Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dear Student #15,

I don’t want to fucking do this at all, but the guards and people running Tartarus are up my ass so here’s some basic shit I guess. You know I’m arrested, you know I’m a villain, you know they think I can be ‘reformed’ or whatever. Frankly, I don’t see a point in this, but it’s better than sitting on my ass all day staring at the wall. I won’t say much more considering this is my second attempt. My first draft was ‘too mean’ as they put it. Don’t bother answering.

Insincerely yours,

Inmate #03224

Todoroki was very confused when he got called down to Nedzu’s office one Saturday afternoon, and he was even more confused when he saw Midoriya, Bakugou, Ochako, Iida, Yaoyorozu, Shinsou, and Kirishima sitting in the office as well, as wearing the same expression he did.

“Todoroki, welcome! Now that everyone is here, we can begin!” Nedzu said, sitting behind his desk and flanked by Aizawa and All Might. Todoroki took a seat between Iida and Yaoyorozu.

“Now as second years here at UA, your education and course load has been expanded to new horizons, and in a new collaboration with one of UA’s affiliates, the eight of you have been selected for a new… program, if you will.”

“Nedzu-sensei, what is this ‘program,’ exactly?” Yaoyorozu asked.

“I am so glad you asked, Yaoyorozu.” Nedzu began. “To put it in the simplest terms, the eight of you will be set up to be part of a pen pal program with currently detained villains who are set to be part of their prisons’ rehabilitation and education venture.”

The eight students looked from their teachers to each other in shock. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Bakugou bluntly stated.

“Not at all, Bakugou.” Nedzu said, unbothered by the outburst.

“Nedzu-sensei, forgive my doubt, but are you sure this is a good idea?” Iida asked. “It seems quite dangerous to be casually corresponding with villains.”

“Due to this being a trial run, we’ve set up many precautions.” Aizawa began explaining. “The villains will not know your identity and you will not know theirs. Their letters are to be read before being sent to you as a safety measure. They are not allowed to tell you the reason for their incarceration since you can search it up afterwards.”

“If there is any sense of danger at play, we pull the plug on this immediately.” All Might added. “Your wellbeing will always come first.”

“Why us, though?” Shinsou asked. “This is too risky to be some random draw, and no one from 2-B is here.”

“Due to all of your… past experiences,” All Might said hesitantly. “We figured 2-A would be the most equipped to handle the situation. 2-B’s luck is ironically their downfall in this scenario.”

“You all are hearing yourselves, right? This is insane.” Bakugou protested. Nedzu shared a look between the two other teachers. “You may think it’s insane, but there’s no backing out now.” he said, reaching into a drawer of his desk and pulling out a stack of envelopes. “It’s already begun.”

Todoroki could practically feel the the tension radiating off of everyone as they were handed the envelopes one by one. He looked down at his envelope seeing ‘To: Student #15’ and ‘From: Inmate #03224’ written on it.

“Hold on.” Todoroki said. “Did you assign us each a villain?” The questioned gained the student’s attention as they finally drew their eyes away from the envelopes.

“Honestly? We put your names and the inmate numbers in a randomizer.” Aizawa replied. “It’s not that deep.”

“If you don’t have anymore questions, then I suggest you all head on over to your rooms and meet your new correspondents.” Nedzu said with a smile, although it was a bit unnerving to Todoroki. Bakugou was the first to get up and leave, letter held tightly in his fist. Shinsou shrugged and left right after him, with Kirishima close behind. Uraraka, Iida, and Midoriya all got up and began discussing what could be in the letters as they left, leaving Todoroki to walk with Yaoyorozu.

As the door shut behind them, Yaoyorozu looked to Todoroki. “Do you think this is a good idea?”

Todoroki looked at the messy handwriting on his envelope and shrugged. “It’s definitely an interesting one.”

To Student #17,

When I was told of this new program, I was shocked, as I did not think that I qualified as someone worth ‘rehabilitating.’ This is quite an interesting situation we’ve found ourselves in: a villain and a hero-in-training, talking as if we were not on opposite ends of the spectrum. I believe that being paired up with me will be more of a help to you than to me, but we will see where you lie the more we keep talking. That is all for now.

Regards,

Inmate #78246

Bakugou scoffed as he tossed the letter on his desk. This person sounds like a fucking prick.

Dearest Student #4,

Isn’t this so exciting? I’ve been soooo bored here in Tartarus. There’s nothing to do but sit around and wait for my next meal and sleep in these ugly clothes and suppressant bracelets, but now there’s something I can actually do! Can you tell me some stuff about you? Are you cute? What’s your favourite color? Favourite food? What do you like to do? Some people say I’m cute, and I like red the most. In my first draft of the letter, the guards said my answer to the other two questions were ‘not appropriate’ and ‘gave myself away,’ so I had to redo it. I’m excited to hear from you #4!!

XOXO,

Inmate #08642

Iida raised an eyebrow at his letter before picking up a pen and writing down his response. At least he had something to work with.

To Student #20,

Being seated across a Tartarus representative as I dictate a letter to a hero-in-training is not how I expected to spend my time today, but fate seems to work quite strangely. If someone told the me from two years ago that I would be doing this in the future, I would wonder was manic disease they caught. What do you think of the situation you find yourself in?

Regards,

Inmate #00524

Yaoyorozu sighed as she reached the end of the letter. If only she had an answer.

Greetings Student #18,

Although you are anonymous, it is still nice to meet you in a way, especially since I’ve been incarcerated for a while now. I know that a future would not wish to associate with a villain, but I do hope you at least consider the thought of building a rapport. It would at least keep us both entertained.

Sincerely,

Inmate #05876

Midoriya felt a pang in his chest as he read the cursive on the page. They were onto something at least, it would keep them both entertained.

Hello Student #8!

I hope your day finds you well! Musutafu Penitentiary is not the most high class place, but with you here, at least there’s something new to look forward to. I’ve been here for almost a year now and I miss the entertainment of the outside world. Are online videos still relevant? What are the new trends now? I eagerly await your response.

Best wishes,

Inmate #05683

Kirishima let out a surprised smile at his letter. This kind of energy is something he could get used to.

Hi Student #5,

I’m not really sure how to start this. I’ve always been kind of awkward talking to people, so at least letters help since I don’t have to see you face to face. My aunt would always say to make a grand first impression, but that’s kind of hard to do in writing. I’m just going to end the letter now, it’s not like you’re going to be interested in what a villain would say anyways.

Take care, I guess? (I don’t know how to sign off since I’ve never written a letter before)

Inmate #00427

Uraraka stared at the messy handwriting before her before opening up google and typing in ‘ice breakers for awkward people.’

What’s up #19,

I’m your new pen pal! Nice to meet you, or not. Considering the way that I am, writing to you will be interesting, but don’t think we’re so buddy buddy, kid. So what kind of person are you like? Got any hobbies? Any pets? I’m dying for any kind of information. I don’t care though. But anyways, can’t wait to hear from you soon! Not really though!

Later,

Inmate #89423

Shinsou rubbed the back of his neck as he reread the letter, as he was 90% sure he got whiplash while reading it. How the hell does he respond to that mess?

Shouto could already tell that he wasn’t going to like his pen pal, not because he was begrudging writing the letter, but because of how he ended it.

“Insincerely Yours.”

Dick.

Chapter Text

Dear Inmate #03224,

I understand that this isn’t an ideal situation for either of us, after all, a villain and a hero-in-training talking casually over letters isn’t the most normal thing in the world, but know that you aren’t the only one unhappy. I will bother responding, because this is what we’re stuck doing now. I don’t see the full point either, but let’s just both deal with this and get it over with.

Insincerely yours,

Student #15

Dabi chuckled as he finished reading the letter. Whoever he got seems to have some bite to them, if the copied goodbye was anything to go by. This whole letter thing was in fact stupid, but two months in Tartarus will make anyone starved for any kind of entertainment.

He still remembered the day he was caught. With Kurogiri being captured almost a year before he was, Toga being caught a month before him, and Twice following Toga’s fate two weeks later, he remained as one of the League’s few powerhouses left.

Shigaraki, the slimy little shit, managed to escape the warehouse after their meeting turned out to be a set up, but Dabi was not so lucky, especially since the number two hero was called in as back up. Dabi doesn’t think he would ever forget their last encounter before he was put in cuffs.

“What the hell are you doing here? I thought your meeting was tomorrow.” Hawks whisper shouted after leading him to a secluded room in the warehouse, the other heroes and police left behind.

“Plans change, hero. Now are you going to put on a nice show for them and fight me or what?” Dabi asked, tauntingly. “Then again, it isn’t really a show since you’re not actually a traitor.”

Hawks froze at those words, the feathers surrounded them slowly falling to the ground. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Quite playing dumb, Birdie.” Dabi yelled, now getting angry. “You looked off last week so I got suspicious and followed you after one of our meetings and heard some interesting things. Not going to lie, I’m impressed you managed to string me along for so long.”

“String you along?”

“Let’s be real, I meant nothing to you.” Dabi replied, his anger now losing its heat. “You did what you had to do. Seduce the villain, get him to blab. Hell, you almost got me to spill my tragic backstory.”

“Dabi I-”

“Save it.” he interrupted, raised his flame coated arms. “Don’t worry if you’re the one to walk out here alive. I had the decency not to tell Shigaraki the truth.”

Just as Hawks got on the defensive, the rest of the heroes burst into the room, quickly surrounding Dabi. Dabi paused, looking at the heroes surrounding him. He was outnumbered and outplanned, but he refused to go out without a bang.

“Dabi.” He looked back in front of him and looked at Hawks. “It’s over.” Hawks voice was stern and commanding, a reassuring tone to anyone who was listening, but only Dabi noticed the pain behind his eyes.

He raised his hands from in front of him to above his head, watching Hawks slowly approach him with quirk suppressant cuffs, the rest of the heroes waiting for Dabi to feint and strike. As Hawks placed the cuffs around Dabi’s wrists, he leaned in and whispered in his ear. “You could never be nothing to me.”

Those words were still ringing in his ears two months later.

Inmate #78246,

I don’t know what kind of ‘help’ you think you’re going to give me, but you must be out of your fucking mind if you think your villain ass can teach me anything, or did you forget who’s behind bars right now. I’m only doing this because UA thinks this is a good idea, which they seem to be wrong about. Write back or don’t, I don’t give a shit.

Student #17

Stain looked at the seated guard who read his letter to him amused. So #17 had one of those attitudes. He would need to investigate further to see what kind of hero he was.

“Can you place the letter in front of me? I’d like read it and I’m sure you don’t want to read it again.” Stain asked. The guard eyed him warily before placing the letter on the table in front of him. Stain was not let out of his restraints in Tartarus, except when he needed to eat, use the bathroom, or write letters to this UA student.

Stain reread the letter and let out a sick smile. Just because he was incarcerated doesn’t mean he couldn’t continue his campaign.

Dear Inmate #08642,

Greetings, I am Student #4 and pleased to make your acquaintance. I look forward to continue corresponding with you now and in the future as you continue your rehabilitation. To answer your previous questions, I do not know if I am cute or not, so I asked my close female friend as an impartial judge and she said yes. My favourite colors would have to be blue and silver, my favourite food is beef stew, and I enjoy studying the most. I suppose I must ask you a question as well, so I will ask about your wellbeing as of right now, as I believe it is important to be checked up on.

Regards,

Student #4

Toga skipped around her cell as she read her letter. A cute person asking how she was doing? She could melt right now! Her only entertainment for the past three months in Tartarus has been pestering the guards every time they delivered food to her for any entertainment. Imprisonment sucked a lot, but at least if she had to have been caught, it was by a pretty hero, and Midnight gave her the best nap in all 16 years of her life.

She went to her desk set the letter down, waiting for the guard to deliver a pen and paper for her to write her next letter.

Dear Inmate #00524,

I cannot deny that this is a strange scenario indeed. As for what I think about this, I honestly do not know. The idea of villains in Tartarus of all places being part of a rehabilitation program can be seen as quite outlandish, but at the same time, one could argue that it is beneficial. I suppose only time will tell, and you will get your answer later.

Regards,

Student #20

Overhaul raised his eyebrow as the guard finished reading the letter to him. “Can be seen,” “one could argue.” Whoever this student is seems to not want to say their actual gut instinct opinion.

“Can a guard come by in 30 minutes so I can dictate my next letter?” Overhaul asked.

“We’ll have someone come by then. Lunch is in 30 minutes so you’ll be being fed as you dictate.” the guard said, looking obviously at where Overhaul’s arms once were. The guard left and Overhaul sat down on his bed. At least his correspondent is as formal as he is.

Dear Inmate #05876,

It’s nice to meet, or write to, you as well. You seem nice which alleviates some of my worries, and I look forward to writing to you as well. I would ask you how you are but I assume the answer won’t be good, considering where you are. Is it took much to ask where you are? It might give me something to work with but who knows. I hope you write back soon!

Sincerely,

Student #18

Kurogiri smiled at the paper in his hands. #18 seemed like a sweet kid, and he was happy to be in this mutual agreement with them. He only noticed his shaking hand that clutched the letter after his fifth reread.

The kids sounds a lot like Hairo.

Hey there, Inmate #05683!

You seem pretty enthusiastic and I like that! I’ve been doing well, how are you? The internet is still thriving as always and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Three of my friends and I actually make short videos online and some have gone viral (I won’t tell you which though). As for what’s new right now, the three friends I’ve mentioned before do these weird dances right now, and I’m sure the rest of the class hates it. There’s another group of people who have been playing these tabletop games after seeing some series online about it. Hope to hear from you soon!

Best wishes,

Student #8

Gentle grinned as he read the letter in his hands. What an enthusiastic kid! He could practically feel the energy radiating off of the paper, and to think he makes online videos too. He would have to give the kid some tips on editing his works.

If only he could speak to Aiba. She was always the better editor.

Hi there, Inmate #00427!

It’s okay if you’re a bit awkward, this is a weird situation after all. I looked up some ice breakers so maybe that can help us out. I’ll tell you some stuff about me and you can respond in the next letter! My favourite color is pink, I love mochi and starry skies, my favourite pokemon is Cosmog, and I’m learning martial arts. Now you can answer! I’ll hope to hear from you soon!

Take care,

Student #5

Mustard put the letter in his drawer before exiting his cell. #5 was nice, and he did not expect them to be considerate of at all, even going ahead and searching up questions for him. It was definitely a breath of fresh air compared to where he was now.

He’s been at the Tokyo Correctional Facility for the Youth since the summer, and he was getting sick and tired of the ‘correctional’ part. Considering what he did to those UA students, he should be in Tartarus, but since he’s only 13, they dumped him here. A place for minors who did some not so minor things.

He knows #5 is a UA hero student, but he doesn’t know what year they're in. He wondered how they’d react if they knew his actual identity.

Hello, Inmate #89423,

I’m going to be honest with you, I have no clue how to respond to you. Nice to meet you? I think? I guess answering your questions might be easier. Besides training I like to write a lot. I have a book of poetry that I write in sometimes that I keep hidden in my room. This shit is anonymous so you can’t really do anything with this information and I don’t mind telling you. As for pets, I have one cat and I got two more when I was adopted by my dads. Does that count as oversharing? Who knows. Write back if you want. I don’t really know if you do.

Sincerely,

Student #19

Twice was conflicted as he read the letter and paced in his cell. On the one hand, he was happy to begin to get to know this kid. Two and a half months in the walls of Tartarus made him worse than usual, and these letters might be the only constant in his life as of right now. On the other hand, #19 seemed put off by what he wrote, but then again, it could’ve been worse. That letter was his fifth attempt, and the guard said it sounded the best.

“Can I get a pen and paper along with some supervision? I was to respond to my letter.” Twice called out to the guard outside. Maybe if he explained himself, the kid may understand him more.

“I think my person hates me, I have no clue.” Shinsou said to the group. The eight of them were all alone in the common room discussing the letters with each other.

“At least you know what your person thinks. All my person’s fancy words are so weird to me, and I talk fancy too.” Yaoyorozu added.

“My fucker this they’re some messiah here to educate me. Did a hero hit them so hard they forget who the villain and who the hero is?” Bakugou complained.

“I see you’re not the only one with someone strange.” Iida began. “My person asked me if I was cute.”

“Wait, is that why you asked me if you cute!?” Uraraka squeaked out.

“Yes.”

“But you said it was important if I answered!” Uraraka argued.

“It was important. I couldn’t leave my correspondent hanging.”

“My person is pretty cool, or as cool as someone like them can be.” Kirishima added. “My person isn’t even in Tartarus.”

“I have no fucking clue where my freak show ended up.” Bakugou scowled. Uraraka, Shinsou, and Midoriya all agreed with him, although hesitant at his word choice.

“My person seemed nice in their letter, I actually think they’re pretty lonely.” Midoriya said.

“Mine too.” Uraraka added “They were super awkward in mine. They actually said they haven’t written a letter before.”

“What about you, Todoroki? What is your correspondent like?” Iida asked, turning to Todoroki.

“They’re reluctant, which I get, but kind of rude.” he responds.

“How so?” Yaoyorozu asked.

“They ended their letter with ‘insincerely yours.’”

“HA!” Bakugou bust out. “I’m stealing that.”

“How did you answer?” Shinsou asked.

“I did the same thing back, obviously.” Todoroki answered, deadpan. He was not sure why everyone was laughing at his response afterwards.

Chapter Text

Dear Student #15,

Fine, I’ll bite. You seem not shitty for a brat anyways. Yesterday the guards handed me a list of shit to pick and ask, like a 20 questions type thing except not for gross teen boys trying to get into a girl’s pants. The thing is, I think they got it off of some website and printed it without reading it because there’s a question that says ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ and frankly, we both know the answer to that, so I guess I’ll ask what you would be if you weren’t a hero. One of the other questions that was written down says, ‘why do you want to be a hero?’ but if that shit is too obvious then don’t bother. Anyways bye.

Insincerely yours,

Inmate #03224

“Is this progress?” Todoroki thought as he read the letter over. The inmate is leaning into the whole thing which is an improvement, but they still were a bit of a prick. Maybe that’s just the kind of person they were.

He was more worried with the first question #03224 asked. He was alive only to be a hero, so the thought of a different career path never dared to cross his mind. Thinking of it now was… weird. Is he even qualified to go into another field? Endeavour surely didn’t teach him anything more than what he needed to know.

Thinking about it any longer would drive him insane, so he made his way to the door of someone who could do the thinking for him.

“Todoroki?” Midoriya asked when he opened the door. “Did I forget to give you your notes back?”

“No, I have them. I just have a question. May I come in?” Todoroki asked. Midoriya stepped aside and let Todoroki into his room. Although he had been in his room countless times before, the startlingly large amount of All Might merch always surprised him at first glance.

“What is it you need?” Midoriya asked as he took a seat on his bed. Todoroki followed and sat next to him, fiddling with the letter. “If I wasn’t a hero, what would I be?”

Midoriya paused, not expecting a question like that. “What brought this on?”

“My villain asked me. I’ve never thought about it so I thought I’d ask you since you’re good at breaking people down.”

“I mean I wouldn’t go that far.” Midoriya muttered. “I could never imagine being anything but a hero, even when people told me to do other heroic like jobs. Then again, that was before my quirk uh, developed late. Maybe you could be like that.”

“Like what?”

“Working in something heroic that isn’t as a hero. Sometimes people pursue jobs like police officers, doctors, firefighters, or lawyers because it’s important to them personally.” Midoriya explained. “Is there something like that important to you? Something you want changed?”

Todoroki brushed his fingers over his scar. “Yeah, I can think of something.”

Dear Student #17,

I apologize if I offended you, I was simply looking for a way to continue our conversation and I see that my idea was not the best one. The guard here in Tartarus has given me a list of questions in case we run into a stalemate, so I think I’ll use one now. Without giving away anything about me, I am quite interested in the motives of heroes, so I must ask, why did you decide to become a hero?

Regards,

Inmate #78246

Bakugou growled at the letter. Where did this asshole get off at acting so high and mighty? Sero looked up from the fridge where he was looking for some fruit and turned to Bakugou. “What’s got you madder than usual?”

Bakugou scowled and angrily shook the letter in his hand, nearly knocking over the food on the table. “First the shithead thinks he can offer me advice even though they’re a villain, and then they say ‘if I offended you.’ OF COURSE THEY FUCKING DID!”

Sero let out a quiet chuckle. “I mean, yeah, but I don’t think you should antagonize the person more than usual. Didn’t you mention they were in Tartarus?”

“I can fucking take them. I held off the League at Kamino.”

“But you can't do it for long, can you? You’re lucky Kirishima showed up with Iida and Midoriya for the world’s most powerful handhold.”

“Are you going to keep making stupid jokes about Kirishima or are you going to say something useful?” Bakugou asked, irritated.

Sero peeked over Bakugou’s shoulder and skimmed the letter over. “Damn, Tartarus? Anyways, just answer them I guess. Maybe when they get their answer, you might even teach them a thing or two.”

Bakugou’s angry expression turned smug. “I’ll show this fucker what a hero is.”

“Dude, that’s so fucking ominous can we just go upstairs and study already?”

Hiiii Student #4!!

I’m really happy you wrote back! You sound like a nerd but that’s okay, since your friend said you were a cutie. Thank you for asking how I’m doing, no one in Tartarus seems to care how I am, just if that I’m not dead or something >_<. I’m always super bored but these letters make me feel better <3! When the guard came by to give me my pen and paper, he gave me a list of questions to ask you. I asked why ‘why do you want to be a hero?’ is on the list and the guard told me that I should pipe down and write :(. I guess I’m asking you now.

XOXO,

Inmate #08642

Iida shifted his his seat on the couch and brought the letter closer to his face. “Aoyama, is it normal to use emoticons in a written letter?”

Aoyama looked up from his laptop and moved to sit next to Iida to read his letter. They were the only two in the common room, as everyone was either doing some last minute studying for the test tomorrow or tutoring those that who were doing the last minute studying. Aoyama’s confidence in himself showed as he was doing some online shopping instead of studying.

“I don’t see why not.” Aoyama says. “They seem quite happy to speak with you.”

“Almost too happy. It seems Tartarus is quite a boring place.” Iida said.

“Iida, mon ami,” Aoyama began, looking into Iida’s eyes. “They are in a hell on Earth. Of course it’s boring.”

“Boring enough to ask me why a question exists?”

“I do not blame this mystery villain for their excessiveness and curiosity in a place like that. Simply answer their question. After all, you seem to be their only source of entertainment.”

Iida looked down at the letter and nodded his head. “You are right, Aoyama. This person is relying on me and I cannot let them down. I’m going to my room to respond immediately.”

“Go nuts, as long as you don’t put ‘xoxo’ at the end of your letters.”

Dear Student #20,

You seem indecisive about this predicament, so I hope speaking to me will alleviate some of your conflicting feelings. My scribe here in Tartarus told me how those running this program provided a list of questions the participants behind bars could ask, and due to my feelings regarding the hero industry, I must ask one right now. Out of every job available to you in this world, why heroism? Why… that?

Regards,

Inmate #00524

“I’m pretty sure hearing ‘alleviating feelings’ from this person has the opposite effect.” Yaoyorozu thought, sinking further down into her desk chair.

“Still thinking about your new villain bff’s letter?” Jirou asked, not looking up from her notes spread out across Yaoyorozu’s bed.

“I get a strange… feeling from them.” Yaoyorozu settled on. “I feel off just by simple words on a sheet of paper.”

“Come here.” Jirou said, beckoning her girlfriend over to sit next to her. Once Yaoyorozu sat down, Jirou leaned over to hug her, giving her a kiss on the forehead. “Momo, I’m sure if you’re uncomfortable, Nedzu will let you stop.” she said, letting her arms hang off her loosely.

“Kyouka, it’s fine.” Yaoyorozu said, shaking her head. “It’s probably because they’re a villain. Who wouldn’t be put off?”

Jirou seemed hesitant, but squeezed Yaoyorozu’s arms in reassurance. “Fine, but you’re pulling the plug if it’s too much. I once saw Nedzu turn and walk the other way when that third year was getting ready to fight that business student for being a dick to Hagakure. He would put your comfort first.”

Yaoyorozu giggled. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She pulled herself away from Jirou and picked up one of the pieces of paper on her bed. “Now for chemistry!”

“We were being cute and you ruined it.”

“You know what’s not cute? Subpar marks.”

Dear Student #18,

I’m happy to see your enthusiasm. I am incarcerated in Tartarus, so my mood is not the best. I understand that will put you off, considering the types of people who are locked up in here. In an effort to get to know the UA students, I was told the participating villains were all given a list of questions, and looking it over, there is one that caught my eye. Why did you decide to become a hero? I hope to hear back from you soon.

Sincerely,

Inmate #05876

The letter was on Midoriya’s mind as he headed down to the kitchen for a study snack. Walking into the kitchen, he met with Tsuyu, who was climbing on the counter to reach a plate. Midoriya walked up behind her and jumped, grabbing the plate she needed and handing it to her.

“Thank you Midoriya.” she said with a smile. “Are you done studying?”

“Just grabbing a snack and writing a letter.” Midoriya responded, opening the fridge.

“For those villains, right? Ochako was talking about it earlier.” Midoriya nodded. It wasn’t a secret that the eight were in contact with villains, and his fellow classmates would ask about the letters when they could.

He looked over at Tsuyu as she calmly began making a sandwich. If anyone would tell him what they truly thought, it would be her. “Tsu-chan, do you think villains can be nice?”

“Yes.” she replied, no hesitation in her voice. “Anyone can be nice.”

“Even someone locked up in Tartarus?”

“If this is about your letter, then I do believe your person is nice.” she said. “It’s not hard to be nice, but you need to ask yourself if your person is good .”

“Considering where they ended up, I don’t think they are.” Midoriya sighed.

“Then don’t get to deep into this, it’ll be dangerous.” she warned. “The pleasantries and nice words are fine, but if you begin to have this crisis again, remember what they are.”

“They just seem so lonely.”

“That’s what these letters are for. Their rehabilitation is guaranteed if they’re partnered with someone as kind as you.”

“Tsu…” Midoriya blushed.

“Don’t try to argue back or else I get Kirishima and Ochako involved.”

“Yes ma’am.” he replied hurriedly. He was still scarred by that compliment storm.

“If that’s all, can you help me with the balancing equations review? I don’t want to bother Yaomomo and Kyouka.” Tsuyu asked, holding her now complete sandwich.

“Of course! It’s really easy once you learn this simple trick Todoroki taught me.” he answered.

“Wait, is he studying with you too? I don’t want to bother the couples.”

“Nope, he’s in his own roo- wait, what?”

Hello Student #8!

Glad to hear from you! I’m doing surprisingly well in here, considering I just confine myself in my cell during free time for the most part, except for when I grab some tea. Sadly, it is nothing compared to Golden Tips Imperial tea, but I’ll accept it. I’m happy to hear how your friends are taking advantage of the wonderful world of online videos, and proud of them for their success. Dance crazes come and go, but the tabletop game sound interesting. I must check it out once I am out of here. But enough about me, I have a list of questions I’m legally required to ask you for this assignment. I’ll ask one for now though. Why did you decide on the path of heroism?

Best wishes,

Inmate #05683

Kirishima smile excitedly as he read the letter, nearly tripping as he reread the letter while walking down the hallway. He walked into the common room, looking for his textbook, but instead was met with Aizawa and Present Mic on the couch, who scooted a farther apart when he walked in. he could’ve sworn he actually saw Aizawa smiling.

“What’s up, Listener?” Mic asked, failing to discreetly remove his arm from behind Aizawa.

“Have either of you seen a textbook here?” Kirishima asked, deciding to ignore whatever was going on.

Aizawa reached down and picked up a textbook that was at his feet, stretching his arm out to hand it to Kirishima. “Write your name inside of it incase you lose it again.”

“Thank you, Sensei!”

“What’s got you in such a good mood?” Mic asked.

“Finally read my letter from Musutafu Penitentiary.” Kirishima responded. “My person seems pretty nice. They were asking about online trends and stuff. They seemed interested when I mentioned that tabletop game Tokoyami runs.”

“Tokoyami runs a DnD game?” Aizawa asked, looking interested.

“Oh yeah, that’s what it’s called. Yup, he, Shouji, Kouda, and Satou all play.”

“Remember when we defeated the final boss in Tensei’s campaign because my bard rolled a natural 20 to seduce it?” Mic asked Aizawa, giggling at the memory.

“I mostly remember how we kept a tally of how many times Nemuri’s cleric had to revive you.” Aizawa deadpanned.

Kirishima laughed at the betrayed expression on Mic’s face. Mic pouted before dramatically turning back to Kirishima. “ Anyways , I’m happy to hear that your assigned villain is treating you well.”

“Their rehabilitation process will probably go a lot smoother than others.” Aizawa commented.

“Being able to turn someone’s life around like this, it’s so manly!” Kirishima said with a smile. He felt his phone vibrate and quickly pulled it out, wincing at the message. “I’m going to head upstairs before Bakugou drags me up by the ear. Thank you again!”

Entering Sero’s room, he was greeted with the sight of a distressed Ashido and Sero, an angry Bakugou, and Kaminari, who he almost collided with at the door.

“Where are you off to?” Kirishima asked him.

“Shinsou asked me for something so I’m going to go to his room.” he replied.

“Don’t leave us with the demon tutor!” Ashido whined, pointing to Bakugou. “I only know acids and basics I need more help!”

“I can fucking hear you, dumbass.”

“We need you to teach us chemistry, bro. Remember how I passed the physics test last month because of you? You’re good at science.” Sero added.

“My hearing aids are in you fuckers !”

“I’ll come back soon, don’t worry. Blasty won’t kill you.” Kaminari said.

“I can tutor you far better than Mr. What’s a Polynomial over there!” Bakugou finally exploded. “How the hell are you competent at science but not math, anyways?”

“Math is boring but science is actually interesting and cool. Except biology. Fuck that.” Kaminari explained.

“That makes no sense.”

“No you.”

