoshi had no qualms about cutting Izuku off, knowing the next part of his sentence would just be self-degrading, “you know your friend Monoma from your first aid class that you keep talking to me about?”

Izuku raised an eyebrow, obviously confused by the sudden mention of his first aid partner, “I- yeah? What about him?”

“If it was revealed that he absolutely hates people with “villanous” quirks then would you still want to hang out with him?” Hitoshi asked, putting air quotes around the word "villainous."

Izuku blinked before his eyes widened fractionally, "Monoma would never think that! He actually grew up facing quite a fair amount of discrimination for his quirk, so I highly doubt he would have any sort of prejudice towards quirks

Hitoshi sighed and pinched his brow, “ok, while that's great. It wasn't what I meant at all. So, what would you do if Monoma hated me because of my quirk. Maybe even treated me unfairly for it.”

“I wouldn't be friends with him.” Izuku answered easily. “I don't want to associate myself with someone with that kind of view.”

Smiling Hitoshi raises his eyebrows until the lightbulb clicks inside of Izuku’s head. 

“Oh.” the smaller boy says, making the connection to what he had just said and what Hitoshi had been talking about earlier.

“Its entirely up to you if we hang out at the 1-A dorms” Hitoshi informed, he knew bit and pieces about Izuku’s past with Bakugo. He wouldn't want to force his friend into an uncomfortable situation. “But if we do, I’ll have your back. No matter what goes down.”

Izuku smiles at him. It isn't a huge thing, with his teeth on display. But rather a softer, more genuine smile, “thanks Toshi.”

Hitoshi is weak against the urge to embrace his friend, so he opens up his arms and leans into a hug, giving Izuku ample time and warning to back away so he chooses. But to Hitoshi’s shock, Izuku is just as quick to wrap his own arms around Hitoshi’s back, holding him in a surprisingly strong squeeze.

The two friends stay there for a moment, before pulling away to look into each other's eyes. Neither of them comment on the shine residing due to unshed tears in the others eyes.

“Anyway,” Izuku finally piped up after a moment in awkward silence, “you said you would tell me about what happened?”

“Oh yeah!” Hitoshi pulled Izuku so they could sit down together, disregarding the chairs in order to sit on the carpeted floor. He doesn't falter when telling Izuku about his strange interaction with 1-A.

—-------♡–♡–♡—-------

Izuku was having a really hard time getting out to do his vigilante work.

He was in a dorm room. A dorm room with very heavy security. Getting out without being noticed would be nearly impossible, but he was still going to try.  He had a reputation to uphold, and he worries that crime rates may spike if the local delinquents know he's gone.

So here Izuku finds himself. Dressed head to toe in black, the visitor's pass he had asked Oboro to snag in his pocket. 

Izuku wasn't stupid. He know that escaping a reentering U.A. undetected was no easy task, so he had prepped an insane plan that had an insane about of backup plans. He had an idea for almost everything that could go wrong, including an excuse for if he failed entirely.

The visitor's pass hidden snuggly in his pocket would allow him to enter and exit via the gate, without being locked in or out. He didn't use his own pass, as he knew that the principal would likely be alerted. Which is the same reason he doesn't use a random student's pass.

One thing he does know, due to Oboro's accidental spying, is that all teachers have a spare visitor pass in case they lose their own. If Izuku times his departure and arrival for when another member of the staff goes out to patrol, then he'll be able to sneak past the gate under the guise of an extra visitors pass said teacher has.

Izuku also had Eraserheads entire schedule. Which was the teacher he was planning to use to sneak out. It was the best option, considering Oboro has his patrol route memorized. Izuku also made sure to nab eraser’s visitor pass specifically, for fear they were each unique.

As for not being spotted, Izuku was dressed head to toe in black. The only thing not hidden by the dark fabric were his eyes, which would be dull enough under the cover of midnight. However, his mask was currently stored in his pocket, just in case he ran into someone on the way out.