Kaminari bolted out the door before Bakugou could take another step forward. He instead decided to turn on Kirishima. “What took you so long?”

“I was talking to Aizawa and Mic.” Kirishima explained. “You guys think they’re a thing?”

“Nah.” Sero replied. “That means Aizawa needs to have joint custody with his cats.”

Hi Student #5,

Considering how you write, all of those things about you make sense. It matches. I guess it’s my turn now. My favourite color is green, I like video games, my favourite pokemon is Koffing, and before getting locked up, I used to be pretty good archery since I had such skilled marksmanship. The social worker here gave me a list of questions I’m allowed to ask you, so I guess that’s what I’m doing now. One of them says ‘why do you want to be a hero,’ but if your answer is ‘because it’s cool’ like everyone else my age, don’t bother answering.

Sincerely,

Inmate #00427

Uraraka was holding her both her letters from #00427 as she stepped out of the elevator and poked her head into the common room. Instead of finding who she was looking for, she instead found Midnight doing some marking.

“Midnight-sensei? What are you doing here?” she asked, walking up to the couch Midnight was seated at.

“Hey Uraraka. The staff dorm is chaos right now since Eri asked for cookies.” Midnight replied.

“Is that bad?”

“Not at all. Everyone scrambled into the kitchen to make them for her so it’s a mess right now. What about you?”

“Ashido isn’t in her room so I came down here to see if she was here.” Uraraka replied. “But now I see she isn’t.”

“Isn’t there a chemistry test tomorrow? Maybe she’s studying with her little gang.”

“There is. I came here since I’m done studying.” Uraraka said. She lifted the hand holding the letters to scratch her head, catching Midnight’s attention.

“Is that letter? Is it a loooove letter?” Midnight teased, leaning in closer. “Were you going to tell Ashido about your secret admirer?”

“Ew ew no.” Uraraka quickly denied. “It’s the villain letters. I didn’t have the chance to show both to Ashido so I was planning on that.”

“Well that’s just boring. Give it here though.” she said, reaching a hand out towards the letters. Uraraka handed it over and sat next to Midnight as she read the letter. She reached a hand out towards the binder on the table filled with 2-A’s marks to try and read it, but her hand was quickly smacked away. Midnight finished the reading and scrunched her eyebrows. “Poor kid, being locked up and all.”

“‘Kid?’” Uraraka asked.

“I’ve come across kids who speak as anxiously as this all the time.” Midnight began. “At first they seemed nervous, like they were dragged into whatever mess got them arrested, but after reading the end of that second letter maybe they liked what they were getting into. They have a social worker too, so hopefully they’ll go into what might be troubling your little villain.”

Uraraka looked at her teacher in awe. “You seem to know a lot about this topic, Midnight-sensei.”

“You know how Hound Dog runs the guidance department? I’m getting my own qualifications soon so I’ll be co-running it with him.”

“That’s amazing!” Uraraka gushed, stars in her eyes. “And you got all that just from two letters?”

“I’m going to be honest sweetie, the video game comment really sold me.” Midnight handed back the letters and shooed Uraraka away. “Now go find your friend, I have art to critique.”

As Uraraka walked away laughing, Midnight thought about the second letter she had read. Archery?

“Huh,” she thought. “I guess Reisuke isn’t the only one into it.”

Hey there Student #19!

I’m surprised you actually responded, considering your confusion. As much as I’d like to talk about your poetry and cats, I figured I should tell you something important if this whole thing. Not that important though. Anyway, an incident with my quirk caused me to develop some mood shifts. Without a mask on it’s… pretty bad. With it on though, I’m great! Except that I’m not! So yeah, take that as you will. Or not. I’m quite excitable at times. Sorry for the sudden change of topic, but I’m supposed to ask you a question from this list that was brought to my cell. I chose at random and landed on ‘why do you want to be a hero,’ so lay it on me #19!

Later,

Inmate #89423

Shinsou was brought out of his daze by a knocking on his door. He opened it and was met with Kaminari, smiling at brightly as the sun.

“I’ve been summoned and here I am!” Kaminari announced, throwing his arms up in the air and posing. Shinsou, not being one for the flair of dramatics, stepped aside and let Kaminari in. He took a seat in his desk chair while Kaminari sat on the bed. Once settled, Shinsou looked Kaminari in the eyes. “How do I talk?”

The question caught Kaminari off guard, confusion written all over his face. “So, I don’t know if anyone has ever told this before, but you’re talking right now.”

“I mean to people.” Shinsou clarified.

“Once again, you’re doing it right now. Have you been studying too much? Do you need water?”

Shinsou huffed and shoved the letter towards Kaminari. “I have no idea how to talk to this person. They’re so… not like me.”

Kaminari finished reading the letter and put it aside. “You mean how to talk to them because of the disorder?”

“No, no. I mean it’s nice and brave of them to explain right off the bat, and now I can accommodate when needed, but I mean the- the pep. The excitement. The brightness. The uh, the you-ness.” Shinsou said, his voice getting quieter at the last part.

“Me-ness?”

“You’re, y’know, bright. You’d be a far better match for this villain than me. I don’t know how to keep them engaged at all.” Shinsou sighed.

“Well, you always keep me engaged.” Kaminari said.

“You’re different.”

“How?”

Shinsou ignored the heat rising to his cheeks. “I’m comfortable with you. Villain #89423 over here didn’t corner and pester me with friendship after I said I wasn’t interested. Not to mention you do enough talking for the two of us.”

Kaminari looked down at the letter and back to Shinsou’s face. Studying it closer, he almost looked… distressed. This entire situation meant way more to Shinsou than Kaminari realized. He got up, and stretched a hand out towards Shinsou. “Come on, we got two hours until curfew and we need to make the most of it.”

Shinsou looked at Kaminari’s hand, hesitating to take it. “What are you talking about?”

“You and I, my dear lilac dream, are going out to make small talk.” Kaminari said with a smile. Shinsou opened his mouth to argue back, but was interrupted by Kaminari losing his patience, grabbing Shinsou’s hand, and taking him downstairs. They ended up walking by Midnight, who was hunched over a pile of art assignments. “Bye Midnight-sensei I’m kidnapping Shinsou we’ll be back before curfew!” Kaminari called out, all in one breath.

“Be safe!” Midnight yelled back, waving one hand and not looking up from her work.

Now if only Kaminari mentioned that the small talk was happening at a cat cafe. He probably would have beaten Kaminari here.

Shinsou looked away from the Cat’s Eye sign and locked eyes with Kaminari. “I’d die for you.”

“Look dude, I just overheard you and Aizawa talking about the dorm cats once and figured you’d like this.” Kaminari said, admiring Shinsou’s excited expression.

“‘Like this?’ I have a stamp card here, Kaminari. The staff knows me.”

“But more importantly, do the cats know you?”

“Lead the way and you’ll find out, Lightning Bug.” Shinsou teased.

Shinsou really didn’t think the two of them hanging out would last for more than 15 minutes, but then 15 minutes turned into 30, then an hour, then two, and next thing he knew, Shinsou was watching Kaminari get scolded over the phone by Iida. The two returned the dorms, Kaminari being scolded by Iida and now Bakugou for ditching their study group, and Shinsou standing next to Aizawa, who was waiting for the two of them.

“What kept the two of you busy for so long?” Aizawa asked once the room was cleared.

“He was teaching me how to make small talk.” Shinsou responded.

“Pretty sure after 5-10 minutes, it becomes big talk.”

Shinsou shrugged and finally met Aizawa’s eyes. “Hey dad,” he began. “What does it mean when a boy calls you his ‘dear lilac dream?’”

“Ask your father.”

“But-”

“The other one.”

Chapter Text

Dear Inmate #03224,

You caught me off guard when you asked what I would be if I wasn’t a hero. Truthfully, I’ve never had the option to consider it, and it took me asking my friend to figure out an answer. I think I’d work in some form of therapy. Heroism is about stopping the problem, but therapy is fixing what comes after. I don’t know if I’d be good at it or not. Maybe I picked that field of study because I’m biased.

As for why I’m a hero? At first, I didn’t have a ‘why.’ When people say ‘you were born to be a hero,’ it’s supposed to be a nice thing, not a literal thing, right? It took me 15 years and a brutal fight to find my new reason. It may be cheesy to say I share some ideals with All Might, but it’s the truth, but it’s also more than that. It’s important to look at your lineage, but not let it control you. I’m being a hero not only for family and friends that I love, but for me too.

Enough about my oversharing though. I think it’s only fair I ask you the same thing. What drove you so far that ending up in a cell made it worth it? Why are you a villain?

Insincerely yours,

Student #15

Dabi put the letter down and put his head in his hands. The last thing he needed is to start sympathizing with the damn brat.

Biased towards choosing therapy? ‘Born to be a hero?’ It seems like UA doesn’t check the student letters or else Dabi would not be reading something this deep.

Were they born of a quirk marriage too? Did he have a harsh upbringing too? No, he can’t start comparing himself to a UA kid. They aren’t the same, yet he still can’t help but think about a time where he nearly had the exact same conversation, but with a different hero two months before his capture.

Sneaking into Hawk’s office was far easier than he thought. So easy in fact that he texted Spinner that he didn’t even have to try hacking their security. Apparently heroes thought that just because it’s their agency, nobody would dare try and break in.

“Why the fuck are you in my office?” Hawks hissed as he closed the window Dabi climbed in through and shut all the blinds in his office. Dabi smirked as Hawks stomped over and locked his door. “I want some updates, Birdie.”

“I haven’t done anything this week except look over second year student internships.” Hawks sighed as he sat back down in his chair. Dabi dragged a chair over and sat right next to him. “That’s an update. Who’re you looking at?”

Hawks looked down at the three files in front of him. “I’m bringing back my bird kid from last year along with someone from Ketsubutsu.”

“And?” Dabi asked, picking up the final file. His relaxed expression tensed up when he read the name on the front. “You’re taking on Endeavour’s kid?”

“Yeah, I’m surprised too since I thought he’d work with his dad.” Hawks said. “I know I said I’m not going to pry into your beef with him, but leave the kid out of it.”

“My shit is with Endeavour, not his kid.” Dabi grumbled. “Why are you hiring the kid as an intern anyways?”

“He’s strong.” Hawks replied quickly. Too quickly. Dabi grabbed his chin and turned his head to face him. “Did you know your feathers ruffle a bit when you lie?” Dabi asked.

Hawks pulled away from Dabi’s surprisingly gentle grasp and opened up Todoroki’s file. “He’s a hard working kid, don’t you think?”

Dabi held back the urge to lose his cool. “He had no choice.” he wanted to say, but instead, he nodded his head. “No shit, did you see him at the Sports Festival?”

Hawks nodded, not looking away from his folder. “Being the son of such a strong hero, and with such a strong quirk to back him up, he must’ve been told he would be a great hero all his life.” Dabi opened his mouth to response but Hawks kept going. “The amount of work needed to be at that level, he must’ve had constant training. He’s a teenager and yet he’s probably been burnt out more times than all my sidekicks here. You think he’s going to break my record as the youngest pro to open up an agency and break top ten? He’s going to have to be 17 then, maybe 18 but beat me out by a few months since I was 18 too. I mean, you’re basically bound for success the moment people find out you’re a fast kid with wings and-”

Hawks only noticed his near hysterical slip up when Dabi placed a hand on his back, bringing him back down to reality.

“Hawks,” Dabi whispered, and Hawks could hardly believe a voice so gravelly yet so soft could come out of that man. “What did you want to be when you grew up?”

Hawks gave Dabi a painful smile and shrugged. “Never thought about.”

Now lying on the cot in his cell, Dabi hoped his brother was learning how to take a breather.

Dear Inmate #78246,

Simple. A hero doesn’t give up, and a hero doesn’t lose, and that’s the kind of hero I’m going to be. I want to win, and I want to be number one, and I’m going to be the person who will surpass All Might. He never stopped fighting and neither will I. Maybe if you were a hero and kept fighting, you wouldn’t be in this shitty situation, now would you? You know what, I’ll ask since you decided to pry? What went wrong for you to end up being the piece of shit that you are anyways?

Insincerely yours or whatever,

Student #17

Great, it’s one of those types of heroes. “No,” Stain thought. “Not a hero, but a hero wannabe.”

If Stain were to do a reformation from his cell, his only weapon being his words, he would have to at least make sure the kid would still want to talk to him. Maybe he’ll even slip in what he really think of #17’s reasoning while he’s at it. Perhaps it’ll be a nudge in the right direction, or perhaps one of his fanatics will get to the student first. Who knows?

He wonders if that green haired hero student would think this method of reformation is a good idea.

Greetings Inmate #08642,

I am pleased to hear that these letters are alleviating some of your boredom, and apologize that the guards are treating you in such a way, so I hope I can provide some solace for you. As for your question, what a wonderful pick! I will not go into detail due to the importance of privacy and anonymity, but my family has been in the hero industry for many years. I am the current and last remaining heir as one family member had to retire early. I took on the name of that relative in order to keep his legacy going. It brings me great joy and honor to work towards being someone worth holding that title. I believe it is now my turn to ask you a question so I will go with something in the same vein. Based on the way you express yourself, I would not take you for a villain so I must ask, why villainy of all things?

Regards,

Student #4

Toga walked over to the reinforced glass wall of her cell and tapped on it with one hand while waving her letter with the other. “Hey Mr. Guard Man,” she called out. “The hero kid basically said you guys should be nicer to me.”

The guard simply turned to Toga and sneered before resuming his stance from before, rigid and staring out into the distance, on guard and waiting. Toga huffed and sat in her chair, looking at her letter once more. “At least #4 cares.” she thought to herself.

Toga wondered what it was like to be a part of a family business. Could #4 just say their name to avoid getting in trouble? Is that how it worked? If Toga could do that, maybe then she wouldn’t be in here. Maybe she could’ve kept a legacy going instead of ending it. Maybe, and this was a small maybe, she could’ve been worth something.

But that was what Stain was for. She wanted an easy world to live in, and an easy world is a world where she was worth something.

Oh! She had to write all this down for #4 before she forgot. She wanted to hear back immediately.

Dear Inmate #00524,

Let me just go straight to the question you asked. I come from a family that helps people, with my parents and almost all their siblings working in hero support that isn’t just gear. This includes things like prosthetics that are fit for combat. Even a fellow classmate of mine is equipped with their technology, since normal hearing aids would break quite easily. I’ve always admired how they help others, and I wanted to follow in their footsteps. The thing was, working in a lab or office didn’t appeal to me. I wanted to be more hands on. I wanted to help directly, and make sure I get people out of situations before needing things like prosthetics became an option to them. I think I’ve gone on long enough though, so I guess it’s your turn. Is there a reason why you chose a life behind those bars, and is it as noble as you may think it is?

Regards,

Student #20

“Can you repeat what they said about their family company?” Overhaul asked his scribe.

“Their family works in support that includes helping disabled heroes. Prosthetics, hearing aids, and probably a lot more. Hey, you think they made Ectoplasm’s combat prosthetics?” the guard asked. He was met with a glare from Overhaul before he set the letter down in front of him and left the cell, walking much faster than he should.

For such a so called ‘wonderful’ profession, hero-grade prosthetics only became popular around 24 years ago, when Overhaul was only six years old, but once it became popular, more and more support companies began working with that gear, meaning that #20’s family probably works in one of the newer once. He could still remember his aunt’s excitement the day her patent went through.

Chisaki Tomiko was an intelligent and hard working woman, proven by the fact that she single-handedly created the blueprints to the perfect prosthetics for heroes. The day her patent came through, she burst into his father’s home, where Overhaul nearly fell off the couch from the surprise.

“It’s happening! It’s finally happening!” Tomiko cheered as she shoved the paper in her brother’s face. He laughed as he took the paper and read it over, smiling at his big sister. “I’m so proud of you Tomiko!”

“We’re celebrating tonight once you’re wife gets home.” she grinned.

“And will the fiancé be joining us?”

“Of course he will, especially considering he was the only one to keep me sane throughout all this.”

Overhaul’s father turned to him and ruffled his hair, and Overhaul tried not to wince at thinking about how dirty the hand must be. “We’ll be leaving after your bedtime, so if you wake up scared, just call us and we’ll come straight home, okay Kai?”

Overhaul nodded and watched his father and aunt walk away, excitedly discussing future plans of Tomiko opening up her out business, yet his six year old brain was stuck on one specific thought.

Why were they so happy? To get this business, heroes have to lose a body part, but all that could be avoided if heroics, and maybe even quirks entirely, just stopped.

He kept those thoughts with him when a month later, his parents died in an accident, and those thoughts grew stronger when the very next day, he met Boss.

Dear Inmate #05876,

I know someone who’s visited in Tartarus before and he told me what it’s like, so I don’t blame you for being in not the greatest mood. Tartarus won’t change anything about what I think of you, considering I could’ve been paired up with someone far worse. Anyways, you asked why I wanted to be a hero, and as obvious and cheesy as it is, All Might is my inspiration. I lost track of how many times I watched his debut video. Ever since I was little, the way he smiled, the way he reassured people, and even the fact that he went above and beyond when rescuing people made me want to be just like him. It might be a little self centered to say, but I think I have a shot, and if I don’t, I’ll just work until I do, after all, a hero doesn’t give up, right? I guess I should ask you the same thing, since you asked me. You don’t have to tell me if you’re uncomfortable or if it reveals your identity though. I hope to hear from you soon!

Best wishes,

Student #18

“This child may be the death of me.” Kurogiri thought after reading the letter. The kid was sweet, far too sweet for what Kurogiri deserved. Even their reason for being a hero was sweet.

It was so sweet he felt sick.

Hairo was the one to always watch that All Might video. Hairo was the one who would practice his ‘perfect All Might smile’ in the mirror at home. Hairo was the one to teleport around the house, rescuing his toys from fake villain attacks.

What hurt him more was that Saya was the one who was the one to reassure Hairo that yes, he would become a great hero, just like All Might.

It was a shame that of all things, a collapsing roof was what stopped him.

Hey there Inmate #05683!

First of all, Golden Tips Imperial is the best tea ever, so good choice there. My friend would always have different teas sent to her at the dorms and she’s so nice that she makes it for everyone without any of us even asking. I told my friends what you said and they say thanks. Is there a library at your prison? Maybe you can find a book about the game. Before I get too off track, let me answer your question. I actually almost didn’t become a hero. There was a short time where I thought both my quirk and me as a person weren’t cut out for it, but that changed when I rewatched an interview of my favourite hero: Crimson Riot! He once said “As long as you have a manly spirit, it doesn't matter what kind of Quirk you have.” and now, I use that manly spirit of mine to help others! I even bet you’ve helped others before, it’s basically impossible not to. What made you stop then? Surely you must have a reason for it all. Anyways, write back quick!

Best wishes,

Student #8

Gentle smiled, neatly folding the letter and putting it in his drawer. To think he was so blessed as to get such a kind student as his partner, maybe it was a stroke of luck after losing both Aiba and his freedom.

He was hesitant to write back. They mentioned being manly, but would they think giving up on his dreams of being a hero was unmanly, or would they think of something even worse.

Gentle sighed and reached for a pen. If all else fails, at least they can talk about tea together.

Hi Inmate #00427!

Archery sounds so cool! I’ve never tried it before, but I’m sure if I ask, UA can get me a bow and arrow to test out. In fact, I bet they have some hidden here already. I didn’t play many video games growing up, but my classmates brought their consoles and games from home to the dorms so I can finally understand what so many people have been yelling about. I’m not a hero because it’s ‘cool’ if that’s all you’re worried about. I got into heroism for the money. My parents run a business that isn’t doing too hot and I can’t use my quirk to help. So not only will I help others by being a hero, but I can use the pay to give my parents the relaxing life they deserve. I know it isn’t noble, and I know it’s biased, but I love my parents, and I’d do anything to help them. Now for you, am I right to assume that you’re young? Sorry if I’m wrong, but the thought can’t leave my head. Why would a kid become a villain?

Sincerely,

Student #5

“At least they’re self aware.” Mustard thought, rereading a specific line over and over again.

“I’d do anything to help them.” Yeah, okay. Mustard has done a lot to help his mother, including things other people would claim goes too far.

“You shouldn’t make such bold claims like that #5.” he thought to himself. “You might learn how to aim for them, but would you kill for them? ”

Hey #89423,

I read you loud and clear, thank you for telling me that, I’m sure you must’ve not had fun writing all that down. I won’t dwell on it, mainly because I don’t like it when people dwell on my own problems, so I’ll just answer your question. Have you ever wanted something so badly, you’re willing to work like crazy to get it? That’s me with heroism. My whole spite deal may be helping with that, but it also may not, so who knows? 9/10 times someone hears about my quirk, their mind jumps to ‘villain’ (no offence??). I want to prove I’m not the villain people think I may become, and I want to show everyone that someone can become a great hero without a combative quirk. Spiteful? Yes. Petty? Perhaps. Will that change anything? Hell no. So what about you? What’s your whole villainy deal?

Later,

Student #19

“They’re not freaked out.” Twice whispered in shock. “Of course not, why would they be?” another part of him counters.

The part of him that wasn’t shocked was too busy being empathetic. Who would tell a kid their quirk was villainous? At least #19 didn’t give in, and Twice can appreciate the slight pettiness. He excitedly began to think about his next letter. Who knew two outsiders would get paired up together?

Chapter Text

“Todoroki! Tokoyami! You heading to your internships right now?”

The two boys turned to see Midoriya approaching them on the train platform, holding his costume’s case in one hand and waving with the other.

“We are, but what are you doing here so early? Hawks asked the two of us to come in earlier.” Tokoyami responded.

“Best Jeanist wanted me to come in early too.” Midoriya explained with a smile. “He’s showing me how to deal with property damage paperwork before our patrol.”

“You seem excited. Are you going to go past that elementary school again?” Todoroki asked. Midoriya raised his eyebrows at him, his cheeks turning pinker by the second. “Yeah we are, I didn’t think you remembered.”

“You were so excited talking to me about those kids, how could I forget?”

The two held eye contact for a moment longer, a small smile on both their faces lasting until Tokoyami abruptly stood up, pointing to the arriving train. “Let us depart.” was all he said as he got on the train, took his seat, pulled out his phone, and opened up the messenger app.

It’s Always the Quiet Ones

NOT Sasuke shut up Shouji I hat: Petition for Todoroki and Midoriya to just kiss already so I don’t have to watch these disasters be disasters

Monkey Man: Did Todoroki compliment him again?

Sweet Tooth: Our boy better watch out for the day Midoriya catches him off guard with a compliment THEN we’ll see who’s a mess

Snow White: (๑´⍢`๑)

Octodad: I was walking by Midoriya’s room to go see Tokoyami the other day and I overheard them having some deep conversation about if they weren’t heroes and honestly? That’s love, gang

NOT Sasuke shut up Shouji I hat: And you say you’re not a gossip

Snow White: He has a chat with Jirou and Hagakure where they gossip about stuff they’ve eavesdropped on

Octodad: Kouda you fucking snake

Todoroki and Tokoyami waved goodbye to Midoriya as they got off the train, since Best Jeanist’s agency was two more stops away, and headed over to their workplace. It may have been four months already, but Todoroki could still hardly believe his eyes as he stared up at the Aviary Hero Agency, wondering just how the hell he ended up being one of the select few that Hawks picked out himself.

Once they walked in, Tokoyami was swept away by some sidekicks while Todoroki was sent directly to Hawk’s office. He stood in front of the door, comically labelled Hawk’s Nest, and knocked.

“Come on in!” Hawks called from inside his office. Todoroki opened the door and stepped inside the familiar office, which seemed more like a bachelor pad with a desk thanks to the beanbag chairs and mini fridge present. Unlike other office’s like his father’s, he did not have any awards up on his shelves. Instead, he kept mementos with him. A photo from his graduation at Shiketsu, a group photo at some party with Miruko and that washing machine hero, and one of him squatting in front of a ‘do not feed the birds’ sign while eating a baguette.

As for the hero himself, he was lounging in his chair while looking over some papers on his desk. He smiled brightly at Todoroki as he leaned forward in his seat. His work glasses were off along with his jacket, exposing his arms under his sleeveless shirt. If Todoroki wasn’t working here the past four months, he would assume Hawks accidentally put on the wrong set of earring, considering they were mismatched. Instead, Todoroki continued to wonder what weird fashion trend it was to have one jeweled stud in one ear and one small hoop in the other. It was weird. Hawks never wore earring on duty, and only put them on after the work day was over and he would walk him and Tokoyami back to the station.

“You can put that case away Tiny Todo, we won’t be needing it today.” Hawks told him. Todoroki set his costume case aside and took a seat on the other side of the desk. “Uh, Hawks, why did you call only me up here, and what are we doing?” he asked.

“Too much combat practice is a pain, so I figured I’d teach you something useful.” Hawks explain. “I showed this to Tokoyami last year, so I let the sidekicks have him for today. Say hello to cyphers!” Hawks gestured to the papers laid out on the desk and now sitting, Todoroki had a better look at what was on the paper, and it was enough to make his head spin.

“You’ve used these before?” If Todoroki was a less observant man, he wouldn’t have noticed that although his relaxed expression remain, Hawks’ feathers ruffled just for a moment as he replied. “Nah, but other underground heroes have used it in the past. With Eraserhead as your teacher I bet he’s going to teach your class this stuff eventually.”

“So we’re doing this today?”

“The rest of the week actually.” Hawks replied. “Today is the only all day lesson, the rest of the lessons will be in between patrols.”

“But shouldn’t there be some training in between?” Todoroki asked hesitantly.

Hawks expression fell for a second before turning into a softer smile. “I think we all deserve a break sometimes, don’t we?”

Todoroki has no idea the word ‘break’ could hit him just as hard as any training could.

“Again!”

She still evaded just as quickly.

“Again!”

He landed a hit this time, only for her to counter effortlessly.

“That’s enough for now, Firecracker.”

Bakugou removed his gauntlets and took a seat on the bench next to Miruko, accepting the water bottle handed to him. “You’re getting better,” she said. “Maybe one day you can actually land a hit that hurts.”

She dodged a swipe at her arm without spilling a drop of water.

Bakugou would be lying if he said he wasn’t proud of the fact that he was Miruko’s intern. Specifically, her only intern ever, surprising everyone who was aware of her lone wolf, or rabbit, reputation. She never spoke to him prior to his internship, but it was like she had been waiting for this moment her whole life. She came to UA to deliver something to Midnight, saw him arguing with Sero over something dumb, pointed to him, and said, “That one, I want him.”

Four months later, Bakugou still wasn’t sure what drew him to her, but like hell he would complain. The only internship he had before was shit, and he couldn’t even apply for the ones later in the year since he didn’t have his license yet, so he couldn’t afford to waste any time here.

“You won’t be jumping for weeks when I’m through with this internship.” Bakugou growled.

“Planning ahead to kick my ass? I’m glad I got what I signed up for.” Miruko laughed.

“What exactly did you sign up for?” Bakugou asked, already tense. Best Jeanist already used those words once, and it did not end well for Bakugou.

“I did a little research after seeing you at UA.” Miruko began. “And not just the public news about what happened in junior high or that whole kidnapping fiasco, I mean I spoke to your homeroom teacher and even some of your friends.”

“Let me guess, they wanted you to work on my shit attitude?”

“You want to know why I took you on, Bakugou?” Miruko asked, her tone now a bit more serious. “It’s because I like your ‘shit attitude.’ I read the Denim Freak’s report on you and how he tried to change you but if you ask me, he’s going about it all wrong.”

“So there is something to change?” Bakugou grumbled.

Miruko responded by spraying some water on his face. “Shut up, I’m not done.” Bakugou slouched and wiped his face as she continued. “Do I think your weird mix of a superiority and inferiority complex needs to be dealt with? Yes, but do I think you need to turn into some prim and proper boy and lose who you are? Fuck no. People like me because I am unapologetic about who I am, and I refuse to see a hero in training not be told that it’s okay to be them.”

For one of the few moments in his life, Bakugou was speechless. He had no angry remark, no comeback, no nothing to the women. He turned his head away and hoped she thought his blush was just him being red faced from their training. “Yeah, okay.” was all he could say.

“Your homeroom teacher spoke quite highly of you, even gave me some pointers on your bitchiness-”

“HEY-”

“And those friends of yours, especially the blonde and the redhead, they like you quite a lot, but enough mushiness.” Miruko leaned back and kicked out, knocking Bakugou off his seat.

Bakugou hit the ground and spilled his water, reeling over the emotional whiplash that just hit. “What the fuck was that for?”

“Wildcard, fucker! Be ready for anything!”

“Edgeshot! I have completed the files you gave me!”

The papers hit the desk with a loud thump as Iida stepped back to allow Edgeshot to admire his handiwork.

“I gave you these an hour ago Iida. When your brother told me you had a great work ethic, I didn’t expect something like this.” Edgeshot said with a small smile on his face.

If Tensei hadn’t spoken to Iida the day 2-A found out about second year internships, it was very likely that he wouldn’t have applied at all.

Hosu may have been a year ago, but the memory of that night stuck to him like the scar on his arm. As far as he was aware, he didn’t deserve this, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t going to put in the effort, if not for him then for Tensei, Todoroki, and Midoriya.

“Is there any other work that is required of me?” Iida asked.

“This was all I had planned for you until I wrapped up on this report. Why don’t you go take a break with some of the sidekicks in the break room?” Edgeshot suggested.

Iida titled his head to the side and shook his head. “Maybe I should rephrase my sentence. Is there any other work that you would like me to do?”

Edgeshot let out a small chuckle and smiled at Iida, his soothing voice able to put anyone at ease. “You’re an earnest kid Iida. Go relax and I’ll call you when it’s time to patrol.”

“I’m still quite energized and ready to do more work right now.” Iida insisted.

Edgeshot set his paper down and looked up at Iida. “Iida, I know you’re eager since last time your time got cut off due to unfortunate circumstances, but I insist you relax. Think of it as a lesson in bonding with the other interns and sidekicks.”

Of course he would think like that. He didn’t know Iida was the ‘unfortunate circumstance’ that cut off his time. As far as Edgeshot was aware, Iida was just as level headed as him, never doing something as crazy as taking on a serial killer. He couldn’t win this fight, so after a quick bow, he turned around and headed towards the door.

“Oh, Iida. One more thing.” Iida turned around to face Edgeshot. “It’s okay to be a little selfish sometimes.”

“Yaoyorozu! The food is here!”

At the sound of Fat Gum’s voice, Yaoyorozu put her phone away and headed into the office kitchen, where a small buffet was laid out on the table for her and her mentor to enjoy.

“We have a longer patrol shift today, so fill up to your heart’s content!” Fat Gum told her, his plate already half full.

“Will Amajiki be joining us?” she asked, grabbing a plate and filling it up.

“Not today. He and another sidekick are gathering some intel today.” he replied.

The whiplash of going from working with Uwabami to Fat Gum was something Yaoyorozu embraced with open arms, and she only hoped that Kendou had the same feeling at her internship with Death Arms.

Just before his graduation, Amajiki approached Yaoyorozu, a bundle of nerves offering her a chance to move up in the hero world. With him joining Fat Gum’s agency as a sidekick, Amajiki still wanted him to have an intern by his side who’s quirk was similar, and that’s where Yaoyorozu came in.

“So how have classes been treating you?” Fat Gum asked.

“We’re in a bit of a lull right now with midterms over.” Yaoyorozu began. “But we’ve begun lessons about the support side of the hero industry which is quite interesting, especially since my parent’s business is being used as an example.”

“Minerva Industries, correct? They’ve done wonders for the support world.”

“I’m quite proud of all my parent’s work, but their impact has never really hit me until recently.” Yaoyorozu said with a smile. “My classmate Bakugou has a quirk that damages his hearing. Recently, he got the surgery for my parent’s new hearing aids. Those ones are surgically implanted from behind the earlobe, and can be turned up or down through a simple touch like a smartphone. From the outside, it is a strip of white hidden behind the ear. Out of the way and unable to be harmed in battle.”

Fat Gum nodded along to her explanation, smiling the more she spoke. “That sounds wonderful, Yaoyorozu! Your family are quite the heroes in their own way!”

“I guess they are.” Yaoyorozu nodded. “This has always been my mother’s dream, and being the first company to make support gear like this really revolutionized the industry.”

The two talked and ate some more before cleaning up and heading out for a patrol. It was particularly nice to be with Fat Gum, as people of all ages from eager children to even shy adults would approach him for autograph. What shocked her was when other people would want her autograph too, causing her to fall into a flustered mess.

“Creati! Congratulations on coming first in the Sports Festival!” one teenage girl said. “Your final fight with Ground Zero was so cool!”

“Thank you very much.” Yaoyorozu replied, trying to keep her composure.

“Your hero costume is really cool too.” the girl continued. “My quirk needs skin exposure too, and I want to apply to Shiketsu next year, so your costume is a pretty good inspiration.”

Yaoyorozu almost cried with relief that the girl liked the upgraded costume. Changing it into a cropped tank top and shorts was probably the greatest thing Hatsume Mei had ever done.

Their chat was interrupted by a shout from across the street. The sound of shattering glass caught the heroes’ attention as they saw a person sprinting away from a store.

“Let’s go, Creati!”

The staff in her hand appeared like second nature as the two chased after the robber. Now this was the hands on action she could never get bored of.

“You ready to go?”

Midoriya shot out of his seat like a bottle rocket and appeared at Best Jeanist’s side in no time. “I’m ready to go, Best Jeanist!”

It was hard not to go back to Nighteye’s agency when the time for internships rolled around, but Centipeder had told him he would reject him if he tried. What Midoriya hadn’t expected was for Best Jeanist to take him on.

“You have an unnamed type of presence every hero needs.” he had told him. “I wish to cultivate it and see it grow.”

His hair and costume was untouched, that treatment only reserved for first years and permanent sidekicks. He was thankful for that, as his nest of hair was almost as hard to tame as Bakugou’s.

It was around halfway through their patrol when they arrived at Midoriya’s favourite place.

The two heroes always pass by Narumi Elementary School just as the students are let out, giving them plenty of time to stop by and say hello. They would stand by the edge of the school’s property, away from the doors, playground, statue, and property in general as they didn’t want to intrude. They would wave at the children who were too shy to approach, and happily greet those who were excited enough to run up and say hello.

“Hi Deku!” one child called out to him.

“Hey there, Riku. How was class today?” Midoriya greeted.

“It was so much fun! Today the class went to the field and planted flowers for our class. We’re going to watch them grow!”

“That sounds like a lot of fun. Where are the rest of your friends?”

“They went to the playground right after school. We didn’t know you were coming today.” Riku replied.

Midoriya turned to Best Jeanist, who was happily making dolls out of spare fabric with his quirk for the kids, and tapped him on the shoulder. “Some of the kids didn’t know I was coming and went to the park. Can I go say hi?”

Best Jeanist nodded, a hint of pride in his eyes. “People like a hero who goes out of their way for fans.”

“It’s really not that big of a deal.”

“You’d be surprised what others may think, Deku.”

Riku tugged on Midoriya’s hand and led him to the playground. He let go to run ahead and tell his friends, leaving Midoriya alone to look around. He paused on the way to the playground, his eyes being drawn to the statue off to the side. It was small and of a little boy with his name written underneath his feet. The two dates listed were from before he was born, and the more he looked at it, the quicker he came to a realization.

It wasn’t just a statue. It was a memorial.

He couldn’t examine it for long however, since all of Riku’s friends had found him and were clamoring him with questions about his latest hero training adventures. As he let them lead him to the playground, he couldn’t stop thinking about the memorial.

What happened to Sumiro Hairo?

“Wonderful work, Kirishima!”

Kirishima extended his arm and helped his sparring partner up, smiling as Gunhead applauded him. “You’ve made great strides since you decided to join us Kirishima, I’m quite impressed.”

“Well it’s all thanks to you, Gunhead.” Kirishima said. “I never knew there was so much hand to hand combat that I didn’t know.”

After his internship with Fat Gum ended, the hero had told Kirishima to spend his second year expanding his horizons and intern with a different hero who could teach him something new. Then, in his third year, an offer would be available to him if he still wanted it. Kirishima didn’t know who to pick at first, not knowing what specific aspect of training he should focus on. It wasn’t until his conversation with Uraraka at the school’s gym that he considered Gunhead. She told him about all the combat experience she had learned there in just a week, and easily disarmed him in a blink of an eye when he asked for an example.

Uraraka was one of the manliest people he knew, so he contacted Gunhead’s agency immediately after her display.

“I’m glad you came to my agency Kirishima.” Gunhead began. “Simple punching and slashing with your quirk can only get you so far. Technique is key when facing a villain.” Gunhead led him into his office and pulled out a file, placing it in Kirishima’s hands. “But paperwork is just as important.”

Opening the file, he read the overview at the top, immediately recognizing the incident outlined. They were on patrol yesterday when a thief tried to run off with someone’s wallet. Kirishima followed them and during the altercation, he ended up destroying part of the wall in the alleyway. The paper in front of him outlined the damage that occured.

“I don’t have to pay for this, right?” he asked hesitantly.

“No, no, not at all. I figured what better way to learn about filing property damage reports than to do your own!” Gunhead laughed.

“It wasn’t even that bad.” Kirishima denied.

“You’re right. You should’ve seen my first property damage incident.”

“What happened?” Kirishima asked.

“You know the big crater in the forest near the park down the street?”

“Where all the college students hang out? What about it.”

Gunhead stayed silent and let Kirishima connect the dots.

“Oh my god how is that even possible? ”

“Everyone assigned to the city disaster zone, please follow Uravity to the entrance.”

Uraraka parted with Thirteen and led the group of four first years to the USJ’s city zone, using their excited chatter as white noise to her.

She almost didn’t want to work with Thirteen at first. After all, how could someone who wanted to be a rescue hero work with Thirteen of all people, when she’s never managed to save a single person? It took Ashido stealing her paperwork and sending it off herself for Uraraka to begin her internship with Thirteen, and even now she was just waiting to get booted.

“Uravity?” a voice said, shaking her out of her thoughts. Walking beside her now was a student from 1-B, looking a bit nervous as they continued walking.

“Something on your mind?” Uraraka asked.

The student looked around USJ before looking back at Uraraka. “Since I want to be a rescue hero too, I wanted to ask what your internship is like.”

“It’s been really interesting. Thirteen and I get called to the aftermaths of fights and help with cleanup and anyone who got hurt in the collateral. I’ve been learning a lot.”

“Do you ever get nervous when you arrive on scene?” he asked.

“Oh, all the time.” Uraraka asked. “You’re never truly prepared for what you’re getting into. The quick briefings are never enough for me.”

“Must be stressful then.” the boy muttered.

“Not all the time.” Uraraka giggled as she began her story. “One time, when Thirteen and I wrapped up helping with a collapsed building, an old lady came up to me and asked me to get her cat down from a tree. It was probably the most stereotypical hero thing I’ve ever done.”

The student laughed along with her, before letting his smile drop. He opened his mouth but closed it quickly, before finally asking his question. “What do you do when you’re not able to save someone?”

Uraraka blinked, the image of Nighteye’s impaled body flashing behind her eyelids, his scream still ringing in her ears and she stood just mere feet away from him.

“You just save the next one.”

“I still don’t understand why you needed to walk me. Dad’s five minutes away.”

“Well maybe your other dad doesn’t want you to get jumped by some weird stranger in those five minutes.”

“I have my hero gear and license though. I can legally beat them up.”

Mic sighed and swung his arm around Shinsou, dramatically leaning against him. “I can’t believe my own son hates me so much.”

“Would someone who hates you willingly be your intern?”

Shinsou’s internship situation was interesting. In the daytime, five days a week, he was an intern for Present Mic, working on his voice and learning about what it’s like being part of an agency along with Aoyama and Jirou. At night, on his off days and one random day where he works with Mic, he was Aizawa’s disciple, doing his underground hero work.

“For all I know you’re just working with me to get some blackmail on me from the secretary.” Mic pouted.

Shinsou was about to reply when his phone let out a ding. He pulled it out to silence it, not wanting to to go off while he patrolled with Aizawa.

“Tsk, tsk, having your phone on while on duty? What was so important anyways?” Mic teased.

Shinsou read the message and showed it to Mic. “It was Kaminari in the class chat. Yaoyorozu made it onto the news.”

“Aww, tell her I’m so proud.” Mic gushed. “With Jirou as my intern I legally have to appreciate Yaoyorozu even more.”

“You can say it to her face tomorrow in class.” Shinsou told him, putting his phone away.

“What’s this I hear about appreciating one student more than the other? Playing favourites Hizashi?”

The two looked up to see Aizawa casually crouched on top of a street lamp, peering down at them like a cat.

“You’re not allowed to talk. Besides me, Bakugou is your favourite.” Shinsou told him as he climbed down.

“That’s assuming you were ever my favourite to begin with.” Aizawa said with a smirk. He turned to his husband and began pushing him back down the sidewalk. “Go away, I can’t be underground with you here.”

“There’s no respect in my own home.” Mic whined.

“We’re not home, I don’t have to respect you.”

With one final push, Mic threw his arms up in the air and walked back to his office. Aizawa turned to Shinsou and tossed his capture weapon up towards a rooftop. “Think you can keep up?”

“No, but I don’t like how cocky your being.” Shinsou said.

“Sorry, I think my favourite child is rubbing off on me.”

Chapter Text

I’m sure the last thing you want is me to sympathize with you, I know I hate it when people do that to me, but what you’re doing is admirable I guess. What I’m doing now compared to what my shitty old dad wanted from me is a big old fuck you to him, and if you still don’t want to be a hero, I bet therapy might just be your thing. Speaking of shitty old dads, that’s my reason why. Too put it simply, he’s anything but a good person. Hit his kids, hurt his wife, he checks off all the boxes. The best part of it all? It’s all thanks to the hero society I hate so much. It’s fucking wild to think about, but if things were different, I’d probably be a hero. Okay, this is about as nice as I can be before I want to shoot myself. Bye.

Insincerely yours,

Inmate #03224

*

As far as the rest of the world was concerned, Todoroki Touya was presumed dead.

He disappeared silently. No missing children’s posters, no interviewers asking Endeavour about his eldest son, and most interesting of all, no DNA records of him in any database, meaning his true identity remained a secret when he got arrested, his file simply being labelled ‘Dabi.’

He didn’t like to play favourites, but even Natsuo and Fuyumi would agree that Shouto was their favourite sibling.

Home was the most tense game of hide and seek he’s ever played. He and his siblings were the hiders, sneaking around the house in order to get to Shouto’s room while Endeavour was the unknowing seeker, unaware of how his children ducked behind a table whenever he stormed off after training with Shouto.

They had a system in place. Fuyumi would treat his wounds, Natsuo would smuggle in treats, and he would stand further down the hallway, playing distraction in case Endeavour appeared.

His last time playing distraction was when he was 14, a week after his mother was sent away.

If he concentrated, he could still feel the long faded bruises and burns on his body, irritated further as his father sent him away to his room and told him to pack up and go, that he was no Todoroki.

It was the first time he had ever agreed with Endeavour.

He spent month avoiding going out, preferring to blend in with the clusters of homeless people and silently heal. When he was finally ready to face the world and ready to see his face over the word ‘missing’ on TV, he came to a realization.

No one was looking for him. He was missing, but not missed.

It was better to be safe and sorry though, so he picked up some cheap black hair dye and went to work, but it wasn’t enough. He still looked too much like him . He couldn’t change his eyes, but the rest of him? That could be changed.

The burns kept him bedridden in some abandoned old building for three months.

Finally, the name had to change. Up until then, he had refused to tell anyone his name, answering to “kid” or “brat” instead. He was still recovering from the self inflicted burns and a bit delirious when he remembered a conversation with his mother when he was still young.

A ten year old Touya approached his mother, carry both crayons and paper in his hand. “Look mom! I’m a hero!”

Rei smiled and took the paper to get a better look. She smiled at the baby blue costume he decided to draw himself in as he beat up a red blob, which was most likely the villain.

“Now all you need a hero name.” Rei told him.

“I’m going to be the Fiery Hero: Dabi!” Touya announced, putting his fists on his hips and striking a pose.

Rei tilted her head to the side, and let out a small laugh. It wasn’t the most hope inspiring name, but her son seemed happy with it, so who was she to judge?

“Dabi,” Touya whispered to himself that night. “Dabi will do.”

He was Todoroki Touya when he left his home, but he was now Dabi when he walked the seedy alleyways of the city. He was Dabi when he made his first paid kill, and he was Dabi when he saw Stain’s speech on the news the morning after his capture.

But there were very few moments when he was Touya, like when he had flowers sent to his mother’s hospital room, or when he saw the comics Fuyumi always liked in the shop windows, or when he was on the beach and remembered how much Natsuo gushed about how cool the ocean was.

Most of all, he was Touya when he watched his brother’s fight on TV, wishing that he took him with him.

Dear Student #17,

Winning just like All Might, huh? I must admit that I’m a bit disappointed by your response. Your perseverance is admirable, but let me ask you this: why do heroes exist in the first place? If it’s to be the best, then the industry would not be so big. You want to know why I am who I am? It’s because of the heroes like you who have lost sight of what being a true hero actually is. I was once a hero student, until I saw society for what it truly was: money hungry pawns who only worked for personal gain. If you really want to become number one, then you are on the wrong path.

Sincerely,

Inmate #78246

P.S using insincerely yours? Really?

*

He could still remember the first time he was exposed to the true world of corrupt heroism.

Stain, or Akaguro at the time, was, like many, inspired by All Might and his debut and wanted to be a hero just like him.

The private hero course he was in was no UA, but it didn’t matter to him, as long as he reached his goal.

Funny how quickly a goal could change.

When he arrived to class, there was a classmate there who was telling a story of what happened the past weekend.

“So a piece of debris was about to hit this lady while the hero and villain were still fighting so I go ahead and block it with my quirk and after the fight, she goes ahead and gives me money since she ‘didn’t have any other way to repay me.’ What was even better was that one of the sidekicks saw what I did and brought me on camera to talk about it afterwards.”

“That must’ve been so cool!” another classmate gushed.

“It really was. I knew I got into heroism for the right reasons.”

That reply made Akaguro pause on his way to his desk and turn to his classmate. “But helping that lady was nice though, right?”

The boy shrugged at him, still wearing that cocky smile. “I mean yeah, yeah, I know saving people is the whole deal but you can’t deny how great the stardom is.”

Another classmate nodded along. “I mean, that’s why I’m here.”

It wasn’t the selfish declaration that startled Akaguro, but the casual nods and agreements of some of his classmates. Do they really know nothing? Have they let everything that All Might has done go in one ear and out the other?

It was that day that he became more observant, more aware. It was that awareness led to him dropping out during summer break. It was that awareness that led him from standing on soapboxes to standing over villains as Stendhal, his blade poised inches from their necks as he delivered his final blow. That awareness grew into a drive thanks to Knuckleduster’s words as he felt the blood drip from where his nose once was.

That drive led him to take up the name Stain, and even though he was now restrained in his cell, he was confident that his work was still being continued.

Dear Student #4,

Working with your family sounds super cool! I wish I could work with mine, but I can’t since they’re dead and all >_<. It must be nice breezing by life like that, with people backing you up and needing you. Maybe that’s why I’m a villain and you’re not. The world is suuuper cold and difficult, so I want to make it easier! My role model tried to do that but was captured by heroes, so one day I’m going to become the next version! He had a place in the world, so why can’t I?

Bye bye!

Inmate #08642

*

The day Toga finally discovered her quirk was, without a question, the worst day of her life. After all, nothing could really beat a five year old coming home and finding her parents’ dead bodies, right?

She was supposed to come home from school and eat the strawberries her dad leaves out on the table just for her. She was supposed to bother her mom until she took her to the park to play in the sandbox. She was supposed to get home and instead of doing her homework, she steals the tablet from her parent’s room to watch videos of Blood King fight.

Instead, her backpack fell to the ground as her knees hit the carpeted floor of her living room, damp with her parent’s blood.

This couldn’t be happening, this shouldn’t be happening. Not to them, they couldn’t leave her, right? They said they never would.

“ I can still save them. ” her brain supplied. “ The person at the beach we were at was lying down too but he was saved, so why can’t them. ”

Toga ignored the fact that it was stab wounds and not drowning that killed her parents, and leaned in towards her mother’s pale face, praying for a miracle.

It wasn’t the miracle that she needed at the moment, but it was one that ended up keeping her alive all these years. She looked her shaking hands by her mother’s head, wondering why they were larger, and why her nails were so well done. She shook her head, only to have brown hair fall on her face, not blonde. She stood up on shaky, taller legs, and ran to the mirror by the front door, bursting into tears when she saw her mom staring back at her. It didn’t last long, as she turned back into herself a moment later.

She took her belongings and left the house in a panic. What if the police thinks she did it? Where are they going to put her afterwards? She didn’t want the answers to those questions, but she ended up finding answers to others.

The news reported the break in, robbery, and murder later that evening, asking people keep an eye out for the missing daughter of the unfortunate couple. She jumped from place to place for a while, hiding her face from those still looking for her, before realizing that she didn’t have to do that, not when she had a quirk that can do it for her.

For many years, it was attacks that left her victims injured, then they started to bleed out, and eventually, she just finished the job herself. She could freely walk around as others, living the life she never could have again for just a few hours.

The world was a cold place for Toga Himiko, so she lived it as anyone but her.

Dear Student #20,

I always find the reasoning behind being heroes interesting, because there is always seems to be a common theme. I’m quite familiar with that kind of support gear, since I knew of some people who worked in the industry when I was a child. I suppose my reasoning for being a villain is tied to the common theme among heroes. What is the reason behind the support gear? To help heroes who were injured but still want to fight. How are they injured? In fights with villains. What are they fighting with? Their quirks. All this pain could be stopped if quirks weren’t involved in the first place. I’ll stop now before I say something that needs to be cut out, but I’d like to hear your thoughts.

Regards,

Inmate #00524

*

Although he preferred not to, Chisaki kept tabs on his aunt after his parents death at the heed of Boss. He told him he would ‘remember who he is’ from it, but all Chisaki thought was that it was punishment for getting into another fight.

His situation sort of amused him. Orphaned and immediately found by a yakuza boss, he was quick to decide that he was indebted to both Boss and the Eight Precepts, and he had the perfect idea to do it. With the rise of heroes and All Might in particular, underground organizations began crumbling down, and being part of the Eight Precepts made Chisaki part of a dying breed that he will one day have returned to its former glory.

For now though, he was, according to the crowd, a curious 16 year old who is taking part in the public tour of Chisaki Corporations, the first and largest hero support gear company in the city.

“Chisaki Corporations is approaching it’s ten year anniversary in a few weeks, and in those ten years they have revolutionized the industry in ways that were once only imagination.” the tour guide said. The rest of the group was enraptured as they walked through the halls, but paused as the door to the workshops opened.

“Is that Ectoplasm?” the man next to Chisaki whispered.

He was right. Tomiko walked through the door followed closely behind Ectoplasm, who was in his hero costume but seated in a wheelchair.

“Oh, I didn’t know you guys reached here yet.” Tomiko said. “How are you enjoying yourselves here?”

The group all gave her praises to Tomiko as Chisaki silently watched. It had been ten years but she looked just as youthful, dark hair in a high ponytail and a wedding ring shining in the fluorescent lights.

“Hey Ectoplasm, you doing okay?” one guest said.

The hero looked up in surprise, as if he didn’t think he would be acknowledged. “I’m doing quite well, and soon to be even better!”

Two months ago, the hero was caught in an accident that although turned out okay for all the victims, caused him to lose both his legs. Even now, it is all every news station talked about, especially since he was only 24 and still had his whole career ahead of him.

“That’s right! We just finished up the last touches on his prosthetics, so he’ll be back in action in no time!” Tomiko smiled.

“Well you surely have your hands full.” the tour guide said. “Personally working on a pro’s prosthetic, running your company, and a baby girl as well.”

Chisaki almost forgot that she had her child a year ago, her maternity leave being the talk of the town.

“I’m about to add a fourth item to the list. You didn’t hear it from me, but my husband will be helping me run the company soon, so we’re in for a new company name.” Tomiko said as she winked.

“It’ll be the new last name?” someone asked.

“It was considered, but I’d rather have a name with a meaning. You’ll find out what it is soon enough.” Tomiko teased. “Now as for you Ectoplasm, would you like to give your new legs a test run?”

Ectoplasm gave her a nod, his expression hidden underneath his mask. “I’d be happy to.”

Chisaki watched his aunt wheel him away, making sure to turn his back to them as she went by him. He kept his eyes trained on the hero as they left his sight, but the image of him was still in his mind as the tour wrapped up and he made his way home.

“So, what did you gather from your trip?” Boss asked.

“You were right, it was a good reminder.” Chisaki said solemnly. “They were happy for a man who lost his legs so he could go back into the profession that took them for him. It’s a broken world.”

“Smart boy.” Boss said. “You’ll do well when you succeed me.”

That made the teen pause as he looked up at his mentor with wide eyes. “You’re serious?”

“Of course, after all, you’re family, Kai.”

“No.” Chisaki whispered quickly. “Not Kai, not Chisaki. If I’m doing this, I need a new name.”

“Think on it then.” Boss said, nodding at the boy. “Every powerful leader needs a powerful name to back them up.”

Chisaki fiddled with his white gloves as he made his way up to his room. He paused, looking at the gloves, remembering what they protected.

“Overhaul.” he thought. “Might as well use the quirk’s name. It’s not like those diseases are going to last anyways.”

Chapter Text

Dear Student #18,

I will admit that it is quite cheesy, but with the influence of All Might throughout the years, I’m not surprised. He has driven many people towards this path, so I’m not surprised at your dedication. It’s only fair that I respond to you, so I’ll be as vague as I can. To be blunt, a hero is the reason my son died at the age of five and wife is comatosed. It was quite a while ago. Even if you are a third year, you wouldn’t have been born when the accident occured. A man ended up helping me out and I’ve been eternally indebted to him. The hero is retired now, but he was never reprimanded for what had happened, my home and family simply being collateral. It’s an ugly truth, I know. Who knows, maybe you’ll learn something about villains from my reason.

Sincerely,

Inmate #05876

*

Sumiro Kurogiri could split his life into two distinct parts that fundamentally changed who he was. Before the accident, and after.

He was a simple man with a simple life. He would wake up early to make breakfast for Hairo and Saya, drop Hairo off at school while his wife went to work, run errands until he left for work at his bar 1:00 pm, come back at 6:00 pm, and spend time with his family until he slept.

“I’ve got a family, so I work the afternoon shifts so I can at least eat dinner with them.” he said when asked why he didn’t work nights.

He never would’ve thought that he would end up falling in love, marrying and having a child with the nurse who angrily stormed into his bar at 2 am and ranted to him about the doctor she works with, but his life always seemed to throw curveballs at him.

Meeting Saya gave him the blessing of Hairo. He looked far much more like his mother considering he looked human, but what would’ve been a mess of unruly, brown curls was instead replaced with Kurogiri’s warp gate, ironic since he didn’t have his father’s quirk. Instead, he could teleport objects he touched or teleport himself by touching his arm for example, but he could only teleport one thing at a time.

“Soon, I will teleport more stuff just like dad and save people just like All Might!” Hairo proudly exclaimed one morning.

“You should probably finish your breakfast then.” Saya giggled. “To be a hero you have to grow big and strong.”

“And I bet All Might enjoyed his father’s eggs in the morning.” Kurogiri teased.

Hairo let out an exaggerated sigh and looked at his father. “Your breakfast is always the best dad, I tell you this almost everyday.”

“And I love you for it, my boy.” Kurogiri smiled, ruffling the warped hair on his son’s head.

“I have to head out now.” Saya said as she put her plate away. “I’ll come pick you up after school,” she kisses her son’s cheek, “and see you for dinner.” she winks at her husband.

She managed to fulfill only half that promise.

Kurogiri turned the corner just in time to see the explosion bring the roof of his home down. A crowd he didn’t noticed before gasped in shock as he watched them step back even further. He dropped his bag and sprinted forward to run inside his house, only to be held back by some of the crowd members.

“It’s too dangerous. Some people can’t leave their home or else they end up in the crossfire.” someone said.

“I don’t care, my wife and son are trapped in there!” Kurogiri growled. He was overpowered though, and he watched as the hero who threw that explosion take down the villain and accept the claps and cheers of the bystanders. It was all white noise to Kurogiri however, as he stood by helplessly as rescue workers scavenged his home.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before an officer tapped him on the shoulder gently. “Sir…” he drifted off and looked out towards the house, where two bodies were being taken away in a gurney.

He would’ve apologized to the officer for shoving him aside if the circumstances were different, but all he could pay attention to was the swarm of medics surrounding one gurney. Looking closely, he immediately recognized who was being seen to, and recognized the dark purple shimmer surrounding her.

“Your wife was found unconscious in the rubble, but we are worried that whatever is surrounding her is detrimental.” a doctor told him.

“It’s the after effects of my son’s quirk, it doesn’t do anything and disappears after a few minutes, but where’s my son? Is he hurt too?” Kurogiri gasped out.

The moment the doctor hesitated, he ran towards his son, whipping the white blanket off of his face. Hairo’s eyes were closed, his hair was no longer floating, but what pained Kurogiri the most was the small smile on his face.

For the first time in his quiet life, Kurogiri wailed.

His funeral was small, but many guests from his school and the neighbourhood attended, all of them telling Kurogiri how sorry they were for his lost, and wishing his wife a speedy recovery. The principal of his son’s school was even telling him about a memorial being made by the park he always played at.

Saya wasn’t in attendance, as she was in a coma. Both Kurogiri and the police deduced that in a split second decision, Hairo used his quirk on his mother to teleport her somewhere else in the house, leaving him to take the fatal blow from the roof. It explained the shimmer around her and the fact that they were found separately.

All the mourners finally left, leaving Kurogiri to sit across from the tombstone in his misery.

“And to think after all that’s happened, the killer is left to walk away.” a voice from behind him said. He turned to the side to see a man taking a seat next to him, probably someone from the area.

“What are you talking about?” Kurogiri asked.

“Don’t play dumb with me. You’re not staying in a hotel because your roof mysteriously fell on its own. The hero didn’t even come to pay his respects, did he?”

The stranger was right, and although Kurogiri spent the past few days ignoring any feeling other than despair, the bottled up anger inside of him was ready to make itself known. “The bastard said it was an ‘unfortunate accident’ when he was interviewed after. Just another day for a hero, I guess.”

“Would you like to do something about it then?” the man asked, making Kurogiri paused for a moment.

“Petty revenge won’t help my family.” he replied.

“But a complete upheaval of the system might help other families, wouldn’t you say?” the stranger pushed, and for the first time in a while, Kurogiri felt at ease. “You seem like the perfect person to help my team, and that quirk is pretty handy too.”

“I’m still not fully convinced.”

“I’m sure your wife’s medical bills may not be enough for a simple bar owner.” Kurogiri tensed, knowing just how right he was. “I can not only pay, but I also have a friend of mine who’s a doctor and will make sure she gets the extra care she needs.”

For the first time since the stranger sat down, Kurogiri looked at his face and felt oddly safe looking at the man’s smile.

“In that case,” Kurogiri said. “What should I call you?”

The man placed his hand on Kurogiri’s shoulder. “‘All for One’ should do just fine.”

According to the public, the tragedy was too much for him and he moved away, shutting down his business and leaving the city. In reality, while he did move away and shut down his business, the building’s ownership was transferring to a man who introduced himself as Dr. Tsubasa, his wife’s new doctor.

A year of working with All for One brought on a new development that stressed out Kurogiri more than he’d like to admit, and his boss’s words didn’t him him either.

“You're good with kids, yes? Meet Tomura. Who knows, maybe he'll make it past six.”