Oboro had been asked to fiddle with the cameras right as Izuku would pass them, which the ghost had happily agreed to. It would keep Izuku off nezu’s cameras, therefore preventing the rat from identifying Izuku through figure alone. They agreed to do it until Izuku found a good zone free of cameras, so nezu couldn't track him via the glitching either.

He also had loads of alternate methods, but he didn't have the time to recite them.

Eraserhead was scheduled to leave in 20 minutes. If Izuku left now, he would reach the gate with 5 minutes to spare. But he gave himself some extra time, knowing he was probably going to have to avoid someone at least once, most likely one of his classmates.

Ready to put his plan into motion, Izuku slips out of his room. He could have gone via his balcony, but on the off chance he got injured he wouldn't know how to explain away the injury without sounding suspicious. So yeah, leaving through the front door it is.

He creeps down the hallway and towards the elevator, Oboro at his side. Neither of them speak except for Oboro giving a “all clear!” before they turn every corner. When they get to the elevator Oboro quickly makes his way to the main floor, before returning to the third and confirming that no one is loitering in the common room or kitchen.

Izuku takes the elevator down to the first floor, his foot anxiously tapping at the wood making up the flooring. The doors open to prove Oboro truthful, as there isn't a single soul residing on the main floor. Izuku briskly makes his way over to the doors, exiting slowly while facing the building so that he doesn't accidentally slam the thing and wake up his classmates.

When the door is finally closed, almost silently may he add, Izuku allows himself a sigh of relief. Which is quickly dissipated by the call of his name coming from behind him.

Izuku squeaks and spins around, revealing a very confused Yamada-Sensei. The man isn't in his usual get up, instead sporting a grey “put your hands up radio” t-shirt and bright pink sweat pants that Oboro happily informs belong to Shouta. He’s also sporting a half up half down hairdo, a pale comparison to the usual extravagant hairstyle usually on the man.

“Midoriya? What are you doing out here?” the man asks, his hands curling around his steaming mug of what Izuku assumes is tea.

“Oh!” Izuku falters, trying to remember his pre planned excuse in his panic. “I was just umm- going for a late night run! Helps me wind down before bed.” 

Izuku flashes the man a weak smile, hoping that he bought the excuse. He’s left stressing as Present Mic shifts his weight onto his other foot. Oboro face palms beside him, which doesn't insure Izuku’s confidence in his lie.

“I-” Yamada-Sensei stops briefly, “Midoriya you do know that curfew is at 10, and it's currently 11:15. You can't go for a run right now.” he takes a sip of his drink.

“Yeah I um- i know it just that…” he fiddles with his fingers, trying to come up with something. “This is when I usually go, when I'm staying at home. I guess I just kinda forgot that it wouldn't be allowed.”

Yamada-Sensei smiles, “yeah I get it kiddo. Here, I'll walk you back up to your room.”

Izuku goes to protest, his patrol at the front of his mind. But he’s quick to falter, when Oboro shakes his head. Both teens know he would surely be caught if he attempted to continue his patrol now.

So instead he just agrees, letting his homeroom teacher lead him back to his room on the third floor. They don't talk as they make their way up, but the silence isn't awkward by any means. Yamada-Sensei bids Izuku a goodnight when they make it to his door, waiting till the boy is securely in his room before making his way to his own room.

Izuku sighs, Oboro has a look of understanding written across his face. He should probably wait a few days before trying again, maybe give him and Oboro some time to learn everyone's schedules.

Oboro bid him a goodnight as Izuku pulled out his computer. Unlike the caged Izuku, Oboro was free to move around however he liked, and was going to spend his night tailing Eraserhead. If there was one thing Oboro couldn't miss out on, it was the night time patrols he liked to go on, accompanying whoever he could. The ghost also hated watching Izuku do computerwork, which was fair enough.

Izuku sighed again, before opening his laptop. He wouldn't give up his work that easily, he thought to himself as he pulled up the newest email from Tsukauchi.