He helped All for One raise the orphan, but it wasn’t the same for him and eventually, the boy grew into another boss and eventually, a leader.

“He left everything to me, including his money” Shigaraki told Kurogiri, one day after All for One’s arrest. “Don’t lose focus, your wife is still fine.”

He figured his wife would only be taken care of as long as Kurogiri was loyal, so it was a good thing he was loyal to a cause he actually agreed with, but now? He had no clue if his arrest literally pulled the plug on Saya, but he could only hope.

He would see Hairo again, that was one thing he was sure of. Death was inevitable after all, but he also knew that he would see Saya again before that happened. As long as she was breathing, so was he. He will get out of here, and he will see her face again.

His love for her was stronger than any fear Tartarus would try to inflict on him.

Hey Student #8,

Your friend has good taste in teas, so I’ll have to get some recommendations. I also managed to find the book, so now I have that and you to keep me entertained. Crimson Riot is a wonderful hero, so it’s only natural someone as enthusiastic as you would look up to him. Would you believe me if I told you I wanted to be a hero? I really couldn’t since I would constantly fail school and repeat grades. I know you think I can help others, but I can’t. The one time I did, I got in the way of a hero and ended up injuring the person I was trying to save, causing me to be expelled and kicked from my home. I truly realized that I wasn’t fit for heroics when a former classmate, who is now a hero, didn’t recognize me. Sometimes your dreams aren’t what’s good for you, so you have to look at different solutions. My solution just wasn’t one people agreed on.

Best wishes,

Inmate #05683

*

If there was one thing Gentle wanted to do with his life, it was to make a name for himself, no matter how he did it.

At first it was through the path of heroism, but that didn’t go as planned, so he figured, why not go the opposite route?

The internet was a great way to put yourself out there, so he turned to his old camera and smiled. He didn’t expect to go viral immediately, but he also didn’t expect to find an ally in the form of La Brava.

When she told him her story of how she gave him hope, he wanted to cry. He’s seen videos like this before. Someone recording a video of their friend meeting someone like All Might, tears running down their face as they spilled their heart out to him. Is this what it was like to be a hero? Was he finally reaching his goal?

He took her under his wing as help, finding out just how skillful she was with a keyboard in front of her and as time went on, doubts filled his head once more as he realised that she didn’t really know him. Gentle knew both La Brava and Aiba Manami, but she only knew the regal villain on screen, not the pathetic man that was Tobita Danjuro.

He returned the favour one night, confessing to her the truth behind the person she would come to fall in love with, only to be surprised when she tackled him with a hug. The explanation only seemed to have motivated her more, as she then jumped up and started talking about their next video. Just like that, she was able to dissuade his fears as if they were nothing

His greatest fear is to fade into obscurity, but at least with La Brava safe and sound, his name would never fade away.

Dear Student #5,

I won’t lie to you #5, I’m not 100% sold on your reasoning, but that’s probably because of my own hang ups and why I’m a villain. I am a kid, specifically 15 years old, so I’m in some villain prison for kids. Villainy runs in the family for me, since my mom is a villain too. Our quirks are similar, but no one has ever made a connection about us, probably because the color of my quirk matches my mom’s sister more, but getting quirks like an aunt’s or uncle’s isn’t weird. We worked together until she got arrested when I was 14, and after that I joined a group of people and now, here I am. I did a lot for my mom as a villain, so are you willing to go so far as a hero for your family?

Sincerely,

Inmate #00427

*

Mustard, or Haizono Reisuke at the time, saw his mother on TV when he was nine years old.

He came home from school to see a note from his mother saying she had to run to the store and would be back soon. Taking her word as truth, he put his backpack away and ate a snack that his mother left out for him, noticing the TV was on but muted. Walking over to it, he picked up the remote, unmuted it, and sat down on the couch, noticing the news was on.

They say that a mother can always recognize their child, but the opposite can be true as well. The remote hit the ground as Reisuke watched his mother—no, “Dusty Ash” as she was being called—fight against a hero and win . She threw her quirk’s dust up in the air fled the scene immediately, and Reisuke had a guess on where she was headed.

15 minutes later and Reisuke heard the door open and slam shut, followed by the sound of his mom panting. She entered the living room with her hair looking disheveled and a smile on her face.

“Hello Rei, how was school today?” she said with a strained smile.

“It was fine. Did you forget to go to the store?” he asked, noticing she was empty handed. Konako looked at her hands in surprise, putting them behind her back and giving him a sheepish smile. “Well I got sidetracked on my way there and-”

“Sidetracked fighting a hero, Dusty Ash? ” he blurted out, feeling satisfied as his mom paled.

“Rei, what are you talking ab-” she stopped herself, seeing that the news was on the TV right behind him. “I can explain.”

“What possible explanation can you have, mom?”

Konako sighed and moved to sit on the couch, patting the seat next to her so Reisuke can sit too. “With your father gone, I had to find a way to make ends meet.”

“But you said dad sends money from where he moved away to.” Reisuke pointed out.

“I uh, I lied. He left to go marry some hero school graduate who works for some fancy tech company. This wasn’t how I was planning on telling you, but a lot of secrets seem to be coming out.” Konako explained.

“That’s… that’s not fair!” Reisuke nearly cried. “You have to go beat up heroes just because dad thinks he found someone better?”

“Sadly that’s how the world is sometimes, sweetie.” his mom said, wiping away his tears. “You know I still love you though, right.”

Reisuke silently nodded before snapping his head up in alarm. “Auntie doesn’t know, does she?”

“Hero work keeps her busy enough where she doesn’t ask me too many personal questions.” Konako replied. “I don’t think she’d be too mad though.”

Looking at his mother’s broken expression made Reisuke’s heart break. It wasn’t fair that she has to do bad stuff to keep a roof over their heads and bread on the table. It wasn’t fair that his dad found a shiny new toy and discarded his mom. Worst of all, it wasn’t fair that he couldn’t help her.

His mother held him close in her arms, mindlessly smoothing his hair down. “Enough worrying about me now, you have archery practice in an hour.”

“Can I call in sick today?”

She kissed his forehead and smiled. “Just this once. This is a good skill you picked up, after all.”

He went to bed that night all dried up of tears, falling asleep thinking of a list things to cross of his birthday wishlist so his mom wouldn’t spend so much when a loud crash startled him. He heard more crashes and yelling coming from downstairs as he quietly tiptoed down the stairs, but not before grabbing his own bow and arrow.

He was met with the sight of a messy living room, a random stranger, and his mother fighting back against said stranger. Judging by the jewelry on the ground and the overturned TV, Reisuke realized that they were in the process of being robbed.

He stayed hidden as he watched his mom fight back. If she could take a hero, she could take this random person down, right? Unfortunately for Konako, as she stepped backwards, she tripped over one of the scattered pieces of furniture and fell backwards, taking a heavy hit to the head.

Panicked, Reisuke nocked an arrow with shaking hands and fired, hitting the robber in his side and causing him to hit the ground with a loud thud.

Konako immediately got up and hugged her son tightly, and Reisuke could feel her shaking. “Are you hurt? Are you okay?”

“I’m okay mom, are you hurt?” he nearly cried.

“I’ll be okay once I call the police and they arrest that person, okay?” She grabbed her phone off the ground and hurriedly explained the situation to the police, telling them how she fought a robber off and her son managed to incapacitate him. She put the phone down afterwards and took Reisuke outside, not wanting to be inside incase the robber gained consciousness.

Now that they were both far more calmed down, Reisuke noticed how his mother’s eyes lingered on his bow, her face scrunched up.

“You have wonderful aim, Rei.” Konako commented.

“I didn’t want you to get hurt.” he whispered.

Konako tilted his chin up, and for the first time ever, his mother’s kind eyes held a certain glint to them. “You’d do anything to protect your mother, right dear?”

That question sealed his fate and soon enough, Mustard and Dusty Ash became known to the world as a deadly duo. He put down the bow for a gun and helped his mother in every way he can.

He wasn’t proud as he hid while his mom was arrested, but she told him to not only do that, but to think about the bigger picture. Too many people put themselves on pedestals with their pampered lives, and he was determined to destroy that pedestal. Heroes got off lucky. They get what they want out of life all thanks to a shiny license and a fancy school.

He scowled as police arrested him at UA’s camp, but not all was lost. Not only did they get the angry kid, but seeing Aunt Nemuri’s shocked face at the police station made it all worth it.

Hi Student #19!

I can’t deny that I appreciate the pettiness, especially since you’re working so hard to achieve your goals (even if it’s for something as stupid as heroics). My whole ‘villainy deal’ was only because it was the best choice for me. With my quirk, no one would accept a freak like me. No one except the villains I worked with that is. Take it from someone who’s been through the wringer kid (or not): sometimes, finding a place for you will lead you somewhere you don’t expect.

Later,

Inmate #89423

*

Twice had a love/hate relationship with his quirk.

It was a blessing to him at first. After all, who didn’t think clones were cool as a kid? That blessing turned into a curse as he got older, and he could still feel the phantom pain of his scar on his face.

It wasn’t until meeting the league that he started to think that some curses could be reversed.

Shigaraki took him in without a second thought. Kurogiri was an odd yet comforting presence. Spinner was always there to simply joke with. Dabi was a shit, but he was their shit. Magne and Toga were the sisters he didn’t know he needed and even the late addition of Hawks was something nice he wasn’t expecting.

They liked him with the mask off or on, and they liked him as both Twice and Bubaigawara Jin, and maybe one day, he will like both of them too.

Chapter Text

Todoroki’s back hit his bedroom door as he slid down to the ground, turning the letter over on the ground so he could stare at the inmate’s doodles on the back of the paper instead of the words they wrote down.

He was always curious about #03224’s identity and past, but now he regretted ever asking them about their intentions.

It wasn’t odd to him that they had a shitty upbringing, since you can never know who had one, but what made him fall into this shock was the similarities between the two of them.

Hero society turning someone into his family’s worst nightmare? Now that seems familiar, doesn’t it?

What would’ve happened if things turned out differently for him. Would he still be at UA? Would he still live at home? What would’ve happened to mom or Fuyumi or Natsuo or-

His silent spiral was interrupted by a knock on his door.

“Todoroki? Are you alright? I can hear you panting.” Midoriya’s voice said from behind the door. Todoroki didn’t even notice his heavy breathing until it was pointed out. He stood up, shoved the letter into his back pocket, and opened the door, coming face to face with Midoriya’s worried expression.

“Todoroki?”

“Sorry to worry you, I uh, took the stairs too quickly.” he lied.

Midoriya raised his eyebrow but didn’t press as he entered the room and made himself at home as he sat on Todoroki’s bed. “Some of the others got their letters already so I’m just waiting for mine. Kacchan is making one hell of a ruckus over his in the common room.”

“Who’s in there besides him?” Todoroki asked, pulling up his desk chair to sit down.

“Just Aizawa and Mic. I left when I heard the explosion from outside.”

The two chuckled at what absurdity could’ve possibly set off of their classmate this time, but Todoroki’s quiet laughter slowly trickled off as he remembered the letter in his pocket.

“Midoriya, are you going to move out after graduation?”

Midoriya’s face froze in an expression between confusion and bewilderment. “Where did that come from?”

“I was just thinking about Natsuo.” he lied.

“Well to answer your question, I know I will, but I don’t know when. It could be from one year after graduation to five. What about you?”

“I’m leaving immediately,” he answered with no hesitation, “maybe even move in with Fuyumi. I just wish it could leave earlier sometimes.”

“At least you have the dorms.” Midoriya said with an awkward smile. His attempts at cheering Todoroki up were always appreciated. “Besides, you can’t really leave home so young.”

“But what if I did.” Todoroki was looking up at the ceiling at this point, realizing that the only way he could last through this conversation was if he didn’t see Midoriya’s face. “What if I just went ‘fuck it’ and left home when I was a kid. Would things be different? Would I even be a hero or would I be a-”

“Todoroki,” Midoriya’s commanding voice caught him so off guard that he snapped his head down to look at him. He was surprised to see not shock or pity on Midoriya’s face, but confusion and worry. “Is everything okay with Endeavour?”

Todoroki quickly composed himself. “Yeah, yeah, surprisingly so. I was just too deep in thought again. You know me, ever the conspiracy theories.”

For once, the conspiracy theorist joke didn’t make Midoriya laugh. Instead, he leaned forward and placed a gentle hand on Todoroki’s knee. “You know you don’t have to hide anything from me, right?”

Todoroki placed a hand on top of Midoriya’s and nodded. “I know I don’t have to.” The “ but I want to. ” was left unsaid.

Midoriya sighed and opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by a ding on his phone. He looked at his lockscreen to read the message.

“The rest of the letters came and All Might has mine, I’m going to go find him now.” He withdrew his hand and walked towards the door. He turned back around as if to say something else, but instead exited the room quietly.

Todoroki let of a breath he didn’t know he was holding and pulled out the letter once more. As much as he wished for it to change, the words remained the same. He flipped it over and stared at the scribbles on the back of the paper instead. He wondered if “they gave me an existential crisis” was a valid excuse to stop the letter writing.

Bakugou knew his explosions could be heard from inside the dorms, but he didn’t care about that right now. Maybe it was a good think that Kirishima convinced him to read his letter as the two walked back from the gym. This time, no one would give him shit for damaging property again.

He stormed into the dorms with Kirishima following behind him, unfazed by his anger. He walked by the common room but quickly retraced his steps, staring down his two teachers who were the only occupants in there. He opened his mouth, but shut it once Aizawa raised his hand.

“Before you begin, I have two requests. First, let Mic give Kirishima his letter. Second, keep the rant short because Eri is coming over half an hour.”

“The brat is fine with me yelling now.” Bakugou said.

“I don’t want her learning any new swear words and thinking they’re fine to use. Yesterday, Midoriya said he couldn’t braid her hair because he didn’t know how so she called him a bitch.”

“He deserves it if he thinks he can get away with knowing her for so long and not know how to.”

“Can I just get my letter and go upstairs?” Kirishima butt in. “And where is everyone else?"

“We heard Bakugou from outside so they all left. I think they learned how to tell his mood just by going off of the sound of his explosions.” Mic explained as he handed Kirishima his letter.

Kirishima happily took the letter and turned to Bakugou. “Just come to my room once you’re done.”

Bakugou gave him a short nod and scowled at his teacher as Kirishima made his way towards the elevators. “Do you know who the villains we have are?”

“I told you it was randomized,” Aizawa answered, “why?”

“Because I somehow got put with the cockiest, self absorbed, righteous dickbag in all of Tartarus.” he growled.

“Hand over the letter,” Mic said, extending his hand. Bakugou handed it to them and waited as his two teachers read it over. Once they finished, Aizawa scoffed and handed it back to him.

“I think you landed yourself with a Stain fanatic.”

Bakugou grabbed the letter back and glared at it. “This isn’t even the first time they tried to tell me off.”

“You’re taking this way harder than I thought. Normally you don’t care for what others think about you,” Mic commented.

“If a villain thinks they can tell me what I should and shouldn’t do, then that cell must be rotting their mind.”

“Bakugou, do you want me to move up your appointment with Dr. Aki?” Aizawa asked, more serious this time.

He crossed his arms over his chest and sat down on one of the recliners adjacent to them. “Deku and I don’t need appointments every time we have a minor inconvenience.”

Some of the UA staff became aware of Bakugou and Midoriya’s past at the beginning of their second year, and realized that therapy was the first thing the two boys needed. Bakugou would rather face the League again than admit he was surprised that his punishment was something other than being moved to Gen Ed or expulsion. Aizawa told him that all the progress he made since his first year would be pointless if he was kicked. Instead, one part of his punishment involved coming clean about everything to his friends.

“I’d rather this issue not become a big deal later on.” Aizawa was giving Bakugou a pointed look.

“I don’t give two shits about what some villain thinks of me,” Bakugou said. “This isn’t the first time some villain thought I couldn’t be a hero. This is just another person to prove wrong.”

“Well in that case, we’re both happy you know what you’re doing.” Mic smiled at the boy, placing a hand on Aizawa’s shoulder.

“It’s ironic that the words you used to describe them are quite similar to what someone would’ve described you as at the beginning of your first year,” Aizawa noted.

Bakugou opened his mouth to say some sort of comeback, but shut it immediately. Aizawa could be infuriatingly right sometimes.

“I’m going upstairs,” he grumbled, getting up from his seat. Right as he did, the elevator dinged and opened. The three looked over and say Sero and Aoyama walking hand in hand out of the elevator with their school bags. They paused when they saw Bakugou standing there.

“You good man? It was quiet so we thought the coast was clear,” Sero said.

“I’m fine,” Bakugou responded, waving a hand goodbye as he made his way into the elevator, pressing the button with more force than necessary. Mic stood up, pulling Aizawa up with him and smiled at the two boys.

“Well have fun studying Listeners. Mr. Grumpy and I will be back with Eri in like 20 minutes so try not to burn the place down.”

“I would never dare let Todoroki into the kitchen again,” Aoyama reassured him. The two teachers left dorms together with Mic keeping a surprisingly gentle hold on Aizawa’s elbow. Sero turned to Aoyama the moment the teachers were out of sight.

“I hate to admit I’m wrong here, but I think Kirishima might be onto something about them.”

Iida exited the elevator, hoping that the person he was looking for was in the common room and luckily, he was.

Aoyama had his head in Sero’s lap as he read out different English words while Sero translated. Aoyama sat up once he saw Iida approaching.

“Hello Monsieur Iida. What can Hanata and I do for you?”

“I was actually searching for you Aoyama, but I’m happy Sero is here too as I can have a second opinion,” Iida said.

“What’s up man?” Sero said as he scooted over, allowing Iida to sit in between them.

“Aoyama has helped me with responding to my letter before, and it seems like I may need some more help.” He held out the letter in front of him, allowing the two boys to read it.

“I cannot possibly get any worse than last time with- oh. Oh mon dieu.” Aoyama’s eyes were wide as he read more and more, Sero having a matching expression.

“I… feel bad?” Sero finally said. “I want to tell them sorry but they seem to have gotten over it.”

“Or they’re covering up their sadness,” Aoyama pointed out.

“How do I go approaching them from now on?” Iida wondered. “Is it insensitive to keep bringing up my family? Do I reassure a villain of their place in the world? Is that bad?”

“I don’t know about the second part, but think of it this way,” Sero began, “how would you feel if I avoided talking about my brother and his career in front of you.”

“Well that seems like quite the inconvenience. My brother’s injury and retirement has nothing to do with-” He paused, noticing Sero’s pointed look. “I see now.”

“As for your other question,” Aoyama placed a hand on Iida’s knee. The two others turned their heads to face the blonde. “You are quite possibly one of the kindest people I know, mon ami, so I am not surprised you are empathizing with them. This is a rehabilitation program, oui? Then I think it’s the best choice to support them. I may be a shinier knight, but you can be their knight too.” He finished what he was saying with a boop on Iida’s nose, startling him for a second.

“Thank you very much, Aoyama, and you as well, Sero.” Iida got up from the couch and smiled at his friends. “I must write my first draft of the letter immediately.”

“Let us know how it goes,” Sero says, smiling back.

As Iida walked back towards the elevators, he brought one hand up to his nose, gently brushing where Aoyama had touched him. He looked over his shoulder and, seeing Sero laughing and giving Aoyama a quick kiss, lowered his hand back down.

Midoriya hurried out of Todoroki’s room, passed Sero and Aoyama in the common room, and tried not to sprint towards the teacher’s dorms. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was actually kind of excited to read his letter. If he had spoken to #05876 in a different circumstance, he would have a hard time believing that they were a villain.

He nearly collided with Uraraka who was just leaving, looking lost in thought.

“Oh!” she yelped, stumbling backwards. “Sorry Deku, I wasn’t paying attention at all.”

“No worries, what were you doing in there anyways?”

“I was asking Ectoplasm about some help with math but ended up staying a bit longer since Midnight had my letter,” she explained.

“How was your letter?” he asked. Uraraka’s lost expression returned as she thought of an answer. “It was… interesting. I’m going to go back to the dorms now.”

She brushed past his shoulder and walked back to the 2-A dorms, he pace now quicker than usual.

His concern for his friend was interrupted by a booming voice.

“Midoriya!”

Standing inside the teacher dorms was All Might, happily waving at his successor. He noticed Midnight wrapping up her conversation with him before hurrying to her room. Midoriya moved from where he was blocking the entrance and waved back.

“Hello, All Might! Do you have my letter.”

“Right here,” The hero reached into his pocket and handed Midoriya the envelope.

Wasting no time, Midoriya tore apart the envelope and began reading. As time went on, his smile quickly morphed into a frown. A tear he wasn’t aware of went down his face.

“Midoriya?” All Might received no response. The hero took Midoriya’s shoulder and guided him from the entrance to the empty kitchen, bending down to try and look him in the eyes. “Midoriya, are you able to speak to me right now?”

“Yeah,” Midoriya managed to say, handing All Might the letter, “just read this.”

The hero took the letter nervously and soon enough, he understood just why his protege was so upset.

“I know that there are heroes out there who are awful, but it’s always a disappointing feeling hearing about what they’ve done.” Midoriya said quietly. “I know what the villain did was wrong, but is it bad that in some weird way, I understand what they were thinking?”

“Midoriya,” All Might said softly, “at then end of the day, we are all humans who feel for each other. You’re not in the wrong for understanding.”

“Do you?”

All Might paused and nodded. “I got lucky that the man I went after for killing my mother was a villain.”

“Your mother?”

All Might froze, now noticing his slip up and began coughing. “Nana. I meant Nana.”

Midoriya slowly nodded. “Ah, okay. Say, do you think their wife is still hospitalized?”

“That’s a tricky question, especially if it’s been over 16 years.”

Midoriya kept nodding, no longer looking at All Might. “With an accident like that, it would’ve had to make the news right.”

All Might froze, realizing where Midoriya’s train of thought was heading. “Don’t do what I think you’re planning on doing.”

“Okay, but it’s been 16 years, their wife is probably lonely,” Midoriya pleaded.

“There’s a reason why these letters are anonymous, Izuku,” Midoriya’s eyes widened. He pulled out the first name, it was getting serious.

“I’m sure the villain’s villain name isn’t the same as their wife’s name.”

“There’s still a chance you can figure out who is behind the letters,” All Might said. ”Let it go.”

“Alright,” Midoriya relented. “I’m going to go write a response.”

Midoriya was about to leave the teacher dorms when he was stopped by a voice.

“Oh good, you’re here,” Aizawa said, approaching his student. Midoriya noticed a smaller figure trailing behind his teacher.

“Hey there, Eri,” Midoriya greeted her.

Aizawa bent down and lifted up Eri, placing her in Midoriya’s arms. “You’re taking her with you to the dorms.”

“Sure thing, Sensei,” he replied. He held Eri close and smiled. “You ready to go?”

“Before you go,” Aizawa turned to Eri, “do you have something to say to Midoriya?”

“Sorry for calling you and Todoroki a bitch.” she whispered.

“No, it’s okay. You didn’t know it was a bad word and- wait, when did you call Todoroki that?” Midoriya asked.

“When I was alone with Katsuki.”

Aizawa put his head in his hands and sighed. “Just leave now,” his muffled voice sighed.

The two left the dorms and began their trip back to the student dorms.

“Hey Eri, do you think All Might would get mad at me that I lied to him?” Midoriya asked.

“Are you doing something bad?” she asked back.

“I don’t think so. I’m just butting into some business since that’s what heroes do.”

“Oh, okay. You’re fine then.”

Kirishima was snapped out of his daze thanks to the banging on his door. He opened it up, smiling when he saw his friend on the other side.

“Hey man, everything good with Aizawa and Mic?” he asked, stepping aside to let Bakugou in. the blonde stepped into the room and flung himself onto Kirishima’s bed, making himself right at home.

“It’s fine, Aizawa might move up my fucking appointment though,” he grumbled.

“Is that a bad thing though? You’ve made great progress,” Kirishima pointed out, sitting on the foot of his bed.

“He’s only considering it because my letter pissed me off. Speaking of,” he nudged Kirishima’s side with his foot. “What’s up with yours?”

“Oh, yeah.” The words of what his villain said came back to him all at once. “It was actually kind of depressing.”

Bakugou raised an eyebrow and got up to grab the letter before laying back down. It took him less than a minute to read it over before looking back up at his friend. “Well you’re not wrong.”

“Dude I mean, talk about a bad streak. School struggles and then then the one time they try and do something heroic, everything falls apart,” Kirishima sighed, his eyes not leaving the letter. “I mean, is it wrong to feel bad for him?”

“Are you asking me if it’s okay to feel emotions?” Kirishima almost snorted at the disbelief in Bakugou’s tone. “Anyways, it’s a fucked up situation, but I’m not 100% here for the person, or did you forget who exactly you’re writing to.”

“But Bakugou…”

“Look, it’s not their fault their school probably doesn’t know how to accomodate people, but the fucker should have tried to be some sort of social media influencer like every other dropout instead of being a villain.”

“No, no. you’re right.” Kirishima said. “I’m not justifying them, even if I can sort of understand what they’re feeling.”

“What does that mean?” Bakugou suddenly asked, glaring at Kirishima. The redhead quickly backtracked and shook his head. “Nothing, nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Bakugou’s glare disappeared, but he still looked at Kirishima suspiciously. “Whatever, let’s go see if Eri’s here yet.”

A silent wave of relief hit Kirishima when Bakugou dropped the topic. That wasn’t something he was ready to get into, especially with him. The two got up and headed towards the door.

“You going to teach her more bad words?”

“I’m giving her a break for now. Might teach her to fight though, Aizawa definitely won’t get mad at that.”

“Thank you so much, Ectoplasm-sensei!” Uraraka got up from the chair she was sitting at and moved to leave the teacher’s dorm. She managed to make it past the common room before her name was called.

“Uraraka!”

Midnight was in casual clothes and sprawled across the couch, only to straighten up once Uraraka made her way over.

“I was going to head over to the 2-A dorms in five minutes but since you’re here, I can give you this right now.” In Midnight’s hand was a sealed envelope. Uraraka excitedly snatched it and nearly ripped the letter as she opened the envelope.

“Reading it now?” Midnight asked, laughing at Uraraka’s excitement.

“I asked them a question last time and if I’m correct, then I need your help.” Uraraka responded. It took her a minute to read it over but once she was finished, her expression turned more solemn.

“Just what I thought.” she said. “They’re 15. Not to mention they might have been manipulated by their mom.”

“What?” Midnight leaned over to read the letter. Uraraka watched as her teacher’s eyes widened the more she read the letter. Midnight grabbed the letter from her own hands and brought it closer to her face, rereading it over and over again.

“Fuck…” she whispered under her breathe.

“Sensei?” Uraraka asked hesitantly.

Midnight’s mind was brought back down to Earth when her student spoke. She looked over at the rest of the teachers and jutted her head to where the elevators are. “Shouta and Hizashi are in Eri’s room right now. I’m sure they’d like some company.”

The heroes took the hint and left, leaving Midnight and Uraraka alone.

“Sorry about that, kid.” She handed the letter back with a shaky hand. “You should just keep doing what you’re doing. It’ll be good to talk to someone his own age.”

“‘His?’” Uraraka saw Midnight wince at her slip up. “Sensei, do you know who I’m talking to?”

Midnight put her head in her hands, not wanting to look at Uraraka. “I can’t tell you who this is Uraraka, but please , I beg of you, keep doing your best with him.”

“Are you-”

“I can’t answer any questions, kid.” She looked up and put a hand on Uraraka’s shoulder. “What I can tell you is that out of all the people he could’ve been paired up with, I’m happy it’s you.”

Uraraka reached up and squeezed Midnight’s hand. “I’ll do my best, Sensei.”

The two got up from the couch and split apart. As Uraraka headed towards the exit, Midnight nearly collided with All Might, who was coming back downstairs.

“Are you alright, Kayama?” he asked.

“Surprisingly so, yeah,” she replied, pulling out her phone. “Just one question, families have visitation rights in villain facilities, right?”

“Repeat that for me again?”

“My villain seems to hate themself and I have no clue how to comfort them. I don’t even know if they want to be comforted.”

Shinsou and Kaminari laid side by side on Shinsou’s bed, staring up at star painted ceiling as they both wondered how Kaminari suddenly turned into Shinsou’s villain therapist.

“You’ve got an interesting person on your hands, man. Kind of makes me wish I got picked too,” Kaminari said.

“That doesn’t deal with the fact that I’m in waayyy over my head,” Shinsou sighed.

“Then don’t bother with the comfort.” Shinsou looked over and raised an eyebrow at Kaminari’s words. Kaminari smiled and continued. “They’ve seemed to have made some sort of peace, right? So there’s no need to dig into it.”

“I guess you’re right,” he looked back up at the ceiling, “but what do I even talk about then? All of our conversations have been accidentally depressing.”

“They said they liked your pettiness, right? Tell them a story about you messing with one of us then.” Kaminari suggested.

“Seems like one hell of a tone shift, they’re going to know something’s up.”

“They can’t hear your voice or read your body language on paper, and besides,” Shinsou looked over again just in time to see Kaminari wink, “trust me when I say that using comedy to change a subject is a flawless strategy.”

Kaminari was confident when he said that, almost too confident for Shinsou’s liking, but his fear of breaching people’s privacy just barely managed to outweigh his concern for Kaminari.

“Okay then, what story should I tell?”

Kaminari pondered for a moment before snapping his finger and pointing to Shinsou. “That time you used your voice changer thingy to fuck with Bakugou and Midoriya.”

“What if they don’t think it’s funny?” he asked.

“Then you stop writing those letters to them because that was the most hilarious thing I have ever witnessed in my life.” Kaminari was laughing to himself as he spoke, remembering how the scene played out in his head.

His laughter was a nice and comforting sound to Shinsou. It kept him grounded and away from any worries the letters might bring to him. He sat up and tugged on Kaminari’s arm.

“Let’s go back downstairs. It’s been almost half an hour, there’s no way Aizawa would let him rant this long.”

As much as Yaoyorozu would like to deny it, she was quite an easy person to read, especially with those closest to her.

“Hey, you doing okay?” Jirou asked, tightening her grip on her hand.

“Hm? Yes Kyouka, I’m fine,” Yaoyorozu responded, continuing their walk back to UA.

“You’re a pretty bad liar,” Jirou pointed out, “was it the visit?”

“Of course not,” Yaoyorozu quickly denied, “you know my parents love seeing you.”

“If it’s not your parents, then it’s those letters.” Yaoyorozu opened her mouth but quickly shut it, accepting defeat as Jirou continued. “It’s the only thing that’s been bothering you lately and after reading that most recent one, I don’t blame you.”

“It’s just,” Yaoyorozu let out a huff, “my mother helped so many people by creating this company with father’s help, so seeing this villain try and diminish it is quite frustrating.”

“Well when you’re frustrated, just remember one thing,” Jirou said. “They’re a villain. They lost all credibility when they were thrown into Tartarus.”

They crossed the courtyard and stopped at the dorm’s front doors when Yaoyorozu stopped to face her girlfriend. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“Be perfect?” The two laughed and gave each other a quick kiss before entering the dorms.

“Mom and Jirou are home!” Ashido yelled out the moment they entered. Nearly the whole class was downstairs, with the exception of Midoriya.

“Where have you lovebirds been?” Kaminari teased.

“We went to a cafe and stopped by Minerva Industries to see Momo’s parents since the building was close by,” Jirou explained.

“Nice visit?” Todoroki asked.

“Considering the circumstances, yes,” Yaoyorozu began, taking a seat as she explained her story. She heard the front door open but chose to face her classmates instead. “They were both in a hurry to get some old paperwork from 20 or so years ago, but luckily I managed to find it after Kyouka and I offered to help.”

“Filing paperwork must be soooo romantic,” Sero teased.

“Very funny, Sero. I actually learned something interesting from the file. Did you know the family company used to be called Chisaki Corporations?”

Kirishima, Uraraka, and Tsuyu tensed at her words. She was about to ask if they were alright but was interrupted by Shinsou.

"Eri, are you okay?"

Yaoyorozu looked behind her to see Eri with tears streaming down her face, clutching onto a wide eyed Midoriya and looking at her with a fear she didn’t even knew existed in the girl.

Chapter Text

Yaoyorozu watched as Aizawa took a seat across from her in the common room, checking his phone quickly before putting it away.

“Is Eri okay?” she asked, hesitantly.

“She’s in Midoriya’s room along with Shinsou and Mic. she’s still on edge, but at least she’s not crying anymore,” Aizawa replied.

Yaoyorozu let out a sigh of relief. After Eri burst into tears, she tried to approach her and calm her down, only for her to start panicking and hold onto Midoriya tighter. He took her to his room with Shinsou following close behind. Since he was her caretaker, Aizawa was called into the dorms to comfort her. Everyone was so panicked by her outburst they didn’t question how Mic took charge of the situation instead. The first floor was now empty save for Aizawa and Yaoyorozu as the rest of the class was kicked out and sent to their rooms while the two talked.

“Aizawa-sensei, I’m so sorry about-”

“Did you know Eri’s captor was named Chisaki?” Aizawa interrupted. “Did you say his name with the intention of causing Eri distress?”

“No, not at all,” Yaoyorozu replied.

“Then you shouldn’t be apologizing,” Aizawa told her. “I’m really only talking to you to get some background information.”

“Like…?”

“How exactly you two are related, and if any family worked with him,” Aizawa explained.

“My mother used to go by Chisaki Tomiko before she got married,” Yaoyorozu began, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “She told me how her brother and his wife died in a car crash on the way home from a date. My mother’s intention was to become their child’s caretaker but when the police arrived at their home, he wasn’t there.”

“Their child, your cousin, what was his name?”

“Chisaki Kai.”

Yaoyorozu watched as Aizawa put his hands in his head and sighed. “We were under the impression that he had no family.”

“Her brother, sister-in-law, and nephew was all the family my mother had left. The only extended family I’ve met was from my father’s side of the family,” Yaoyorozu said.

“Are you sure about that? I’m only asking because you just found out about all of this mere hours ago. The yakuza worked like family, so if there are other relatives you don’t know about, this could be an issue.”

“I mean…” Yaoyorozu wished nothing more than to tell Aizawa he was wrong. She wanted to sit up straight, look him in the eyes, and tell him that the last Chisaki on Earth was defeated and rotting away in a cell, but she couldn’t bring herself to say what could possibly be a lie.

“I need you to know that you’re not in any trouble, but you should know that there’s a chance a hero could be sent to talk to your parents about their past,” Aizawa explained.

“I understand,” she said. “Is there any chance that hero can be you? They trust you quite a lot.”

“I’ll do my best.” Aizawa stood up and made his way out of the common room, turning around to face her one last time. “I suggest you head up to your room. Mic and I need to bring Eri down here so she can leave.” With that Aizawa disappeared from her view.

Yaoyorozu reached her room and collapsed onto her bed, ignoring the text messages appearing on her phone. She knows there’s nothing to worry about, her family’s reputation was too important for them to be dealing with the yakuza, especially after Overhaul’s arrest. Yet there was a lingering doubt in the back of her mind, whispering traitorous thoughts to her, questioning just how genuine the smiles at family reunions could be.

Her eyes landed on the folded letter on her desk, and an impulsive thought came across her mind. This was a delicate situation that she didn’t want anyone important to her to get involved in, but she needed some sort of advice, so why not get an expert opinion? She’ll keep it vague, and they won’t suspect a thing.

She picked up her pen and a sheet of paper, writing one sentence to her mysterious recipient.

“What do you know about villains in families?”

If one were to ask any of Midoriya’s friends, Bakugou included, to describe him, ‘impulsive’ would be one of the words to pop up.

Split second decision making was a strength of his and for the most part, it has benefited him greatly, so when he asked Best Jeanist to search up old villain attacks during his lunch break for ‘curiosity’s sake,’ he assumed he would be benefitted once more. On the bright side, he technically wasn’t lying to him.

“Roof collapsed in villain attack”

“Two dead in villain attack”

“Mother and son dead in villain attack”

After a while, he gave up on coherent sentences and just threw some key words in, hoping for the best.

“Roof collapse villain attack mother and son dead pre 20XX”

Skimming through the third page of results, he eventually found one short report written years before he was born.

All the information was there. A hero’s attack hit the roof of the Sumiro household, causing the roof to collapse on the mother and son who were present. The son managed to teleport his mother away but at the cost of his own life.

“Sumiro Hairo,” Midoriya thought to himself. Why was the name so familiar? His provisional license lying on the desk brought his mind back to the school he and Best Jeanist visited every patrol. More specifically, he thought about the memorial next to the school park, the memorial for Hairo.

Midoriya took pride in himself for connecting the dots so quickly, and even more pride in the fact that he managed to find the report before his break was over. However, that pride quickly dissipated into cold fear when he reached the end of the report.

“Saya and Hairo are survived by their husband and father, Sumiro Kurogiri.”

Right underneath the sentence was an attached image of a giggling wife, a smiling son, and a cheerful, familiar looking husband holding the two closely.

In the wise words of Bakugou, fuck.

Midoriya turns the screen off immediately. This was fine, this was okay. He was just in constant contact with a man who tried to kill him and all his friends, no biggie.

It was a big biggie.

It wasn’t like he could just stop writing to him. The teachers would ask why and he’s such a garbage liar that he wouldn’t be able to convince them of any other reason. He had to keep doing this, whether he liked it or not.

He does like it though, or did like it? His image of talking to some nice, lonely person was now permanently destroyed now that it’s personal, but that’s beside the point. He just has to play nice for as long as he has to and not get involved in Kurogiri’s personal life anymore.

Although he did wonder what ended up happening with Saya.

He can’t. He shouldn’t.

He opens up the report again.

There were no updates on Saya’s condition, just that she was in a coma, but it’s been almost 20 years, so she has to have woken up by now, right?

He wasn’t searching just for curiosity anymore. He needed a reason to keep writing, and maybe Saya would give him that reason.

“Any other life updates?”

Bakugou fiddled with the stress ball in his hand and looked back up at Dr. Aki, looking very unamused. Aizawa ended up moving his appointment to a week earlier, much to Bakugou’s displeasure.

“The same shit as usual. School, internships, letters, the dunces, repeat,” he replied.

“Okay then, what did you do with your friends?” Dr. Aki asked, flipping to a page in her notebook. “You talk about Kirishima, Kaminari, Jirou, Sero, and Ashido the most.”

“Yesterday, all of us plus Tape Face’s-”

“Names, please. I don’t know everyone’s quirks or appearances.”

Bakugou continued on. “Sero’s boyfriend tagged along when we went to see that new animated hero movie.”

“And how’s school?”

“Same as always.”

“Internships?”

“Bugs Bunny keeps me on my toes.”

“The letter?”

Bakugou scowled at that, remembering just why he was here in the first place. “Annoying as shit.”

“What’s the problem with this particular one?” Dr. Aki asked.

“A villain thinks I can’t be a hero because of how I act,” Bakugou growled. “Funniest joke I’ve heard in my life.”

“Why would the villain think that?”

“Because I told them I want to be number one. Aizawa found out it annoyed me and that’s why I’m here earlier than usual. Fucking pointless since I don’t need reassurance about it.”

“Reassurance can always be welcoming though, right?” Dr. Aki began. “I can understand how you might think reassurance from me in this office can seem fake, but from someone else, it can be nice. Have you gotten any recently?”

“You know I hate this dumb positivity shit.”

“Just go with it, it fits the topic.”

Bakugou thought back to the previous week at his internship, thinking about what Miruko said just before she kicked him off the bench.

“Miruko was talking about how she was ‘unapologetically me’ and that she doesn’t want me to change who I am as a person,” Bakugou finally said. “Well, she did say some shit had to change, but not the core.”

Dr. Aki raised an eyebrow up at Bakugou and set her pen down, leaning back against her chair. It was in that moment that Bakugou prepared himself for whatever she had planned. After all, there was a reason he chose her as his therapist.

“Professional talk or brutal?”

“Brutal,” Bakugou immediately answered.

“You’ve gotten your head out of your ass, but you need to straighten up still,” she began. “You’ve realized that the world doesn’t revolve around you, and your next step should be rectifying your shitty, inexcusable behaviour.”

“What do I do then?”

Dr. Aki leaned forward on her desk and stared straight at Bakugou. “Have you ever apologized to Midoriya?”

“What?” The question threw Bakugou off.

“My first session with you two together was a shit show of an argument, the second was finding out the root of your problems from Midoriya’s anxiety to your upbringing at school and home. Our third and last session before you two started coming in individually was you two talking through your problems. Your remorse was obvious, but there was no explicit ‘I’m sorry.’”

“Figured it was implied.”

“You do a lot of things with an implied message, but sometimes you need to be loud and clear. You want to fix your fuck ups? Start at your first one.”

“I can’t just say ‘sorry’ for shit like that,” Bakugou said.

“Your real apology is your hard work in striving to be a better person and not repeating your past actions, but that’s the long term plan. Whether you like it or not, you know Midoriya like the back of your hand, so you know what he’ll feel about you apologizing.”

The stress ball was going to explode with how hard Bakugou was clenching it. Dr. Aki knew what kind of person Bakugou was and more importantly, she knew how to talk to him. He knew she was right about everything, and that was an infuriating blessing to him.

“Fine,” he finally said. “But I’m doing it on my own terms.”

“Is it your own terms if I’m the one who brought it up and convinced you?” Dr. Aki asked.

“Aren’t you supposed to be supportive or some shit?”

“Aren’t you supposed to stop being a little shit?”

“Pretty sure you can’t say that to your patients.”

Dr. Aki smirked and pointed to the clock on the wall, reading 5:01 pm. “Not a patient, just an annoying kid.” She laughed at her own joke before closing her notebook. “Let me know if you and your villain pal are still arguing about this next time you come by.”

“Can’t tell me to do shit if I’m not your patient right now.” Bakugou shut the door behind him as Dr. Aki burst out laughing.

He rounded the corner just in time to see a person falling in his direction, grabbing onto them on instinct. Just as he was about to chew them out, he recognized the mop of green hair.

“Oh! Thank you, Kacchan,” Midoriya quickly said.

Bakugou opened his mouth to say something, anything. Now was his chance to apologize and yet his heart was pounding and his throat felt clogged up.

“Tie your shoes next time,” he finally managed to say, letting go of Midoriya.

“These aren’t the red ones with laces, though.”

“Then don’t fucking trip on air, Izuku.” The two of them froze at Bakugou’s words. Before Midoriya could say anything though, Bakugou was already around the corner and far from his view.

He had two weeks before his next appointment, which means he didn’t have to apologize now. He’s totally just waiting for the right time, and he’s definitely not going to his room to plan it out. Nope, not at all.

Bravery is a defining trait that all heroes had, but at the moment, Midnight wanted nothing more than to bolt from her seat and head back home.

The door on the other side of the glass pane opened up, revealing a guard and, more importantly, her nephew. Mustard glared at her as he took a seat across from her.

“Rei-”

“The fuck do you want?” Mustard snapped, not letting her finish his sentence.

Midnight was taken aback by his anger but continued on. “To see you, obviously.”

“Is it Midnight or Aunt Nemuri here to speak with me?”

“I’m here in no costume to talk to Reisuke, not Mustard,” Midnight replied.

“Great, only took you like, a year to see me. Why so long? Didn’t want the world knowing you were related to two villains?” Mustard bit back.

Midnight took a deep breath before answering. “I’m sorry it took me so long to see you, but after what happened with your mom, I didn’t know what to do.”

“Do you even know why she and I were doing this? Do you know why we became villains?” Mustard’s voice was slowly raising the more he spoke. “Your own sister was barely scraping by while you were living it up as a hero and barely visiting!”

“I didn’t know, Rei!” Midnight burst out, tears threatening to spill out. “Konako and I have never been on good terms, even as kids. The only reason I saw you as a kid was because she needed a babysitter after your piece of shit dad left. I would’ve helped in a heartbeat if I had known what was going on.”

“But you didn’t, hero.” Mustard made sure to exaggerate the last part. “I’m done here.”

“Rei I just want to-”

“This isn’t about what you want, so come back once you’ve figured out what I want.” With that declaration, Mustard stood up and exited, the guard following closely behind, leaving behind a defeated Midnight.

Sero approached Iida’s door and raised a fist to knock on the door. Almost immediately, he heard a crash from the other side of the door, followed by a loud “Fuck!”

The door opened to reveal a smiling Iida, shirt rumpled and glasses askew.

“Uhh, you good, man?” Sero asked.

“I was… caught off guard by the knocking,” Iida hesitantly replied.

“You got scared and fell off your chair, didn’t you?”

“You cannot prove anything. Anyways, do you need anything?”

Sero lifted up the notebook in his other hand. “I finished looking over your English notes. I would’ve bothered Kaminari but he doesn’t even take any notes since he’s already fluent.”

“You’re never a bother, Sero. Was everything clear?” Iida asked, taking his notebook back.

“I was actually confused on some sentence structure stuff and was wondering if you could explain it to me,” Sero asked sheepishly.

Iida smiled widely and stepped aside, gesturing into his room. “Of course! Please, come in!”

As Sero stepped in, he noticed Iida’s desk chair lying on the ground and remembered what he heard earlier. “Was I hallucinating, or did I hear you scream ‘fuck’ when you fell?”

“It was not a hallucination,” Iida replied, embarrassed at being heard.

“I can’t believe I have to tell everyone that the class dad swore.”

“No one but Midoriya and Uraraka will believe you,” Iida pointed out, lifting his chair back up. “Maybe Bakugou too. He’s already made Yaoyorozu tell someone to fuck off.”

“To be fair, that first year had it coming.” Sero took a seat on Iida’s bed when his eyes landed on a piece of paper on his desk.

“Is that the letter Yuga and I helped with? Is it cool if I read it?” Sero asked excitedly.

“Of course you can,” Iida replied, handing the letter over to Sero to read.

Dear Inmate #08642,

It is a shame to hear about your family, and I can only imagine the difficulties that came from it, but I must clarify one thing with you. Relying on family isn’t the only backup I have. I would do anything for the friends I’ve made at UA, and I know I can rely on them for anything too. I don’t know you, but maybe it’s the same for you. With how wonderful you’ve been, I find it hard to believe that you didn’t make any villain comrades along the way. If that’s the case, then I think you might’ve already found your place in the world, just not in the way you expected it to be. I hope to hear from you soon ^_^.

Regards,

Student #4

Sero looked up at Iida with a huge grin on his face. “Dude, you’re such a sap, and you even put in a little face at the end!”

“This was more personal than usual, so I figured I could make them more comfortable with it,” Iida said, now blushing.

“I genuinely think you’re onto something here,” Sero smiled. He set the letter down and looked back up at Iida. “Now teach me English before I fail it.”

The next 20 minutes were spent with Sero listening intently to Iida’s words and having a major respect for anyone who learns the English as a second language. When the two finished, they exited the room.

“I’m going to head next door and see if Kaminari is free for food, but thank you so much Iida,” Sero told him.

“It’s not a problem at all, Sero. my door is always open for you,” Iida replied.

Sero gave Iida a small smile and placed his hand on his arm. “I know you were probably talking about Midoriya and Uraraka and Todoroki, but you should know that I include myself when it comes to team ‘friends who will do anything for Iida.’”

“Seems like a lot for just English,” Iida said, stunned.

“I wasn’t talking about only helping me out today.” Sero’s arm fell back to his side as he turned to head to Kaminari’s room. “I’ll be heading downstairs later.”

As Sero was about to knock on Kaminari’s door, he heard Iida call out to him. He turned and saw Iida standing inside the elevator. Just as he was about to ask him what he needed, Iida raised both his arms and titled his head in a familiar motion.

The fucker just dabbed on him.

As the elevator doors were closing, Iida looked back up and pointed at Sero. “Now no one will ever believe you.”

The doors shut, leaving Sero alone in the hallway and wondering if he really was just living in a simulation.

Uraraka set her mug down and smiled at the person sitting across from her. “Thank you again, Todoroki.”

“It’s really not a problem, Uraraka. You mentioned you always wanted to go here, and I’m a fan of the place,” Todoroki replied, taking in the surroundings of the familiar cafe.

“But I could’ve paid myself.”

“We’ve known each other how long now? You can’t pull a fast one on me.”

“I really could’ve paid, you know,” Uraraka frowned.

“And then you would have to wait how long for your parents to send you money? I like treating my friends, especially when they’re trying to worm their way out of it.” Todoroki gave her a small smile and continued drinking his hot chocolate.

Even he thought the cafe was a bit pricey, but after hearing Uraraka talk about how much she wanted to go there, he immediately grabbed his dad’s credit card and took her out. It brought a smile to her face as he watched her look around in glee.

“Todoroki,” Uraraka began, suddenly more somber. “Remind me again, do you have any younger siblings?”

“I don’t, it’s just my eldest brother, sister, other brother, and me,” he replied.

“I’m only asking because, well, I’m having trouble with my letters,” Uraraka explained. Todoroki tensed at that. It’s been a week since they got theirs, so everyone probably sent out their letters by now. Everyone except for him that is.

“So you thought talking to someone about their younger sibling would help?”

“Well, I found out he's a kid so-”

“He?” Todoroki interrupted. “I don’t think any of us introduced ourselves with pronouns.”

“We didn’t,” Uraraka confessed. “You can’t tell anyone this, but Midnight knows who I have. I gave her my letter to read since she works well with troubled kids and I guess she recognized his little origin story.”

“So you know who you have now?” Todoroki leaned in closer.

“She didn’t tell me. She even said ‘he’ by accident, but I’m worried.” Uraraka frowned into her drink. “She looked really shaken up by it.”

“That’s a shame, but she’s probably one of the few heroes I know who can’t be brought down by anything. She can get through it. As for your kid villain, I sadly can’t help you there.”

“Well, what were you like with your siblings when you were younger? I’m an only child, so I’ll take any advice.”

Todoroki clenched the handle of his mug tighter, choosing his next words very carefully. “I was very much like ‘Earlyroki’ as Sero put it. I’m closer with my brother and sister now then I was when I was younger.”

“And your oldest brother?” Uraraka was so well meaning it was killing Todoroki.

“He moved out. Haven’t heard from him much. Based on my own experiences, I guess I would give the kid space when he needs it.” Todoroki prayed that would end the line of questioning.

“You’re right, I need him to trust me after all. Enough about me though, how’s your villain?” Uraraka asked.

“Surprisingly nice,” Todoroki replied. “Still a bit of a dick though, but being Bakugou’s friend is nice training.”

“You think you two might be able to get along?”

Todoroki thought back to the startling similarities and his mini freakout, shrugging slightly. There was no point in worrying her. “I think we have a lot in common.”

“So you both got that whole ‘I’m a character with a tragic backstory’ vibe or something?” Uraraka teased.

“Hit his kids, hurt his wife, he checks off all the boxes.”

Todoroki gave her a small smile. “You’re a very funny person, Uraraka.”

Kaminari quietly creeped into Shinsou’s room, carry his homework in one hand and smiling sadly at the sight before him.

Eri, who had decided to not let go of Shinsou all week when possible, was sitting on Shinsou’s bed and reading a picture book while Shinsou was sitting at his desk. Instead of turning towards the door when he heard it open, he instead turned to Eri. Kaminari watched her head shoot up but then relax as she saw who it was.

“Hey, just take a seat on the ground I guess. I don’t have another chair and there’s more pressing matters on the bed,” Shinsou said, moving his homework to the ground and taking a seat, followed closely by Kaminari.

“I never knew the two of you were so close,” Kaminari whispered to him as he watched Eri.

Shinsou simply shrugged and looked at her, not in the mood explain Aizawa and Mic’s planned adoption. “She and I click, now can you please explain open and closed circuits to me?”

“My pleasure… Blueberry?”

“You know what? I’ll allow it.”

The next hour was spent going from teaching Shinsou to the two of them decided to just complete all their homework together to save time, all while Eri was combing through book after book silently, barely even noticeable to the boys.

“Thank you again, Kaminari,” Shinsou said, closing his notebook. “I know you might’ve been busy and-”

“Dude, it’s not a problem at all. I will always make time for you,” Kaminari interrupted, smiling brightly.

Shinsou awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and shyly smiled back. “It does mean a lot. I know Yaoyorozu always has her door open but she’s been off ever since, y’know.”

“Hitoshi?” Eri’s quiet voice cut through the boy’s hearts as they both looked up at her. Eri had her book set aside and her hands clutched closely to her chest as tears began to form in her eyes.

“Oh, no no no, Eri come here.” Shinsou leapt onto the bed and brought Eri close as he placed her on his lap, letting her cry into his shirt. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you didn’t want to hear her name.” There was no response as she kept crying.

“Will she be okay? Is there anything you want me to do?” Kaminari asked, worried.

“She just needs to calm down, but…” It looked like Shinsou was fighting an internal battle before sighing. “There’s something that always works. It’s under my bed.”

Kaminari ducked his head under Shinsou’s bed and stretched an arm out, eventually grabbing onto a familiar feeling item. He pulled his arm back, revealing the item to in fact be an acoustic guitar.

“It was a gift from my dad,” Shinsou explained, not making eye contact with Kaminari.. “I snuck away for a bit during the cultural festival last year so I know you can play, so can you just…” he pointed one finger to Eri.

Dumbfounded at this revelation, Kaminari nodded and sat on the bed too and began strumming a tune he made up while practicing last year.

About a minute passed before he heard something else besides the guitar. Straining to hear, he realized it was coming from Shinsou, and it wasn’t just random noise, but words that he was quietly saying, no, singing to Eri.

“Step out of them voices, I’ll cover my ears and shout out again.

Step out of them voices, break free from the voices in my head.”

Kaminari watched in awe as Eri’s shoulders stopped shaking and her breathing steadied as Shinsou kept singing, unconsciously smiling at the girl in his arms. He didn’t even realize he stopped strumming until Shinsou finished the song and looked back up, still holding a now asleep Eri.

“Normally it takes at least two songs, so she must be pretty beat.”

“Your voice is beautiful,” Kaminari blurted out, eyes widening when he realized what he said. “I mean you’re beautiful- wait, fuck, hold on let me just- so you music?”

“Yes, I ‘music,’” Shinsou laughed, making sure he was quiet to not wake up Eri. “I’d appreciate it if it’s kept between the two of us though.”

“Of course, of course. I’m assuming she wants some peace and quiet, so I’m going to head out now.”

Before Shinsou could reply, Kaminari set the guitar down, grabbed his things, and nearly bolted out of the room. He shut Shinsou’s door and pressed his back to it, sliding down to the ground and putting his head between his knees.

Why was his heart pounding more than usual, and why did his face feel so hot, and more importantly, why did he feel like no other voice in the world could ever compare to Shinsou’s?

He picked himself up off the ground and headed back to his room, humming the song as he walked.

As for Shinsou, he draped a blanket over Eri’s body and sat back down at his desk, pulling out a folded piece of paper and a notebook from one of the drawers.

He opened the paper first. It was just a scrap piece from his notebook when he was suddenly hit with inspiration in the middle of class but didn’t have his notebook. He didn’t know what spurred him to sing one of his poems in front of Kaminari of all people, but at least it was one of his better ones.

His eyes drifted to the envelope he was suppose to give to Aizawa later that day. He did mention writing poems to his villain in his first letter, and it wasn’t like he’d be exposing his identity to said villain. Not only that, but this was probably his favourite one he’s ever written.

He copied down the poem into his notebook and shoved the original into the envelope before sealing it and leaving his room to find Aizawa, hoping he got back before Eri woke up.

Chapter Text

Dear Inmate ##03224,

Judging by where you ended up, I’m going to go ahead and guess that you’d be a pretty shitty hero, and judging by our similarities, I guess that would mean I would make a shitty villain. Who knows, in that different world, maybe I’m the one writing to you in the cell. I don’t blame you for being angry at your father. I really can’t, not when my own brother is still angry at my father. He’s a... difficult man. Actually, when I was younger, I used to think he was a villain that nobody had caught yet. To make me feel better, my oldest brother and I would make our mother into a hero instead. We had my sister help draw a costume and other brother help us with her hero name. I’m not sure why I’m telling you all of this. Actually, I do, but you haven’t hit that part of my tragic backstory yet. Hope to hear from you soon.

Insincerely yours,

Student #15

P.S. I forgot to mention my mother’s hero name. It was actually quite impressive considering how young my brothers and I were at the time. She was the Crystalline Hero: Khione

Dabi gently put the letter down, walked over to his bed, lifted the pillow to his face, and let out the loudest scream he could.

“Touya?” Shouto said, looking up from the drawing. Endeavour was out of town for the weekend, allowing the Todoroki family some breathing room, but more importantly, allowing Shouto to have a break.

“What’s up?” Touya replied.

“What do you want to be when you’re bigger?”

Touya simply shrugged as a reply. “I never really thought about it.”

“But you’re the biggest, so you have to pick soon,” Shouto said.

“And you’re the smallest but already have a job picked out. Some things don’t work how they should,” Touya retorted.

“But if you had to decide right now, what would it be?” Shouto pushed.

Touya rolled his eyes but answered, wanting to entertain his baby brother. “Okay, uhhhh... I guess social work.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s someone who helps others with their problems, but I guess I would help with family, specifically.”

“Why family?”

Touya snuck a peek at the bandage peeking out from Shouto’s sleeve.

“Family’s important. You need to keep the good parts of it, and get rid of the bad.”

Dabi returned to the desk and grabbed a new sheet of paper, but before he began his letter, he flipped it over, and began feverishly scribbling drawings onto the back of the letter.

“Come on, Shouto,” he whispered to himself. “That birdbrain must’ve taught you this by now. Just answer me already.”

Inmate #78246,

Seems like a shitty fucking reason to end up where you are now. Was it even worth it? Trust me when I say that I know that there’s some pretty fucked up heroes (it’s Endeavour. I know no one screens the student letters, I’ll name drop his ass), but your little crusade may not be worth it if you’re in Tartarus.

Student #17

“Angry kid might be onto something,” the guard who read the letter mumbled under his breath.

“I’m missing my nose, not ears,” Stain growled. “What’s the angry kid onto?”

The guard flinched back, now far less confident when speaking. “The part where they’re asking if it was worth it. You don’t know what’s been going on since we put you in the straight jacket. What makes you think what you did worked?”

Stain gave the guard a smug smile, slowly nodded his head. “I don’t know if my message reached the masses at all, but I don’t need it to. I just need it to reach one person, and I know for a fact that it reached this child.”

“You know who it is?” the guard asked in shock.

“Not at all, but this is a UA student, and the three kids involved in my arrest were also UA students. There is no way my name isn’t known in that school. I may not have made an impact on this student as some random inmate, but as Stain, my message is known all throughout the school.”

Dear Inmate #08642,

It is a shame to hear about your family, and I can only imagine the difficulties that came from it, but I must clarify one thing with you. Relying on family isn’t the only backup I have. I would do anything for the friends I’ve made at UA, and I know I can rely on them for anything too. I don’t know you, but maybe it’s the same for you. With how wonderful you’ve been, I find it hard to believe that you didn’t make any villain comrades along the way. If that’s the case, then I think you might’ve already found your place in the world, just not in the way you expected it to be. I hope to hear from you soon ^_^.

Regards,

Student #4

Toga’s eyes didn’t stray from one line in the letter.

With how wonderful you’ve been, I find it hard to believe that you didn’t make any villain comrades along the way.

She didn’t have her family, but she had a lot of friends. That was at least something she was sure of.

She was in the hideout again, not doing anything since it was a slow period for all of the League members. She sat on one of the chairs scattered around the place, her hands stuck in her hair and her eyes glued to the hair tutorial on her phone.

“Last I checked, your fingers aren’t supposed to be stuck in the braid,” Shigaraki teased, completely content watching her struggle.

“At least I can touch my hair!” Toga shot back, her eyes not leaving the screen. Just as she managed to free her hands, Dabi walked into the room.

“What’s with the rat’s nest on your head?” he asked.

“I’m trying to braid my hair but it’s so harrrd,” Toga whined.

Dabi approached her curiously, poking at the failed braids with a finger before grabbing her phone, her hair supplies, and her wrist.

“We’re fixing this. I think I might die if I look at this any longer.”

“Try not to get lost in it!” Shigaraki called out as they walked to Toga’s room.

Once inside, Dabi sat on her bed and dumped the supplies next to him, pointing to the ground in front of him. “Sit.”

Toga obeyed, sitting down and prepared herself for Dabi to inevitably rip out her hair. Surprisingly, it was the opposite, and she nearly leaned into the feeling of him gently brushing her hair. She felt the brush move away and his hands part her hair into two, and begin braiding one half of her hair.

“I didn’t know you knew how to braid,” Toga stated.

“I can do more than set shit on fire,” Dabi says. “You remember that day Magne had her hair curled? Heated iron rod that I cleaned up.”

“A DIY king,” Toga teased, feeling Dabi start on the second braid. He tugged her hair with a bit more force than necessary at that.

“Don’t disrespect my amazing talents ever again,” he joked. “Why is your hair so smooth?”

“I stole some really nice shampoo for Spinner and I last time I went out,” Toga explained. “I need to feel good while I do bad.”

Dabi tied off the end of the last braid and placed a hand on Toga’s head, staring off absentmindedly. “That was easier than I thought. I really am the best, aren’t I, Fuyumi?”

Toga whipped her head around immediately after hearing that name, meeting Dabi’s terrified eyes.

“Who’s Fuyumi?”

“None of your business,” Dabi growled, his friendly face now replaced with a guarded stare.

“You don’t really expect me of all people to get called a different name and drop it like it’s nothing.” Toga climbed up onto the bed and began her pestering.

“Is she your friend?”

“No.”

“Girlfriend?”

“Ew, what the fuck?”

“You said ‘ew!’ It’s a relative! Sister?”

“If I tell you will you finally shut up?” Dabi finally asked.

“Yes!”

Dabi sighed and looked at Toga. “Fuyumi is my sister. That’s how I knew how to braid your hair. I would do it for her all the time.”

“Aww!!” Toga gushed. “Is she pretty?”

“Very,” Dabi said automatically, not noticing the faint smile on his face.

“Do you have other siblings?”

“Hey, you got your answer already, quit pushing,” Dabi warned.

“Can you blame me? We don’t know anything about you, not even your nam-“

“My name is Dabi,” he interrupted, his voice getting colder.

“Alright then,” Toga nodded, before quickly pointing an accusing finger at Dabi. “But you’re still not getting away with calling me Fuyumi!”

“Don’t even think about taking my blood.”

“Not that! You just have to call me Himiko now.”

“And what if I don’t?”

“I keep bothering you about your life.” Toga proudly declared.

“That doesn’t sound so threatening, Toga ,” Dabi teased.

“That’s a strike! Are you fucking Hawks?” Toga shouted.

Dabi immediately dove towards her and covered her mouth, muffling the rest of her interrogation.

“Alright, alright, you win for now, Himiko,” Dabi sighed, removing his hand.

Toga giggled at the memory of Dabi refusing to meet her eye. Maybe #4 was onto something after all.

Dear Inmate #00524,

What do you know about villains in families?

Regards,

Student #20

“Is that it?” Overhaul asks.

“That’s all they said,” the guard replied. “School project?”

“Sure,” Overhaul mused, his thoughts travelling elsewhere. “I’ll call you back once I need the letter written. Let me think on this.”

The guard eyed Overhaul warily as he slowly walked out of the cell. As for Overhaul himself, his mind was racing.

What made this student ask this? They’re always so formal, so what changed? Did they ask specifically because they figured out who he was?

This was far more interesting than their static back and forth.

Families are tricky. Not because they are your family, but because you don’t know who counts as family in the first place.

His parents weren’t family, and neither was Tomiko, not in the way Boss was. They were Chisakis, and he abandoned that name a very long time ago, no matter how many times that quirkless blond called him that.

Even if #20 didn’t know who he was, they were asking for a reason. To be so informal and write only one sentence that’s straight to the point, there must’ve been some sort of reason as to why, and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

Dear Inmate #05876,

I’m sure you probably heard this a million times before, and it may not seem like much coming from me, but I am so sorry for your loss. I think the most surprising part of your story isn’t that a hero could do something like that, because trust me, I’m well aware of a pretty bad “hero,” but that I can see why you would do something like that. I don’t agree obviously, but I’m well acquainted with people who do risky and bad things in the name of their loved ones. But hey, you were right though. I did learn something new about villains, very new. So new that I’ve been thinking about it a LOT. See Talk to you soon.

Sincerely,

Student #18

“Probably shouldn’t have dumped such a horrific story onto them with no warning,” Kurogiri thought to himself. “The kid must be shaken up by that.”

80% of people respond to his story with sympathy, such as Magne and Toga. 19% simply accept the story and not push forward, like Compress and Dabi.

And then there’s Shigaraki, the remaining 1%.

The last thing Kurogiri expected when Sensei walked through the door 21 years ago was a five year old gingerly holding a severed hand, but he guessed that’s what he signed up for when agreeing to work for Sensei.

“And who might you be?” Kurogiri asked, stepping out from behind the bar and crouching in front of the child.

The kid immediately moved to hide behind Sensei’s leg, looking Kurogiri warily.

“Shimura Tenko.”

“But for now on, it will be Shigaraki Tomura,” Sensei added, placing a hand on Shimura, no, Shigaraki’s head. “For his own safety. He will be our care from now on.”

The thought of Sensei waltzing up to the bar with a child who looked as small as Hairo filled him with both sympathy and terror.

“And why is he here instead of at home?” Kurogiri asked.

“An unfortunate accident caused the death of his family,” Sensei explained, nudging Shigaraki closer to his Kurogiri. “Sound familiar?”

Before Kurogiri could process the weight behind Sensei’s words, the child spoke up. “Your family’s dead too?”

“My wife and son, yes.” Instead of the usual wide eyes and frown that appeared on everyone’s face when he told them that, Shigaraki’s expression hardened.

“I better not be some new replacement.”

Kurogiri bit his tongue to hold back a retort. “No one could ever replace them,” he wanted to say, but instead, he slowly nodded. “I hardly think that’s what Sensei here thinks.”

“Not at all. Shigaraki, why don’t you head on upstairs where there are a few spare rooms and pick your new bedroom,” Sensei tells him, pointing to the staircase behind the counter.

As Shigaraki walks off, Sensei places a hand on Kurogiri’s shoulder, squeezing it just a bit too tightly. “With how busy I am, you are going to be the primary caretaker for him. This specific child is very important to me, so there is no room for failure.”

Sensei stares directly into Kurogiri’s eyes. “I would appreciate him making it past the age of five.”

Hey Inmate #05683!

Expelled and kicked just for helping someone? That’s pretty messed up since you only had good intentions. If you ask me, anyone who constantly gets beaten down like that but still gets back up is one hell of a hero. Maybe this isn’t the end for your hero journey. Did you know Sir Nighteye didn’t go to a hero school? He actually was a businessman at first, and got his hero license after taking night school hero courses for three years. Maybe once you get out, you can try that!

Best of luck,

Student #8

Gentle put the letter down with a smile, content with the new information he has been given. For the first time in years, his dreams of heroism had resurfaced, even if it was only a tiny amount. His excitement was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

Gentle turned around to see his cellmate, Reo, standing by the door.

“Hey man, want to stop by the library?” he asked. “I need to return my book.”

“I’ll gladly come along,” Gentle responded, putting his letter away and following Reo out the door.

“Reading that hero kid’s letter again?” Reo asked as they made their way downstairs.

“It was a new one this time, and they even offered me some advice about what to do when I get out of here,” Gentle explained.

“Was it something like ‘don’t commit crimes?’”

“It was about getting a hero license actually. I had no clue you could get one without going to a hero high school.”

Reo’s smile fell as he gave Gentle a sad look. “It’s a nice offer, even if it is pointless.”

“Pointless?”

“Convicted felons can’t get a hero license. The kid must not have known about that part or else they wouldn’t have mentioned it,” Seo shrugged.

Gentle kept the smile on his face, refusing to let it fall even if it getting harder and harder to keep it.

“I’ll be sure to let the kid know.”

Dear Inmate #00427,

I never expected that I would think about what it would be like to become a villain for my family, but you really are full of surprises. I’m glad you trusted me enough to tell me everything, even if we are complete strangers. Am I allowed to ask what your quirk is? I bet it must pretty cool if you and your mom fought together with them. Even if you’re allowed to tell me your quirk, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. Talk to you soon!

Sincerely,

Student #5

“What the hell is wrong with this person?” Mustard immediately thought after reading the letter.

Out of all the possible responses he considered, this wasn’t one of them. There was no pity for him, no disgust towards his mother, no telling him how he’s ‘finally’ away from her. Instead, he got gratitude and interest in his criminal activities, which obviously means something must be wrong.

He hasn’t had a friend around his age in a while. On the days where he actually bothered to show up to school once his new villain life began, he isolated himself from all the other students, preferring to be alone sometimes, the keyword being ‘sometimes.’

He didn’t know if Toga counted as a friend. They were the same age, but he could only handle so much pep. Plus, they were only coworkers for a short period of time, not enough to form anything lasting.

#5 was weirdly endearing, even if they were complete opposites. Maybe it was the way they were interested in his interests, or maybe it was this prison finally getting to him.

They were at least better company than Aunt Nemuri.

Hey Inmate #89423,

Welcome to the “my quirk ruined my life” team. I’ll be sure to mail the matching shirt to Tartarus. You mentioned liking my dumb pettiness, so boy do I have a story for you. On the second day of school this year, I decided to fuck with the most hot tempered guy in my class. I have a piece of gear that changes my voice, so what I did was that while he was distracted playing a video game, I hid behind the couch and pretended to be my fellow classmate and his childhood friend. I told the guy how I was finally ready to confess my love to him after all these years. My shirt got crazy singed after it, and the guy I was mimicking couldn’t look me in the eyes for a week, but it was definitely worth it. Not really sure how to end this letter, so bye, I guess.

Later,

Student #19

P.S. I put one of my poems in the envelope because my self control aka my little sister was asleep and couldn’t stop me

Twice pulled out the added page that #19 attached, carefully unfolding it and began reading.

Voices

Don’t hear the cold voices anymore

I’m covering my ears

But it’s no use

The piercing looks block my way

I’m breaking it all down

All the sources of things

That trapped me in darkness and tortured me

The farther down he read, the more his vision blurred, until Twice realized that he was crying. He lifted up his mask for a second to wipe his tears away before rereading it again and again, taking in every word that he wished he could tell himself.

He really didn’t deserve #19. They managed to not only give him shit for his past, but they also made him laugh and cry in the span of ten minutes, which was an oddly welcomed feeling.

He wanted to know more about that first sentence of #19’s letter, because if they also have quirk issues, that would just be another thing they could talk about. They may not have his literal voices, but he’d be damned if he didn’t let #19 know how much everything meant to him.

Chapter Text

“I’ll make this quick,” Aizawa says from the front of the class. “We have a guest speaker for today’s class. I would tell you to behave, but instead I’ll tell you not to make it worse.”

Todoroki had no clue what Aizawa meant until the classroom door opened, and a familiar pair of wings accidentally hit the door frame.

“Whoops, sorry about that Eraser,” Hawks said as he entered the room, flashing a peace sign at the starstruck class. “Sup, 2-A.”

The stunned silence that encompassed the class was broken when Tokoyami muttered, “Oh no,” immediately launching the class into excitement.

“What is Hawks doing here?”

“They could’ve warned us that the number two hero is coming!”

“Todoroki, we can jump out the window and hide. Dark Shadow will carry us.”

“Alright, alright,” Hawks said, getting everyone’s attention. “This is a nice little surprise that UA set up for all the hero classes today. I would’ve spoken at my old school, but I’m 90% sure they banned me and Miruko from the premises for being a ‘disturbance.’”

“I can believe that,” Bakugou called out.

“Anything she has ever told you about me is a lie, but that’s besides the point,” Hawks began. “The entire point of this class is for you guys to ask a pro hero who isn’t one of your teachers about what life is like in the field.”

“How dumb can the questions be?” Kaminari asked.

“As dumb as you want them to be,” Hawks replied.

“Not dumb at all, that’s what!” Aizawa’s muffled voice shouted from inside his sleeping bag.

“Compromise, you can get all my really bad stories from Tokoyami and Todoroki. Now then, shall we begin?”

Todoroki sat silently and watched as his classmates bombarded Hawks with question after question, the hero smiling with ease as he answered with no hesitation, at least until the last question of the day.

“Hawks, can I ask about one of your arrests?” Midoriya asked.

“Which one, Greenie? I go through a lot of villains a day,” Hawks joked.

“If it’s alright with you, I want to ask about Dabi.”

The smile that was plastered on the hero’s face fell as an awkward silence fell over the class. Hawks cleared his throat and managed to quickly regained his composure, smiling at Midoriya.

“What do you want to know?”

“The news only said that you arrested him after a small chase, but I, actually the whole class really, were wondering what went down, especially considering our, uh, connection to him.”

Hawks chuckled at Midoriya’s question as he maintained his easygoing smile. Todoroki noticed his feathers ruffling a bit more than usual as he spoke.

“There’s really not much to it. I chased his into another room, said something that distracted him, and the heroes surrounded him. That’s it.”

“Ah, okay,” Midoriya said, slightly dejected. “But you got him, so that’s all that matters.”

Todoroki watched Hawks chuckle as he rested a hand on one of his wings. “Yeah, I got him.”

The next time Todoroki saw Hawks was when the hero burst into his dorm room like he owned the place.

“Well I can definitely say I feel more at home in here,” he announced, looking around the room.

“That’s a lie. I can see a choker sticking out of your jacket pocket,” Todoroki replied from his desk chair.

Hawks looked down at where the black choker was hanging out of the pocket and shoved it deeper in, hiding it from Todoroki. “Tokoyami said I could keep it,” he said pointedly.

“What are you doing here anyways?” Todoroki asks.

“I wanted to see my little interns rooms, duh,” Hawks replies. “Are those polaroids on your corkboard? That’s adorable.”

“Yaoyorozu made one for herself a few weeks ago and has fallen in love. I think she might make an actual camera for herself soon.”

Todoroki watched Hawks step closer to the board to take a closer look. There weren’t many photos to look at, but he quietly hoped to add more soon enough. In the center was one of him, Midoriya, Ochako, Iida, and Tsuyu all posing in front of an art project for Midnight’s class. Surrounding it was other, less staged photos. Him and Shinsou playing with one of Aizawa’s cats, him and Kaminari in a deep discussion on the couch about who knows what, Aoyama braiding his slow growing hair. There was even one of him and Bakugou accidentally falling asleep in the common room next to each other. He only kept it hanging up because it bothered Bakugou a lot.

“I’ve got some time to kill before I need to head back to work, what are you up to? How’s life? Got any new hobbies?” Hawks looked at Todoroki’s desk from over his shoulder to see what he was doing.

“None of the villain letters came in from anyone yet, so I’ve just been rereading my old ones,” Todoroki explained. He specifically did not mention to the hero how much this stranger’s life has consumed his own and kept him up at night.

“Ooooo got a new bestie? I’ll always be your number one though, ri-”

Hawks’s breath hitched as he finally looked at the letters scattered around the desk. Every time Todoroki finished rereading one, he flipped it over and put it off to the side, showing the very familiar doodles scribbled on the back of every page.

“Hawks?” Todoroki watched Hawks snap out of his daze, looking at his intern with sheepish look.

“Sorry about that. Just lost in thought.” Todoroki noticed how his feathers shook as he spoke.

He spun his chair around to fully face the hero, staring into his eyes. “Did you know your feathers ruffle a bit when you lie?” Todoroki asks.

He didn’t expect Hawks to wince when he said that, but everything about the hero’s behaviour was raising red flags. He knelt down next to Todoroki and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Todoroki, I’m going to ask you to do something, and if you do it, I need you not to ask any questions.”

“You’re really not helping your case right now.”

“I know, I know,” Hawks stood up and began pacing around the room. “You need to trust me on this. I know I haven’t done anything to deserve it but-”

“That’s not true,” Todoroki interrupted. “You’ve done a lot of things to earn my trust, you’re just acting really suspicious right now.”

Hawks stopped pacing to give a smile to Todoroki, one that was far more genuine than any of his acting today. He walked back over to Todoroki’s desk and took a paper and pencil. Todoroki leaned over to see Hawks drawing six random doodles on the sheet of paper. He folded the paper up and handed it to Todoroki.

“Are student letters checked over by UA or Tartarus?”

“No it isn’t. Wait, how do you know my villain is in Tartarus?”

“Please, just put this in the envelope with your letter next time you send one out.”

Todoroki hesitantly took the piece of paper, slowly connected the dots on what Hawks in implying. “You know who I have, don’t you? Those drawings were actually codes.”

“Yeah, you’re right about both, but I also need one more favour from you. Bring the next letter this villain writes to me asap, okay?”

“Why is this so important, and why would they write these messages to me?”

“I don’t know why the messages were sent to you, and I can’t tell you why this is important. Right now, I just need you to be my messenger.”

Hawks has always had a reputation of being one of the most carefree heroes out there. There was no baggage when it came to him, just a breath of fresh air anytime he asked you about your day, but looking at him right now, Todoroki could swear that one more second of waiting might make him cry.

“I’ll do it,” he finally said. “I have one more question though. Is the person on the other side of this important?”

Hawks let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding as he let out a small laugh. “More than you think.”

He noticed that Hawks’s feathers remained still.

“Why does it look like you’re going to have a stroke any minute now?” Kirishima asks his friend. “Also, why are we up here?”

Bakugou glared at his friend before sitting down next to him and taking out his lunch. The two were sitting up up on the roof together after Bakugou pulled Kirishima aside and dragged him up the stairs with no explanation.

“You are nice, so I need your help with something,” Bakugou says.

“First of all, thank you. Second, you need my help because I’m nice?”

“I need to do something nice, extra nice actually, and I don’t know how to do it.”

“Well I can’t really help you if I don’t know what you’re doing,” Kirishima laughs.

“I need to apologize to Iz- Deku,” Bakugou finally says, fiddling with his chopsticks.

“What happened now?” Kirishima asks. “Aren’t you guys good?”

“Nothing happened. We’re fine but I’m not apologizing for one thing, I’m apologizing for everything. ”

“Everything as in…” A slow realization creeped up on Kirishima’s face. “Oh you mean everything everything.”

“Yeah, can’t really just give him a quick ‘sorry’ and be done with it,” Bakugou grumbled, stabbing at his chicken.

“Well you’ve come to the right guy,” Kirishima says with a grin. “Let’s start with with you though. What do you want out of this in the end?”

“You sound like Aki right now. I want to tell Deku I regret everything I did to him and that he doesn’t have to accept my apology, but he should still hear it.”

Bakugou heard no response from Kirishima. He looked up from his food to see the doofus smiling at him with bright eyes that looked like they were going to burst into tears any second.

“Did you hear yourself just now!” Kirishima said. “Nothing about you!”

“What?”

“The old Bakugou would tell me something like, ‘I’m going to give that nerd the best damn apology ever,’ and make it about himself, but you’re taking Midoriya’s feelings into consideration!”

“Aki said I had to work on that,” Bakugou muttered.

Kirishima placed a hand on Bakugou shoulder and squeezed it tightly. “You’re overthinking this a ton. If you just tell Midoriya what you told me right now, you’ll be fine.”

“Even if I did that, where would I even do it. I’d rather die than pour my heart out to him surrounded by his All Might merch.”

“Is there any place that’s important to you guys? From before you made him public enemy number one?”

Bakugou swiped at him at that last comment. “The closest I could think of is his house, but I don’t-”

He stopped himself as he remembered one other area in the neighbourhood that meant something to the two of them. It was their turning point.

“I have an idea.”

“Perfect! Now all you need are some balloons and a banner to really make it a party,” Kirishima joked.

“You’re a secret asshole sometimes, you know that right?” Bakugou said, suppressing his smile. He watched Kirishima put away the remainders of his lunch and turn back to him. He didn’t even realize how much he was staring until he started to speak.

“Thank you,” Bakugou suddenly blurted out. What the hell was he doing?

“No problem man. It’s really not a big deal.”

“Not for this, but yeah this too I guess,” Bakugou began, his voice becoming more sincere. “I never really thanked you or the other idiots properly for everything. I told you guys every awful thing that I’ve done, and you still didn’t drop me. I half expected Ra- Ashido to excommunicate me from the class. I… why are any of you still with me?”

Kirishima stared at him with wide eyes, processing the emotional dump Bakugou threw at him. Meanwhile, Bakugou was wondering if he could explode a blush away.

“We’re with you because you’re good,” Kirishima finally says. “We can see you changing, and we can see you making an effort and giving a shit about all of this. You’re no angel, but we don’t want you to be one.”

Kirishima lifted his arms and spread them out towards Bakugou. “I’m sure Mr. New and Improved would totally let me-”

“You have five seconds.”

Kirishima dove forward and wrapped his arms around Bakugou waist. Bakugou placed one arm around his neck and put the other hand on top of his head.

“Next time you hug me keep your hair down. The spikes are annoying to pat.”

It looked like the world’s tidiest hurricane had swept through the kitchen when Iida walked in after school. While everyone was doing homework, exercising, or chatting in the common room, Aoyama had half the fridge and pantry neatly splayed out on the counters.

“Are you planning on cooking all of that?” Iida asks.

“Huh?” Aoyama turned around and smiled once he saw Iida. “Hello, Iida! I’m making a cheese spread for the class!”

Iida looked at the pickles, cheeses, nuts, and meats that were all set on the counter. “A spread?”

“Mhm, I’m even sacrificing my cheeses for all of this. The more variety, the better!”

“I may not be the best cook, but I think putting all of this in a blender to make a spread may not be a good idea.”

Aoyama raised an eyebrow at Iida. “I’m setting all of this on a plate, not mixing it all together.”

“Ohhhh,” Iida realized. “You’re making a platter. That’s at least what it’s called at all the events I went to as a child.”

To Iida’s surprise, Aoyama actually looked embarrassed when hearing that.

“My bad,” he whispered, turning around and continuing to cut up the cheese.

“Well I don’t think it’s anything to be embarrassed about,” Iida quickly said, moving to stand next to Aoyama. “There are many terms for one thing.”

“Ah, it’s not that,” Aoyama said. “It’s stupid, don’t worry about it, mon ami.”

“Anything that makes you sad isn’t stupid at all,” Iida quietly says.

That gets Aoyama to set the knife down and reluctantly look at Iida. “I uh, I wanted to sound impressive in front of you.”

Iida felt his face heat up. “Wh-why me?”

“Well, you’re so smart and fancy, and I enjoy fancy things too, but I at least want to get them right when I talk about it with you.”

“Aoyama, trust me when I say that calling something by a different name won’t make me think of you any differently. I even learned something new today thanks to you.”

“Well that’s reassuring,” Aoyama says quietly. “I don’t even know what you think of me now, though.”

There were probably a thousand of things Iida wanted to answer Aoyama with, a thousand things he wanted to assure Aoyama with, and a thousand things he has kept bottled up for too long. Unfortunately for him, 999 of those things continued to remain bottled up inside of him.

“Do you remember our provisional license exam?” Iida asks, earning a nod from Aoyama.

“I specifically remember being tossed around up in the air when you grabbed my cape.”

“Well I specifically remember what happened just before that. You risked failing that exam so that I and the rest of the class could pass the exam,” Iida explains. “That exam meant everything to us, and yet you were willing to face a horde of second years for us by making that beacon.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I think that you’re selfless, specifically in your own way. Your love for others comes out when you shine.”

“Iida…” Aoyama whispered.

Somehow, Iida’s face got even more red. “Was that too much? I’m sorry I-”

“You’re going to apologize to me about being too much?” Aoyama chuckled. He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around Iida’s waist, burying his head in his chest. “Merci, Iida.”

Iida managed to stop short circuiting enough to hug Aoyama back. Aoyama pulled away and turned back to making his food. “You give very good hugs, you know. You have a strong body.”

“It’s the bench presses,” Iida chokes out.

His saving grace came in the form of the kitchen door opening, but his heart immediately plummeted when he saw it was Sero poking his head in. The boy gave a small wave to Iida before sneaking up behind his boyfriend and hugging him from behind.

“Did I scare you?” Sero laughs.

“The only thing that scares me is Kirishima’s fashion sense,” Aoyama proudly replies.

“I’ll be heading out now, save some cheese for me though,” Iida says, walking towards the door.

“I’ll save you the good one.”

“See ya, Iida.”

Just before he leaves, he turns back around one last time, just in time to see Sero give a kiss to Aoyama.

He felt something weird in his chest. Normally he would want to be the one giving the kiss, but why did he also want to be on the receiving end too?

There were very few times Hagakure has been so thankful for her invisibility, and today was one of those days, because she was sure Hawks would never get through any of his answers with how much she was fidgeting.

She really shouldn’t have done it, but she was also a curious girl. A curious girl who may have stumbled upon a family secret, but that really didn’t matter, right?

With ten minutes until lunch and Hawks gone, Aizawa let them all do whatever until it was time to go. It was then when Hagakure got a text on her phone.

2-A Teas

Boombayah: Hagakure I could hear you fidgeting all day today

Octodad: Ditto

Violet: SORRY I’ve just been excited

Boombayah: I mean who wouldn’t be with Hawks here

Octodad: I think Tokoyami wanted to be anywhere else but here

Boombayah: That’s because Hawks is more like an embarrassing uncle to him

Octodad: His poor emo street cred

Violet: Hawks excitement aside that isn’t it

Violet: I’ve been keeping something in for too long and I think I might explode

Violet: I would say it here but I think I’d rather tell you guys in person

Boombayah: ?

Violet: Jirou, it’s about why Yaomomo has been really weird

Hagakure heard a clatter behind her as she turned around in her seat, looking at a sheepish Jirou picking up her phone off the ground.

“Whoops, my bad,” she told the class.

“Is your screen okay?” Ashido asked.

“With this case? Not even Bakugou could break it.”

The class went back to their normal discussions as Hagakure looked back at her phone.

Octodad: Smooth

Boombayah: Shouji I will take out all 8 of your eyes

Violet: Are you okay though?

Boombayah: Yeah you just surprised me

Boombayah: Momo hasn’t told me why she’s been acting weird AT ALL and I’m worried

Octodad: Have you asked her what happened with her talk with Aizawa last week?

Boombayah: Yeah but she told me Aizawa wanted to know what made Eri cry since he’s her caregiver and all

Boombayah: She’s a terrible liar too since she starts unconsciously braiding her bangs every time she lies

Octodad: Why do you know this

Boombayah: Because I LOVE my GIRLFRIEND Shouji

Boombayah: Go run your fingers through Tokoyami’s feathers or whatever, nerd

Violet: ANYWAYS

Violet: Let’s just meet up when the bell rings

It was another three minutes when the bell rang and everyone began leaving the room, Hagakure, Shouji, and Jirou telling their friends to go one ahead as they packed up at a much slower pace. When the three of them left the class, they found an alcove in the hallways that was empty and hid in there.

“What’s wrong with Momo?” Jirou immediately asks.

“Let me give some context first,” Hagakure begins. “When Aizawa made us all go to our rooms, I realized I left my phone in the kitchen. I put on my hero suit minus the gloves and shoes because I didn’t want to be caught and snuck downstairs and ended up overhearing what they were talking about.”

“Which is?” Shouji pressed.

“Yaomomo is related to Overhaul. They’re cousins.”

“Wait, Overhaul as in the yakuza dude who abused Eri? The one that Uraraka, Tsu, Kirishima, and Midoriya dealt with at their internships last year?” Jirou asked. “How is that even possible?”

“Her mom was a Chisaki. Overhaul’s aunt.”

“Not to mention the quirks,” Shouji added. “Creation and Destruction are two sides of the same coin.”

Hagakure turns to Jirou. “What are you going to do now?”

“Now? Nothing. I’m not going to push Momo to talk or she might break.”

“I think that’s for the best. Just wait for her to confess,” Shouji says.

The three stood in silence in their corner of the hallway, completely unaware of business student leaving his hiding spot and calling his friend.

“Do you have your laptop on you? You need to update the department spreadsheet on top future heroes. Turns out 2-A may have a mole on their hands disguised as a pretty little heiress.”

“I shouldn’t be doing this,” Midoriya thought, doing exactly what he shouldn’t be doing.

As far as everyone knew, he left campus after school to visit his mom, which wasn’t 100% a lie, just 99%. He was at the hospital his mom worked at, so maybe he might run into her. As for right now, he approached the front desk with a smile on his face, and a determination that had no bounds.

“Hello, how can I help you?” the secretary asks.

“I’m the kid who sent in an email a few weeks ago. Best Jeanist’s intern who was looking into old villain attacks as part of my internship assignment?” Midoriya lies. He sent in an email beforehand explaining his entire made up story so that he wouldn’t lie too much in front of people.

“I remember you, I just need to see your provisional license.”

Midoriya hands the license over and the secretary hands it back almost immediately. “And who is it that you are you visiting today?”

“Sumiro Saya?”

She frowns when hearing the name. “Of all the cases to get assigned to. There should be a doctor in her room at this time, so you can get the full story from them. Room 312.”

“Thank you very much,” Midoriya says, getting his visitors pass and making his way over to the elevators.

Five minutes later, he found himself standing in front of room 312, wondering if it was too late to back out now.

“I can’t,” he told himself. “I need to get the full story somehow.”

He took a deep breath, and entered the room.

The first thing he sees is a large bed in one corner of the room. The second thing he sees is a doctor looking at him in surprise. Then he finally registers the flowers.

It was a multicoloured explosion. Potted flowers covered the windowsills, counter, and really any surface that was deemed safe and not a hassle.

“Excuse me, are you lost?” the doctor asked.

“No, sorry, I’m here for an assignment about Sumiro-san,” Midoriya replies, snapping out of his daze. He handed the doctor his license. “I sent an email, but I just want to know what happened with her.”

The doctor nodded at the license and handed it back. She beckoned Midoriya over to Saya’s bedside.

Midoriya walked over to Saya’s bedside, seeing her peacefully asleep, hooked up to different machines.

“She’s not asleep,” the doctor explains. “Still in a coma, unfortunately.”

“A collapsed roof can’t possibly keep someone down for that long,” Midoriya whispers in shock.

“I’ve seen less do worse in my career. Lucky for her, her bills are still being paid even after her husband’s arrest.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened as he faced the doctor. “Kurogiri?”

“You’re a UA kid, right? I assumed Kurogiri is the reason you picked this case to research.”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” he chuckled. “Has he ever come by here?”

“I only became her doctor after his arrest. Tsubasa used to be in charge of her,” she explains. “Her husband used to send money every month to keep her in such a nice, private room, and that’s all we ever heard from him. From what I heard, he moved away and went off the grid after the accident. I don’t blame him for wanting to be alone.”

“Tsubasa? He used to be my doctor,” Midoriya said in surprise. “What about all the flowers?”

“These have been here since she got admitted. They stopped coming when Kurogiri got arrested, so I decided to take care of them as best as I can. Give her something nice to look at when she wakes up.”

“You think it’s going to happen?” Midoriya asks.

“She’s been holding for so long already. I think she has a shot. I mean, we figured out that she can hear us sometimes.”

Midoriya took a step back. “Really?”

“Yup.” She pointed to one of the monitors by her bed, and Midoriya pretended to know exactly what it meant. “She’s asleep right now, which is why I talked about her husband so freely. Try to come by in the evening next time, she’s usually ‘awake’ by then.”

“Right, next time,” Midoriya nods. “I’ll come by this weekend or next week then.”

“See you then, Midoriya.”

The two waved goodbye and Midoriya left the room, finally letting out a huge sigh once he shut the door. He checked his phone, and was relieved to see no texts wondering where he was.

He walked back to the elevators with a small smile on his face. Maybe he can get through this.

Going on patrol with Gunhead was probably his favourite part about internships. He loved watching fans approach his boss nervously, asking for an autograph and a picture, but he also loved it when people who had no idea who he was waved at him too. It was funny, but it was also a nice gesture that warmed his heart.

There were sometimes people who recognized him from either both Sports Festivals or his mini debut last year who would ask for a picture and autograph too, talking about how they’re going to be an “original Red Riot fan” once he makes it big.

But normally, he encounters fans when they walk up to him on the sidewalk, not when they trip the villain he was chasing.

He wasn’t even sure if this guy counted as a villain. He was really just some random convenience store robber that Gunhead told him to catch. He spent the last five minutes chasing the guy before disappeared downward and out of his line of vision.

Kirishima slowed down once he caught up with the guy who was now on the ground and clutching his knee in pain.

“See what happens when you do bad things? Karma,” Kirishima says as he cuffs the guy. He noticed a few bystanders on their phones, and overhears one person talking to the police. With that out of the way, he finally looked down to greet the tripper.

She was about Eri’s height, which threw him off for a second when he realized that the person wasn’t even a child. She had pink hair tied up into pigtails, and what looked like very thick eyeliner around her eyes.

“You didn’t use your quirk, did you? I really don’t want to lecture someone who just helped me,” Kirishima said.

“I couldn’t even use my quirk to stop him if I tried,” the woman replied.

“Well in that case, thank you so much, Miss…?”

“Aiba Manami. You’re Red Riot, aren’t you?”

“The one and only!” Kirishima proudly announced.

“I was rooting for you in this year’s sports festival,” Aiba says. “It was great that you made it to the third round again.”

“Thanks for that. Sucks I didn’t make it as far as last time.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, kid, look at where you are now. Top 16 or not, you’re a local hero.”

Kirishima looked around from where he was standing, seeing all the phones pointed his way and civilians waving at him.

He waved back at all of them and turned back to Aiba. “Thanks a lot. Sorry to keep you held up though, you don’t have to worry about giving a statement or anything.”

“You’re not holding me up at all, but I think I might be holding you up.” Aiba points to the approaching police cars that were now arriving.

Kirishima bent down and effortlessly lifted up the criminal. “See you around, Aiba!”

“See you around, Red Riot!”

Uraraka was not expecting to walk into the common room that evening to see Midnight surrounded by a bunch of books and one scarily large cup of coffee, but UA has a way of surprising her at every moment.

“Midnight-sensei, are you sure you’re not the student here?” Uraraka said, attempting to lighten the mood.

“Uraraka!” Midnight said in surprise. “I didn’t hear you come down here.”

“I don’t think you would notice anything with how hard you were reading. Is this for your counseling certification?”

“It’s the books for it, but I’m not studying right now,” she explained. “I… may have visited your villain recently.”

“Really?” Uraraka nearly shrieked. “How is he? Is he okay? Did he say anything about me?”

“He was too busy yelling at me, so I didn’t get to ask,” Midnight grumbled. “In all honesty, I don’t blame him.”

“Did you arrest him or something?”

“Nope, but I wish he was mad at me over that compared to what I actually did.”

Uraraka watched as a defeated Midnight closed the book in her hands and set it down, getting a good look at the title. “Adolescents and Young Adults: The Mind Behind Them.”

“Well there’s your problem,” Uraraka says, pointing at all the books around them. “This kid is important to you, right? You’re looking at him like he’s someone who came to you for help, not as someone you have a personal connection with.”

Midnight raised an eyebrow at Uraraka. “He’s a year younger than you, y’know. You’re a smart girl, what do you think he’s thinking right now?”

Uraraka pondered that for a moment. “I don’t have all the details, but I know that any teen would hate talking to an adult about their problems.”

“What about someone their own age?”

“That’s much better. With an adult, it’s always like they’re the one in charge. With someone my own age, I feel like we’re equals.”

Midnight seemed to be deep in thought over Uraraka’s words. No, she looked torn over something. She finally let out a sigh and looked at her student.

“His name is Haizono Reisuke, he is 15 years old, he is my nephew, and you know him better under the alias Mustard.”

Uraraka was totally on board until that last part.

“The kid who attacked the camp last year?” she asked.

“That’s the one. My sister is the villain Dusty Ash, and it seemed like she took her kid under her wing.”

There was so much to process that Uraraka didn’t even know where to begin, so she went for the least emotionally damaging question.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“My sister and I may never fix what we broke, but I can’t let Reisuke be as broken as us. If I can’t fix it, maybe you can.” Midnight looked at Uraraka with pleading eyes. “If you’re okay with it, come with me next time I see him.”

“I’m not supposed to know who’s on the other side of the letters, Sensei,” Uraraka whispers.

“You can leave that problem to me.”

Seeing Midnight like this broke Uraraka’s heart. To all the girls in 2-A, she seemed the most untouchable. Never bothered, never hurt, never like this.

Uraraka gives her teacher a determined nod.

“I’ll do it. I’ll talk to Haizono.”

Getting back to the dorms after his internship with Aizawa were the worst part about the internship, only because he couldn’t climb up the side of the wall and climb into his room through the window. Instead, he had to use the front door like some kind of loser.

He locked the front door behind him and made his way into the kitchen, where Tokoyami was already waiting for him.

“You’re late tonight,” he says, handing Shinsou a cup of tea.

“Too busy saving the world,” Shinsou joked, taking a sip from the cup. “Is this cinnamon?”

“Satou bought some the other day. I decided to try something new.”

As it turned out, Shinsou wasn’t the only one who had trouble sleeping at night. Tokoyami would be a frequent sight whenever Shinsou came downstairs at 3am for some tea, and their friendship had gotten to the point where Tokoyami would wait for Shinsou during the nights he worked with Aizawa.

“You don’t have to wait for me, you know,” Shinsou said. “Aizawa watches me enter the dorm before he heads off to the teacher one.”

“Maybe I want some reassurance that my friend is okay. Who else am I supposed to hang out with at this hour?”

“Isn’t Dark Shadow awake 24/7?” Shinsou asks.

“He is, but he likes to be petty and not come out sometimes,” Tokoyami replies.

There’s a stretch of silence as the two wait for Dark Shadow appear and prove him wrong, but nothing ends up happening.

“See what I mean?”

“He’s like a cat, but less appealing,” Shinsou laughs.

It was then when Tokoyami nearly drops his cup with how fast Dark Shadow pops up, inches away from Shinsou’s face.

“Say that to my face,” the bird taunts.

“You’re like a cat, but less appealing,” Shinsou repeats flatly. “You picked the wrong guy to try and intimidate. My love for cats outweighs anything.”

Dark Shadow lets out a whine as he disappears once more.

“If I have to listen to him complain tomorrow, it’s on your head,” Tokoyami says.

Shinsou lifts his cup up at Tokoyami. “Godspeed, my friend.”

Chapter Text

Dear Student #15,

I’ll have you know that I’d totally make a great hero, I’d just be… unconventional? I’d be laid back and chill like Hawks or something. Here’s a piece of advice for you from someone who was in your shoes: you don’t have to put up with your dad’s bullshit. Your brother seems like a smart guy, and I know this because it looks like he’s not putting up with your old man’s bullshit. Take matters into your own hands. Something tells me you’re more than capable of that.

Insincerely yours,

Inmate #03224

“All the symbols from the other letters were the same, but this one has way more,” Todoroki says, handing the letter over to Hawks. The moment Mic handed him the letter the day after Hawks’s discovery, Todoroki read it over and immediately headed over to Hawks’s agency, not even bothering to knock on his office door.

Hawks squinted his eyes as he read over the coded message. His breath hitched at the beginning, but his breathing slowly steadied the more he read, until he finally rolled his eyes and mutters, “Asshole.”

“You good?” Todoroki asks.

“Good question,” Hawks responds, not answering the question. He looked at the letter and turned it over. “What else did this fucker say?”

Quicker than Todoroki thought was possible for him, he snatched the letter from Hawks’s hand, a fearful look on his face.

Hawks looked up at Todoroki, his snarky yet still respectful and withdrawn intern, in shock. He put his hands up in a surrender. “I won’t read it if you don’t want me to. Don’t worry.”

“Sorry, I-” Todoroki carefully put the letter in his pocket and took a seat across from the hero. “There’s some personal stuff.”

“Want to talk about it?” Hawks suggested.

Todoroki raised an eyebrow at him, but shrugged and looked away. “We just have more similarities than I thought.”

“Is that so?” Hawks asks.

“Yeah, nothing you need to worry about though,” Todoroki says softly.

Hawks look turned into one of concern. “But you’re worrying,” he says. “That you’re similar to a villain, aren’t you?”

“Like I said, you don’t have to worry about it.”

Something tells Hawks that he hit the nail on the head.

“Fine, I’m not going to worry, but I am going to tell you that from my own experience, you’re overthinking this. There are going to be people out there, including villains, who have similar traits to you.”

Todoroki bit his tongue, not wanting to tell Hawks that no, it’s not just some personality traits that has him worried, but he instead just nodded.

“Thank you, Hawks. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“See ya, kid!”

Hawks watched Todoroki get up and leave his office. As soon as the door shut, the hero dove for his phone, dialling a number he’s been avoiding for nearly three months.

“Hey there, Hawks here. Do you know when is the soonest possible time I can see an inmate? Who? That would be Dabi.”

Student #17,

Ending up in Tartarus doesn’t mean what I did wasn’t worth it. Just because you don’t see any of my influence, it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Heroes out there now know that they are under watch by everyone, and the ones who are fake know that they will eventually fall. None of these heroes are worth redemption.

Inmate #78246

“You’ve been silent all patrol,” Miruko says, poking Bakugou’s cheek. “I’m missing your snarky side comments.”

“I’m fine,” Bakugou response immediately, earning a look from Miruko.

“Bullshit.”

“Watch your fucking language.”

“Really though.” Miruko stops her walk to look to at her intern. “I’m not going to push, but it’s pretty obvious that something’s off, so if you don’t want others asking questions, at least bring back your normal resting bitch face.”

Bakugou scowls but eventually relents, continuing his walk with her. “It’s nothing you have to deal with.”

“As long as someone else deals with it. Can’t have my #1 intern off his game.”

“I’m your only intern.”

“Doesn’t make me wrong.”

Her jokes managed to distract him from the villain’s letter, if only for a short time.

“Mirkuo?”

The two stopped in their tracks, and for the first time, Bakugou noticed that there was an elementary school on their route. A group of children standing by the front gates all ran up to Miruko in excitement.

As the kids all gathered around her and shouted excitedly, Miruko turned to smile at Bakugou. “I think this is going to take a bit, go check out around the school. Who knows, maybe a kid will recognize you.”

Bakugou walks off and observes the exterior of the school, reading the name “Narumi Elementary School” on the front of it. As he kept walking, he began hearing distant voices from near the building, the majority of it seeming to be shouting.

He walked to the back of the building, his eyes landing on an unfortunately familiar sight.

A young brown haired boy, smaller than the rest, sat on the ground with his back up against the wall and tears in his eyes while two other kids towered over him. The moment Bakugou rounded the corner, all three of the kids froze as they stared at him, Bakugou mirroring the same expression.

“Are you a hero?” the smaller kid asked.

Bakugou managed to snap out of his daze and nod at the kid. He look at the other two and crossed his arms. “You want to explain to me what’s going on?”

“Nothi-”

“Riku was trying to show off with his weak quirk,” one of the kids snarled. He seemed to be the leader of the two.

It was at that moment that Bakugou began believing in fate, because how else would he of all people end up in a situation like that.

He took a deep breath and walked over to the two bullies. “This is just like that damn kindergartener,” he thought to himself.

“What’s your quirk,” Bakugou asked the kid who confessed.

The kid responded by stomping his foot on the ground, and Bakugou watched as a small piece of the ground, no bigger than a large rock, started floating in the air.

“Looks damn cool, you want to be a hero?”

The kid nodded excitedly. “I’ve got the best quirk in the class!”

“Then here’s a piece of advice.” Bakugou’s face hardened. “You keep acting like your quirk makes other quirks inferior, and you keep thinking that you’re the best of the best, you can never get stronger. Trust me when I say that continuing on like this can make you a shit hero.”

“That’s a bad word,” the other bully says.

“I’m a hero, I can swear! Now scram!” Bakugou shoos the two kids away, but not before they both agree to listen to what he said. With that out of the way, Bakugou crouches down in front of Riku, who was now wiping away tears.

“Thank you, Ground Zero,” Riku says.

“Wait, you know who I am?”

Riku nods. “You beat the purple guy and got second place at the Sports Festival this year. Creati beat you, though.”

Bakugou was far more equipped to deal with cocky kids, not a sweetheart who knew his damn hero name.

“So what’s your apparently ‘weak’ quirk?”

“You think it’s weak?”

“I said apparently.”

“What does ‘apparently’ mean?”

Right, that’s a child.

“Just tell me what your quirk is.”

Riku shifts in his spot as he looks away embarrassedly. “It’s called Forgery. I can make perfect copies of handwriting I’ve seen before.”

Bakugou nods his head. “So many heroes would love a quirk like that. Years ago, Miruko went undercover at a party but got caught, so she would’ve loved to have a perfectly forged invitation.”

“My quirk would work?”

“You’d be a fucking helpful hero, that’s for sure.”

Riku looked back at Bakugou with a smile, launching himself at him and wrapping his arms around him. “Thank you, Ground Zero!”

Bakugou awkwardly pat the kid’s head. “Yeah, yeah. Miruko is at the entrance if you want to meet her.”

With a surprised gasp, Riku freed Bakugou from his grasp and started heading towards the front. Once he rounded the corner and out of his sight, Bakugou heard him speak.

“Oh! Hi, Deku!”

A few seconds passed before Midoriya’s embarrassed face made itself known, causing Bakugou to stand up in shock.

Before Bakugou could speak, Midoriya took a step forward and blurt out all his words.

“I’m sorry, Kacchan! I visit here a lot and I went looking for Riku and didn’t want to interrupt anything so I just waiting but now I see it looks bad and-”

“Stop talking,” Bakugou interrupted. “Since you’re here, I’ll go.”

Bakugou stepped past Midoriya, but was shocked when Midoriya latched onto his arm. Turning around and looking at him, Bakugou could see Midoriya was just as surprised.

“Best Jeanist is waiting for me at the front. Wait ten minutes then head to the front. We should be gone by then.”

Midoriya headed towards the front, but paused and turned to Bakugou one last time.

“By the way, next time you should check on the crying kid first before dealing with the others. Other than that, you did great.”

Midoriya was gone before Bakugou could respond.

Hi #4!!!!

What you said really helped me out! I did some thinking after I read your letter, and you’re right. I did find a family, even if it is a little unconventional. You’ve done a lot more from me than you think, and I want to return the favour. If you ever have a problem about anything, just write to me! I know the point of this is to help me, but let me return the favour <3

XOXO,

Inmate #08642

Let Iida Say Fuck

Less Attractive Ingenium: Are any of you back from your internships yet?

Less Attractive Ingenium: Who changed the chat name again

Less Attractive Ingenium: WHO CHANGED MY USERNAME

Small Might: HAHAHAHAHA

Zero G: Okay first of all, your brother visited you today at work so you should know the answer to the second one

Small Might: As for your first question, it was Uraraka

Zero G: ANYWAYS

Zero G: I had no internship today but I got back from where i was half an hour ago

Small Might: I got here 15 minutes ago

Small Might: What’s up?

Less Attractive Ingenium: Can you both come up to my room? I need your help with something

Zero G: It better not be about Yaomomo. Aizawa said not to do anything

Less Attractive Ingenium: It isn’t, don’t worry

Small Might: Be there in 2 minutes

Zero G: ^^

Iida exited the chat with his friends and opened up one more chat.

Less Attractive Ingenium: If I were not a law abiding man...

More Attractive Ingenium: I love you too

Less Attractive Ingenium: Mom always liked me better

More Attractive Ingenium: TAKE THAT BACK, COWARD

A knock on the door had Iida set his phone down and move open it. He didn’t even manage to get up from his desk chair before was greeted by his two best friends entering his room on their own, making themselves comfortable as they sat on his bed.

“So what did you need help with?” Uraraka asked.

Iida looked between his two friends, not knowing how to phrase his question. “How do you deal with a crush on-”

He was interrupted by a high pitched squeal from both Uraraka and Midoriya.

“Who is it?” the both immediately shouted.

Iida took a moment to treasure his friend’s excited faces, considering it was probably the last time they’ll be smiling during the conversation.

“I should probably finish my question. How do you deal with a crush on someone who is taken?”

Iida watched the smiles on their faces fall as their previously excited expression transformed into sadness.

“Well that changes things,” Midoriya mutters.

“I won’t say who it is because I don’t want to cause anything-” Iida began, before getting cut off by the two once more.

“Aoyama.”

“Sero.”

Uraraka and Midoriya looked at each other with wide eyes before turning to Iida for answers.

“I-” he started. “It was Aoyama, but now I don’t know anymore.”

“You think it’s Sero now?” Midoriya asked.

Iida took a pause. “I think it’s both?”

He felt a hand on his own, and looked down to see Uraraka tugging on his hand to pull him forward. He got up from his chair and sat on his bed along with the other two.

“Now then, do you want repress everything and get over them, or do you want to tell them and get over them?” Uraraka asks.

“Not tell them,” Iida immediately replies. “That’s not only going to ruin things between us, but with them as well.”

“Don’t sell yourself short!” Midoriya interjects. “They won’t think of you any differently.”

“Do you know that for sure?” Iida counters.

“Well it’s their loss if they stop talking to you,” Uraraka says. “Not to mention you’re a hell of a catch.”

“Now you’re just being too much,” Iida says. He bit the inside of his cheek and looked away as the other two laughed, not wanting them to see his expression.

He looked back up at them and smiled. “Thank you for coming. I really needed to just say everything aloud.”

“Do you know what you’re going to say?” Midoriya asks.

Iida shrugs in response. “I need to think on it.”

“We’ll leave you to your thoughts then.” Uraraka gets up from the bed and pulls Midoriya up.

As Iida walks them to the door, the two stopped to give him one big hug.

“Tell us if you need to talk more,” Uraraka’s muffled voice says.

“We loooooove you,” Midoriya adds.

Iida chuckles and hugs them back tightly. “Thank you. Now go rest, you just came back from working.”

As Iida shuts the door behind him, he lets out a heavy sigh.

“They have far too much faith in me,” he thinks as he makes his way back to his desk.

Once he sits back down, he picks up the letter on his desk and holds it up, speaking to it as if he was speaking to the villain on the other side.

“It’s weird growing up in someone's shadow, because when they’re gone, the light shines on you, and you begin to realize that you don’t look very pretty.”

He sets the letter back down, grabs a new piece of paper, and begins writing.

Dear Student #20,

An abrupt question, but I won’t ask what your motives are. It’s a vague topic, so I’ll briefly touch on the information I know, and you can tell me what you want to know more about. Roughly 70% of villains who are parents end up having children who become villains as well, with only half of them become villains willingly. Interestingly enough, only 17% of hero’s children become villains. Those are the basics, and then you get into old, old bloodlines. Interesting fact, you don’t have to be blood related to join the yakuza. This is all I will say on the matter as my scribe is giving me strange looks, but feel free to ask me any other questions.

Regards,

Inmate #00524

Yaoyorozu could tell something was wrong the moment she stepped into UA.

2-A has always had eyes on them. With everything that had happened to them, it was a given, not to mention that Yaoyorozu, Iida, and Todoroki always had extra attention, but today was different.

The looks she got ranged from anger to fear as she slowly walked down the halls, eventually picking up her pace to make it to her classroom faster. She finally made it to 2-A and quickly stepped inside, too thrown off to even shut the door behind her.

“Momo, you good?” Jirou asks the moment Yaoyorozu walks up to her desk.

“Did you guys get any scared or angry looks walking in this morning?” Yaoyorozu asks.

The rest of the class that was present looked around at each other in confusion.

“Nothing like that,” Iida says. “Has something come up?”

“Not that I’m awar-”

“Yaomomo, what the FUCK?”

Everyone turned to the door to see Kaminari and Kirishima bent over and panting, like they just sprinting to class.

“What the hell happened?” Bakugou asks.

The two take a moment to catch their breath before walking over to Yaoyorozu, who was now looking tense.

“I was walking over to the support class with Kirishima so I can ask Hatsume about that lightning sword I was talking about last week,” Kaminari began. “Thing is, when we got near their class, we heard two students talking and we ran here as fast as we could.”

“What were they talking about?” Jirou presses.

“A business student apparently overheard proof that Yaoyorozu is a mole at UA,” Kirishima says.

There was a tense silence in the class as everyone took in Kirishima’s words. It would’ve been a perfectly stereotypical movie moment if it weren’t for Bakugou suddenly bursting out laughing, cutting through the tension in the room.

“This has got to be the funniest thing I’ve ever heard all week,” Bakugou chokes out. “If Ponytail is a mole then All Might is secretly a villain or something as stupid as that.”

“What kind of proof could make Momo of all people evil,” Jirou asks.

“Something about being related to Overhaul?” Kirishima says. “You don’t even look alike, right Yaomomo?”

Kirishima turned to Yaoyorozu expecting her to look surprised, maybe even laugh at the absurdity of it all, but the only look on her face was shame and sadness.

“Wait, you’re not serious, ri-”

“Guys!” Hagakure suddenly interrupts. A sleeve is pointed at the direction of the door where a few students they did not recognize were crowding around and watching them.

“Well, well, well. I’m surprised the pitchforks and torches aren’t out yet,” the guy at the front says. “Especially considering all she did to you all.”

“What the hell are talking about?” Jirou growls. She slams her hands on the table and stands. “Do you have anything better to do than to make up random shit about her?”

“That’s rich coming from the person who got me the information,” he replies with a cocky grin. “For three heroes trained in stealth, you, the invisible one, and the one with all the arms should be more careful about who’s listening to your secret chats.”

With that, he and the rest of his friends walked off to their class, leaving the classroom to become even more tense. Jirou, Hagakure, and Shouji all looked panicked as everyone turned to them.

“Can someone please explain what the fuck just happened,” Ashido says.

“It’s my fault,” Hagakure whispered. She looked up at Yaoyorozu, and although no one could see her face, everyone knew how she was feeling right now. “That day Eri broke down, I snuck back downstairs to grab my phone and overheard everything you and Aizawa said. I tried to keep it a secret, but you’ve been so off so I told Shouji and Jirou about it yesterday, and I guess we weren’t alone.”

“Time out,” Sero interjects. He turns to Yaoyorozu, who was getting more and more pale by the second, and raises an eyebrow. “Are you actually related to Overhaul?”

“I-” Yaoyorozu cuts herself off, not finding the right words. She slowly nods instead, preparing for the oncoming anger from her classmates. Instead, there was silence, before Aizawa finally stepped into the classroom, looking as out of breath as Kaminari and Kirishima was.

He looked at the crowd of students, with Yaoyorozu in the center of it all.

“You want to spend the day in the staff room?” he asks.

Yaoyorozu doesn’t bother to answer as she dashes out the classroom.

He looks at the rest of the class. “None of you,” he points to Jirou specifically. “And I mean none of you will bother her about the situation until she allows it.”

He walks to the front of the class as everyone settles in their seats, beginning his lesson as if nothing happened.

Dear Student #18,

I apologize for dumping all of that on you with no warning, but after all these years, I’ve stopped sugarcoating it. You can probably guess from how I write that I speak more eloquently, so being blunt isn’t something I’m used to. That was my wife. I actually was so nervous about proposing to her that it took her telling me “you better propose before I do” for me to actually do it. It’s a small comfort to me that you learned something from my story, as many believe that heroes are untouchable figures. I hope to hear from you soon, kid.

Sincerely,

Inmate #05876

I met someone interesting today. His name is Sumiro Kurogiri, he owns the bar near the hospital, he’s my age, and best of all, he didn’t kick me out after I ranted to him at 2am about work today. He told me that the only reason he decided to own a bar was because he wanted a life both quiet and exciting. He wanted the peace of making drinks and the excitement of using his quirks to kick people out, which is quiet possibly one of the dorkiest things I’ve ever heard in my life. Is it normal that I want to go back to see him? I really hope there’s no other bartender tomorrow night.

Midoriya shut Saya’s diary and put it back into her box of belongings. The doctors had some of her things in the room to help her make small adjustments to being awake again once she woke up, and the diary he accidentally stumbled up was just one of the many items.

He really didn’t know what to do at the moment. After patrol, he decided to make a stop to see Saya before heading back to UA, partially to aid in his curiosity, partially because no one had seen Yaoyorozu since that morning, and he was worried things would be weird in the dorms.

Right now, he was in alone in a hospital room and sitting across from the unconscious wife of the guy who works for a group that nearly killed his class on more than one occasion, and he didn’t want to read her diary anymore than he already had.

He recalled what the doctor had said yesterday about how ‘awake’ Saya really was. It was a long shot, but it was better than this awkward silence.

“Uh, hi Sumiro-san.”

Okay, this was a thousand times more awkward.

“Uhh, I really hope you can hear me, or this is going to feel even more weird. My name is Midoriya Izuku, and I guess I’m going to be visiting you a lot more? This probably feels really lonely, so I just want you to know that you won’t be from now on, because I’m here now. I’m sorry I can’t come everyday, but I’ll be sure to talk to you when I am here.”

Midoriya looked up at the clock on the wall, realizing he should probably get a move on.

“Oh! It’s getting late right now. I’ll see you soon, Sumiro-san.”

Midoriya picked up his bag and headed out the door, once again leaving with a small smile on his face.

Hey #8,

You’re a real nice kid, you know? That’s why it hurts me to tell you that sadly, I can’t be a hero when I get out. Convicted felons can’t get a hero license. It’s the sad truth, but that’s what I signed myself up for. I’m sure I’ll find something to do once I’m out though. I’ve got someone waiting for me out there, after all!

Later,

Inmate #05683

A knock on the door interrupted Kirishima, Tsuyu, Uraraka, and Ashido as they all sat up to see who it was.

“Come in!” Ashido shouts.

The door opened to reveal Present Mic peeking his head in, stifling a laugh once he saw what was going on.

The four kids sat in a circle, all with face masks on and were talking while Kirishima was putting some sort of moisturizer on his arms.

“My skin gets dry because of my quirk,” Kirishima pouted.

“I’m not laughing at that,” Mic said, entering the room. He pointed to his face as he looked to Kirishima. “Not to be mean, but green is not your colour.”

“I know, right?” Uraraka nearly shouted. “That was the only facemask Tsu had though.”

“A tragedy. Anyways,” Mic said as he handed an envelope to Kirishima. “A message from your nefarious buddy.”

He then turned to Uraraka. “Did yours get delivered earlier today? I saw it in the pile this morning.”

Uraraka’s eyes went wide as she looked around frantically. “Oh, uh, yeah! Midnight-sensei gave it to me.”

“Great! Just got to deliver Shinsou’s now. See you tomorrow,” Mic says as he leaves the room.

Kirishima excitedly tears the envelope open and begins reading the letter. Uraraka, Asui, and Ashido watched as his face quickly morphed from excitement to sadness to anger, as he let out a stern, “What the fuck?”

The three girls scooted back almost instinctively.

“Something wrong?” Ashido asks.

“Did you guys know felons can’t become get their hero license?” Kirishima says.

“I feel like I should be more surprised,” Tsuyu responds.

“Did your villain try and get a license?” Uraraka asks.

“I suggested it to them, but they said they can’t,” Kirishima said with a frown. “All they’ve wanted to do in life is to be a hero.”

“You really are heated about this,” Ashido comments.

“It’s kind of off putting, not going to lie,” Tsuyu adds.

“It’s just that,” Kirishima huffs before turning to Uraraka. “We’re supposed to be helping these villains, right? What better help is there than to have them become a hero? That’s like the top tier redemption!”

Seeing Kirishima so passionate about something was a normal sight for everyone, but seeing his usual smile replaced with scrunched eyebrows and clenched teeth felt more unnerving than anything else.

“Well what are you going to do about it?” Tsuyu finally says.

“I’m going to-” Kirishima cuts himself off, because what can he do about it? He’s just a student, and this wasn’t a simple school rule he could talk to Nedzu about. This was an actual, concrete law that couldn’t be changed at a drop of the hat.

“I don’t know.”

“Well.” Kirishima watches as Ashido scoots closer to him, Uraraka and Tsuyu following suit. “You are very stubborn, and I know that you may be unsure now, but you’ll figure it out soon.”

Uraraka and Asui nod along to Ashido’s words, giving him a comforting smile.

He didn’t have a plan at all, but one thing he had was time. As long as #05683 remained imprisoned and unaware of who he was, he had time to try and change something.

Uraraka didn’t end up reading Mustard’s letter, but that was only because she was about to see his face any second now.

While everyone else was either getting ready for internships or, in the case of Yaoyorozu, Jirou, Hagakure and Shouji, locking themselves in their rooms, Midnight cornered Uraraka after school and told her to be ready in an hour.

The car ride was longer than she thought, and the security process felt even longer, but she eventually found herself in an almost bare room outfitted with chairs, a large desk, and a quirk proof glass divider.

The door on the other side opened to reveal the boy of the hour, who took one look at Midnight and rolled his eyes before sitting down to face them.

“Who the hell are you?” Mustard asks Uraraka immediately.

“This is-” Midnight begins.

“I was talking to her, not you,” Mustard almost growls.

“I’m Uraraka Ochako,” Uraraka says, desperate to not let an argument happen.

“Why did Nemuri bring you here?”

Uraraka opened her mouth to reply, but closed it as she noticed the guard standing by the door Mustard walked through. She nudged Midnight and subtly looked at the guard.

“Excuse me!” Midnight calls out. “Would it be okay if you wait outside the door? Personal hero stuff going down.”

The guard tilted his head before nodding and exiting the room.

“What was that for? My investigation is over,” Mustard says.

“You’re not under investigation. It’s just that,” Uraraka took a deep breath. “I’m the person you’ve been writing to. Your ‘assigned hero’ or whatever you want to call it.”

Mustard was frozen for so long that Uraraka swore she could hear some sort of boot up noise when he finally blinked.

“Now you look familiar. You’re student #5? I attacked your class last year, why would you want to face me?”

“Well when your aunt told me about your past and all-”

“And what did she tell you?” Mustard snapped. “Some sob story about how my mom manipulated me? About how I was forced to do everything?”

“Reisuke, that’s not-” Midnight began, before being cut off once more.

“Didn’t I say not to talk to me until you figured out what I want, because this doesn’t look like it.”

Uraraka looked between the angry teen to the distressed hero next to her and shouted.

“Okay!”

She turned to Midnight with a blank look. “Wait outside. I’ll come when I’m done.”

“Uraraka…” she whispers.

“Just trust me.”

With reluctance, Midnight got up from her seat and exited the room. Once she was gone, Uraraka turned to Mustard.

“So why does she suck?”

“What?” Mustard asks, clearly thrown off.

“You obviously got some hang ups, and if you can vent to me on paper you can vent to my face. We can’t shit talk her if she’s in the room, but you’re fine now, so tell me why your aunt sucks.”

Mustard got over Uraraka’s sudden personality change and began talking. “I don’t like you hero kids, you know. There’s a reason I attacked you all last year. You all are just like Nemuri, happily living your lives while the rest of us struggle to make ends meet.”

There was a beat of silence before Uraraka lifts a hand to her mouth, attempting to stifle a laugh.

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just that you’re not 100% wrong, but you not 100% right either.”

She lowers her hand and looks Mustard in the eyes. “Before moving into the dorms, I used to skip meals so I could save up to buy groceries. You picked your path to help your mom make ends meet, and so did I. The only reason why I don’t have to worry about rent and groceries is because you all decided to kidnap my friend, turning my school into a boarding school, making them pay for everything. If you’re going to complain about shit living, stick to complaining about your aunt, not me.”

Uraraka stood up and gave a small wave to a speechless Mustard. “Think on that and tell me what you think next time I swing by. I don’t know about you, but with our face to face visits, I’ll be writing letters way less.”

Uraraka opened the door and looked back at Mustard one last time, reveling in his stunned expression. “I’ll see you soon, Haizono.”

Kaminari poked his head into Jirou’s room, surprised to find her sitting on her bed with her guitar.

“I thought I locked the door,” she said, looking up at her friend.

“You didn’t. No one wanted to bother you,” Kaminari replied as he stepped into the room. “I wanted to ask you something, but if you want me to leave-”

“No, no, it’s fine. We’re all still on a Momo ban right now and I can use a distraction.”

Kaminari took a seat on her bed and took the guitar from her hands. “There’s this song stuck in my head that I don’t know the name of and it’s been bugging me for so long.”

“Who’s the artist?”

“No clue.”

“Where did you hear it?”

Kaminari was about to answer before stopping himself, remembering the promise he made to Shinsou about keeping his talent a secret.

“It was playing in a store,” he lied.

“Alright, sing it then,” Jirou says, laying down on her bed.

Kaminari plays the tune he made up for Eri, reciting the lyrics that Shinsou sang, imagining his beautiful voice singing it instead of his own.

“First of all,” Jirou says, sitting up. “That’s a great song. Second, no fucking clue what it is. Did you look up the lyrics?”

“Nothing came up when I did,” Kaminari replies. “You were my last hope.”

“I’m sure you’ll hear it again. If you heard it at a store, then it must be getting popular right now.” Jirou stands and shoos Kaminari towards the door. “Now get out, I have to go be upset again.”

Kaminari turns back toward her just as he reaches the door. “I didn’t want to ask and bother you, but now I have to. Are you doing okay?”

Jirou lowers her head and shrugs. “I just want to explain myself to her before things go downhill.”

“The school thinks she’s a traitor. Things are already downhill.”

She scoffs at that. “No one can believe that shit. Even Bakugou burst out laughing at that.”

“You’re right,” Kaminari says. “I’ll get out of you hair now. Have fun being emo.”

He shuts the door before she could land a hit on him.

As much as he didn’t want to, he makes his way over to Shinsou’s room. He was delaying asking him for as long as possible, mainly because he can no longer look at his face and think of that song without turning into a blushing mess.

Just as he is about to knock on the door, he hears something that catches his attention.

He leans forward and pressed his ear to the door, hearing quiet noises from inside the room. More specifically, sniffling and crying.

He takes one step back, and then another, not knowing whether to barge in and check in on him, or to save Shinsou from embarrassment and pretend like nothing happened, simply going to his own room to work on homework.

Knowing what he would prefer, he picked the latter.

Chapter Text

“I’m okay.”

Those two words managed to invoke both relief and fury within Dabi all at once, but he managed to figure out a few things.

For starters, he was still in contact with with Shouto, which meant that either Shigaraki still doesn’t know about his true allegiances or he managed to get away from the League. Second, Shouto now knows that there’s a connection between the two, even if he didn’t know who he really was. He looked over at the letter Shouto sent and sighed. It was just their usual talk. Nothing hinting at the possibility that he knew who was behind the letter.

If Hawks knew who he was, Dabi wouldn’t know what he would do. He could blab to Endeavour, who would then show up to Tartarus and end up watching Dabi be put in a straightjacket with how angry he’d get seeing his face.

If Endeavour found out, then Fuyumi, Natsuo, and Shouto would too. Fuyumi would probably cry her eyes out while visiting, Natsuo would get pissed before calming down, and honestly, he would be lucky if Shouto even remembered him. He had better things to worry about the day he left.

He didn’t like that Hawks was unpredictable. He liked being one step ahead of people, but Hawks made him stumble in his step in a way that frustrated and excited him.

It had always been like that ever since they met.

He had to give the hero some credit for tracking him down. With a face as recognizable as his, he was careful whenever he went out, but still, he managed to find him.

The flash of red from the corner of his eyes was all he needed to send a blast of fire right towards Hawks.

“Wait, wait, wait! I’m cool! I’m not here to fight!” Hawks cried out, now hovering ten feet up in the abandoned warehouse.

“You’re pretty shit at lying,” Dabi said, sending another wave of fire towards him.

Hawks dodged out of the way. “I’m being serious! I’ve spent the past week looking for you.”

“And how did you even find me?” Dabi asked, keeping his hands trailed on Hawks.

Hawks took a deep breath and slowly landed. “You don’t kill all potential recruits. Some were more than happy to tell me where they’ve spotted you after you killed some of their friends.”

“Thanks for the tip. I’ll be sure to leave no one behind next time. Now what do you want?” Dabi growled.

Hawks gave him a big smile. “To join you, of course.”

Hawks managed to escape with only his jacket half burnt and pride still intact.

The next time they saw each other was two days later at around 2am by the docks.

“Shouldn’t you not be near water? Fire types being weak to water types and all that?”

Dabi picked up a stone, quickly turned around, and threw it at the hero, watching as it hit him in the stomach. “Flying types are weak to rock.”

“Okay,” Hawks groaned. “Maybe that was deserved.”

Dabi ignited a hand and got into a defensive position. “Can we skip to the part where you try and arrest me?”

“No fighting, I’m serious.” Hawks lifted both his hands up in a mock surrender. “I was actually serious that night about joining you.”

Dabi scoffed. “You, the number two hero, expect me to believe that you want to join the League of Villains? Do you think I’m an idiot or something?”

“I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m serious,” Hawks said.

“Don’t even waste your breath trying t-”

“I can get you information.”

That made Dabi pause for a moment. “You just want me to hear you out.”

“It’s working though,” Hawks said with a smirk, wiggling his fingers. “Sure you can track a hero’s regular patrol hours and route, but having someone who’s in with the hero committee sounds tempting, doesn’t it?”

“Quit playing all your cards and just answer this. Why do you want to join us?”

To Dabi’s surprise, Hawks lowered his hands and took a deep breath, looking more solemn than before. “The short version? You guys are right. I know better than most what heroes are truly like behind closed doors. It took me until seeing what happened at Kamino to realize that there’s people out there who have a shot at what I want to see change in the world.”

“You’re pretty corny,” was all Dabi said. He turned around and began to walk away before pausing and turning back around. “Come back here tomorrow, same time.”

He ignored how Hawks raised an eyebrow at him and headed off, texting Kurogiri to open a portal and texting Shigaraki about a new ‘friend.’

The next night, Dabi shoved a burner phone into Hawks’s hands. “I put my number in there. Shoot me a text when you find out the security schedule for Blooming Support.”

“The office building or storage building?” Hawks asked.

“Storage.”

Hawks raised an eyebrow at Dabi but put the phone in his pocket. “Someone’s ambitious.”

“Just fucking do it,” Dabi growled.

Surprisingly enough, Hawks did do it the very next night, and Dabi wasn’t sure if the guy was overeager or just showing off.

Unbeknownst to Dabi, Hawks left out a few details, but that wasn’t anybody’s business but his.

They met up again a few nights later, and Dabi came face to face with a very confused looking hero.

“Nowhere on the news does it say ‘League of Villains rob Blooming Support’ these past few days, so either you guys are very sneaky or very lazy.”

“Well thanks to your wonderful help, Shigaraki decided that it would be too risky,” Dabi said. “After all, it would’ve been too ‘ambitious,’ right?”

“Well I would love to hear the thank you from the man himself if that’s the case.”

Dabi let out a short laugh. “You unknowingly helped us reach a final decision. You’re going to have to do a lot more than that to talk to someone other than me.”

Hawks gave the villain a smirk. “So what’s next?

At first, their relationship was… tentative to say the least.

They were potential coworkers, hesitant acquaintances, but definitely not friends, but the ice finally cracked during one of their frequent arguments.

“How am I supposed to ‘trust’ you about meeting Shigaraki when I don’t even know what you’re doing with the information I give you most of the time?” Hawks asked irritatedly. “I don’t want another Endeavour situation.”

Dabi calmly looked at the feather under his throat before looking back up. “Sounds like someone is a bit too interested.”

“No shit I’m interested. I want to join.”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard you a million times already.” Dabi swatted the feather away and Hawks made no move to raise it back up. “You can only tell me you know heroes are corrupt so many times.”

“Well that’s your fault for not believing me,” Hawks grumbled.

“It’s the same kind of bullshit other potential recruits have told me. I just want to see where it goes with you,” Dabi shot back.

“Then what do you want from me?”

“Some proof? And not some basic ‘I know a hero that damaged a building’ kind of shit,” Dabi scoffed. “ You came to me. You, the number two hero might I add, need to prove that you can be trusted.”

Dabi’s words seemed to have resonated with Hawks as the feather he was holding fell to the ground. He stared at him for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet, removing a familiar looking card from the contents within.

Hawks thrusted his hero license towards Dabi. The name “Himura Yuuto” written in tiny font was below the much more largely printed “HAWKS.”

“I can’t remember the last time I was called my actual name,” Hawks quietly said. “The Commission took me in when I was young and I’ve only ever been called ‘Hawks’ by them. You want a reason for me turning my back on them? There it is. I was never a kid or a teenager, just a successful pet project.”

For once in his life, Dabi was left speechless. He had no rude remark, no sarcastic comment, and he would rather die than let Hawks see even a lick of sympathy from him.

With no other reasonable reaction, Dabi shoved past Hawks and gave him back his license, muttering under his breath.

“Yuuto sounds better anyways.”

Hawks rarely went on late night patrols, preferring to take advantage of the night and rest, but he was feeling generous and decided to cover someone else’s shift.

As he flew by rooftops and waving at people standing by their apartment windows, he spotted a lone figure sitting on a rooftop of one apartment building. As he got closer, the dark hair and patchy skin became a lot more familiar.

He gently landed and began approaching Dabi. “I think being on the roof counts as trespassing. I might have to arrest you for that.”

Dabi looked up the hero and rolled his eyes. “You were literally trespassing yesterday with me.”

“And after doing such a heinous crime, the guilt began eating away at me.” Hawks flopped down next to Dabi and rested his back against the door to the roof. “I can’t let someone else go through the same experience as me.”

“Are you alright in the head?” Dabi asked incredulously. “You were threatening me yesterday.”

“And then I bared part of my soul to you, and then you were nice.” Hawks would be lying if he said he couldn’t stop thinking about what Dabi had said that night. It was a simple sentence and could barely be considered a compliment all things considered, but it carried a heavy weight that caught Hawks so off guard that he had to keep investigating.

“I’m an asshole, not a dick,” Dabi grumbled. He looked at Hawks who was still sitting cross legged next to him. “Don’t you have a job to be doing?”

“Don’t you?” Hawks asked back. “What are you doing up here?”

“Is getting fresh air a crime?”

“It is when it’s you.” Hawks leaned forward towards the villain as he teased him, and let out a small gasp once he got closer. “Your eyes are blue?”

Dabi shoved his face away. “You only noticed now?”

“Well I’ve never been this close up to you,” Hawks explained. “It’s a nice shade.”

“It might be if it didn’t look like his,” Dabi thought to himself. “Are we just pointing out random stuff now? Your eyebrows could use some threading,” he said aloud.

“Hey! It’s a focal point,” Hawks said while pouting, covering the top of his head with his hands.

“That’s not always a good thing.”

“Strong words coming from a guy who dresses like he came from a sewer.”

“Says the guy who smells like it.”

“I just fought a villain near some trash! It’s not my fault!” Hawks shrieked, and that was the breaking point for Dabi as he broke down, nearly toppling over with how much he was laughing.

“Your laugh is stupid,” Hawks said, fully aware of how much he was lying.

“I’m going to have to teach you how to be mean before you meet the boss if that’s the worst you can come up with,” Dabi said, finally recovering from his fit.

Hawks had no comeback, choosing instead to glare at the villain and try and control his heartbeat.

“You’re a bad friend,” he finally said.

“We’re not friends,” Dabi responded.

He was right. They were never friends. They somehow went from threatening each other to playfully bickering to secret lovers, which was a very large jump.

Two months before his arrest, the night Hawks fell into panic over the future of Todoroki Shouto’s hero career was the turning point for him when he realized that he gave too much of a shit about Hawks for him to be considered just a friend.

It was a month later, on the very rooftop where the whole thing began, that he finally came to a decision.

“Oi.” Hawks snapped his fingers in front of Dabi as he sat down. “What’s got you so deep in thought?”

Dabi shrugged looked out into the night sky. “Thinking.”

“About..?”

“Something you told me,” Dabi began. “How old were you when the Commision started training you?”

Hawks raised an eyebrow at him but answered anyways. “Around five or six.”

Dabi slowly nodded his head. “Was it tough?”

“Yeah,” Hawks replied. “It wasn’t inhumane or anything like that, but it definitely could’ve been better.”

“Okay. Just curious,” Dabi said slowly, and Hawks had the feeling those questions weren’t just for curiosity's sake.

“I could never tell if they treated me the best or worst compared to the other kids,” Hawks added.

That seemed to have gotten Dabi’s attention. He turned to face Hawks with a more serious look. “There were others?”

“Three or four. They weren’t a special focus like me but they were still prodigies. I have no clue where they are now.”

“Were you guys close?”

“Nah. I was kept separate and only saw them in passing.” Hawks stared at the intense expression on Dabi’s face. “Does Mr. Big Bad Villain have a soft spot for kids?”

Dabi’s expression quickly changed to one far more carefree. “I don’t have a soft spot for anyone.”

“Except for meeee,” Hawks teased.

For someone who thinks through every single one of their actions, one thing Dabi hated was people who were recklessly impulsive, so imagine his surprise when he darted forward and pressed his lips against Hawks’s.

He pulled back and reveled in the stunned expression on the hero’s red face.

“Except for you.”

“Look, okay. I don’t thin- can you let me explain first? I’ll get information, okay? But the League isn’t filled with horrible people. Some of them had no choice. They have a kid younger than the UA ones, and I bet with the right help, some of them will turn out better than before.”

Dabi moved to reveal himself but paused once more.

“Have you ever considered thinking of these people as humans? What? I told you already you don’t need to know who my connection to the League is. I already told you- did these fuckers really hang up on me?”

After not hearing any footsteps or wings flapping, Dabi waited five minutes before walking around the corner of the warehouse.

Hawks was angrily glaring into the middle distance when he turned towards the footsteps. “Dabi?”

Dabi walked up to Hawks and gave him a kiss. “You looked a bit off so I wanted to see if you were still here.”

Hawks gave him a small smile. “Just works things.”

Dabi let Hawks rest his head on his shoulders as he remembered what he heard.

“Have you ever considered thinking of these people as humans?”

He should be angry. He should be heartbroken, but for the first time in a long time, he held onto a glimmer of hope that the double agent was confidently on his side. He was finally starting to truly see things.

Besides, what Shigaraki doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

“I’m okay.”

What a fool he had been.

Chapter Text

Hawks’s feet kicked underneath his chair as he anxiously sat and waited for the door on the other side of the reinforced glass to open and reveal his doom. He turned around and looked at the guard standing by the door he entered through.

“Do you mind waiting in the hall? I have to ask him some confidential information about a case,” Hawks lied.

“Of course,” the guard replied before leaving the room.

Hawks breathed a sigh relief before immediately choking on air when he heard the door on the other side open, revealing a guard ushering a cuffed Dabi inside.

The guard left the room and Dabi slowly shuffled towards the divider, taking a seat on the other side of the glass.

Hawks’s mouth dried as he and Dabi’s eyes met. There were a thousand thoughts running through his mind as Dabi glared at him. He looked down at his hands and said the first thing that came to his mind.

“You have red hair?”

Dabi instinctually reached up to touch his hair, where the red roots were very prominent. “What the fuck do you want?”

“The room isn’t being monitored, don’t worry,” Hawks tells him. “I told everyone there’s some confidential stuff being discussed.” 

“Great! What the fuck do you want, Yuuto?” Dabi practically snarled.

“You’re pretty angry for someone who was sending coded messages about me,” Hawks said. “‘Is Hawks okay?’ can’t be about anyone else.”

“I just wanted to know if Shigaraki found you out,” he muttered. “I’m not allowed to know any outside news.”

“Well I’m fine,” Hawks replied. “What I want to know is your deal with the kid you’re writing to.”

“I don’t have a deal with Todoroki Shouto,” Dabi says.

“I didn’t say it was Todoroki.” Hawks smirked when he saw Dabi’s panicked eyes. He got him. He leaned forward and continued to speak. “So what did you do? Did you someone rig the letters because you knew he was my intern?”

“You overestimate me,” Dabi replies. “Trust me, I wouldn’t pick the kid if I had the option.”

“Then why did you use his letter to send a message?” Hawks asked. “This isn’t the first time you’ve been so fixated on him. Hell, how did you even figure out it was him in the first place?”

“And why should I answer you?” Dabi shouted, pulling against his cuffs. “You’re the one who threw me under the bus nearly three months ago and you expect me to cooperate? I gave you a chance only to have you turn around and spit in my face!”

“You think I wanted to be caught up in this?” Hawks shouted back. “You think I wanted to be a spy? You think I wanted to feel sorry for everyone in the League? You think I wanted my dumb ass to like one of them?”

The two froze at Hawks words, panting heavily and slowly registering what he said. Finally, Hawks spoke.

“You weren’t supposed to get caught, and I wasn’t supposed to be called in. Apologizing isn’t going to cut it, but that’s all I have to offer you.”

“Did you mean it?” Dabi whispered.

Hawks watched Dabi fiddle with his cuffs. “Mean what?”

“The last thing you told me was, ‘You could never be nothing to me.’ Did you mean it?” Dabi asked, finally looking Hawks in the eye.

“Did my feathers ruffle?” Hawks replied with a crooked grin.

Dabi slowly nodded as he looked down again. “Some nice words aren’t going to make me forgive you, you know.”

“I figured.”

“But I’ll stop yelling at you,” Dabi finished. “Nice earring by the way.”

Hawks reached up and touched the piercing on his earlobe. “I got it a bit ago.”

Dabi continued to keep his gaze on the earring. “You’re not forgiving me, right? You’d be a lunatic to do so.”

Hawks let out a short laugh. “At the end of the day, you’re a villain, and I’m a hero. You’re not getting an ‘it’s okay’ out of me, but I’m thinking this letter thing might be a good thing for everyone involved. 

They fell into awkward silence for a moment before Dabi spoke again. “I didn’t know it was Sh- Todoroki from the start.”

“What?” 

“The first few messages were a shot in the dark. It was more of a comfort to me than anything else. I didn’t expect a reply at all. It wasn’t until recently that I realized Todoroki was the student I got,” Dabi explained. 

“How did you figure it out?” Hawks asked. “Todoroki said they weren’t allowed to talk about their class or anything that could identify them.” 

“Just a detail I noticed,” Dabi said. “Don’t think too hard about it.” 

“If my intern has an unknown connection with a villain who has a fixation in his family, I’d like to know,” Hawks said sternly.

 “I already told you, my problem is with Endeavour and Endeavour only.” 

“Fine then,” Hawks says. “What’s your problem with Endeavour then?”

Dabi let out a short laugh. “You think I’d tell you, Yuuto?”

“I think it was worth asking,” Hawks replied. “You told me that the League members have been treated like shit. If there’s something up with Endeavour, let me try and get to the bottom of it. We’re total besties now, I’m sure if anyone could do it, it’s me.”

Dabi rolled his eyes. “Your bestie can’t be handled by anyone but me.”

“And what exactly are you doing right now?” Hawks asked. “Sitting in a cell, fiddling with your cuffs, writing to a hero student for the rest of your days. You can’t handle anything right now.”

“I’m supposed to rely on you now?”

“I sure fucking hope so,” Hawks says. “If you can’t forgive me after a few nice words then let me try something else. Let me try and see this through peacefully.”

Dabi stared at Hawks’s pleading face, lost in thought. “I’m not going to tell you outright. If you really want to fix shit, then I need to see you work for it.”

“I’ll do it,” Hawks says determined. 

Dabi ran a hand through his hair. “Look into his family, and don’t ask Todoroki about it.”

Hawks felt his heart seize up. “His family?”

“That’s all you get, hero,” Dabi replies. “Now go call the guards and start investigating.”

“Really? You’re kicking me out?” Hawks laughed.

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Hawks stood up and made his way to the door. Just as he was about to leave, he turned around one last time. “Don’t stop writing to Todoroki now that you don’t need to write the codes anymore.” 

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Dabi replies.

“He says you two have some similarities and that worries him,” Hawks continued. “Prove to him that he has nothing to worry about.” 

Dabi shrugged and gave Hawks a smile. “I make no promises.”

Dear Inmate #08642,

I’m very glad I was able to help you! I really do believe that the bonds we make in our lives are more important than we realize, since we are the ones who choose who are in our lives. I will let you know if I have a pressing issue. Right now, the only issue in my life is some stupid crushes, so I don’t know if you can help me there. I’ll talk to you soon.

XOXO,

Student #4

“Iida, stay behind for a moment.”

As the rest of the class walked out of the room, content with another day of school being over, Iida anxiously approached Aizawa’s desk.

“Sensei, is this about Yaoyorozu?” he asked.

“No, I’m giving her some time before we deal with that issue,” Aizawa said. “I just wanted to tell you to go to the staff room. Tensei is there right now.”

“What? Why?”

 Aizawa just shrugged. “He didn’t say anything specific. All I know is that you two got some time alone in there until the short staff meeting is over and then he has a meeting with Nedzu.” 

“Thank you for telling me,” Iida said. “I’ll be heading off now.”

“If you could grab his wallet while you’re there, that’ll be great. Asshole still owes me money from that time I paid for his dinner.”

Iida chuckled as he left the room and headed over to the staff room. It was rare that he got to see that side of Aizawa lately. Then again, it was even weirder to have your brother’s three best friends go from your babysitters to your teachers.

He entered the staff room to see his brother sitting by Midnight’s desk, talking to himself as if he were reciting something. When he heard the door open, he looked up and smiled.

“Tenya! How was class today?”

“It was good, but what are you doing here? Aizawa said you didn’t say anything,” Iida replies, taking a seat in Midnight’s chair.

“Well don’t tell anyone, but I was called in for an interview with Nedzu about something. I showed up early just so we can chat though,” he says, pinching Iida’s cheek.

“Wait, like a job interview?” Iida says excitedly. “Would you be teaching here?”

Tensei just shrugs. “No clue, Nedzu was pretty vague. Enough about me though, what’s up with you.”

Iida gives him a rundown of everything going on, spanning from his classes to the letters to life in the dorms, purposefully leaving out Yaoyorozu and Eri’s situation.

“Sounds like you’ve got your hands full. All I had to worry about in second year was internships, babysitting you, and Shouta and Hizashi dancing around each other.”

“Well there is some dancing around in the class,” Iida mentions with a laugh. “I don’t think Kaminari and Shinsou even realize that they’re basically dating.”

“Oh my gosh, I can feel the war flashbacks to Shouta and Hizashi,” Tensei said, dramatically. “Nemuri told me that all the third years in her class graduated thinking they were together.”

“It seems like history might be repeating itself,” Iida says.

“Enough about people I don’t know, though.” Tensei turns his wheelchair to fully face his brother. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Anyone on your radar?”

Iida immediately began to sputter. “What? Why would you assume that?”

Tensei say back with a triumphant grin. “You didn’t say no. If there really was no crush, you would’ve just said so. Who is it?”

“There is no one and you’re being ridiculous.”

“Is it Uraraka?”

“No.”

“Midoriya?”

“No.”

“Yaoyorozu?”

“No.”

“Bakugou?”

“Now you’re just reaching.”

Tensei lets out a loud huff. “You’re making my job as an annoying older brother so much harder!”

Iida shakes his head. “The only reason you’re having a hard time is because there’s no one to tease me with. If anything, I should be teasing you about Kay-”

Iida is interrupted by the door slowly creeping open, and his heart freezes when he sees two familiar faces peek their heads in.

“Oh, whoops,” Sero says. “Is Aizawa not here?”

“There’s a staff meeting going on,” Tensei replies, as Iida was too frozen to speak. “It should be wrapping up soon if you want to wait.”

“No worries, Monsieur Ingenium,” Aoyama says, walking over to Aizawa desk and placing a paper down. “I’m only handing in weekly internship report.”

Sero approaches the brothers and sticks a hand out to Tensei. “I’m Sero, one of Iida’s friends. You here visiting?”

Tensei takes his hand and shakes it. “Something like that. It’s nice to meet you.” He then turns to face Aoyama, who had joined the three by Midnight’s desk. “And you are?”

“Aoyama! Another one of Iida’s friends,” he replies with a wink.

Tensei grins as he looked between Iida’s red face to the two boys. “Well it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ll tell Aizawa about your report, Aoyama.”

“Merci, Ingenium!” Aoyama says with a wave.

“It was nice to meet you. Later, Iida,” Sero says, waving as well.

It took all of Iida’s power to lift up a hand and wave back at them. The moment they disappeared, Tensei whirled on Iida.

“Which one do you like, and don’t try and bullshit me.”

Iida just looked down at his lap.

“Is it Aoyama? He has nice hair. But Sero has such a nice smile, honestly they’re both-”

“It’s both,” Iida whispers. “And they’re dating each other.”

Tensei’s smile fell as he reached over to take Iida’s hands. “Tenya-”

“It’s fine,” Iida replies, finally looking up again. “I’m making my peace with it.”

“But-”

For the second time, the brother’s conversation was interrupted by the door opening once more. This time, a flood of teachers began entering the room.

“I’m going to go now,” Iida whispers to Tensei.

“Tenya-”

“I’ll see you later, Tensei,” Iida says as he gets up and leaves the room, leaving a worried Tensei behind.

Dear Student #19,

First off, I’m awaiting my matching shirt! Second, that’s absolutely hilarious! See, this is why you’re cool. Why use your gear for only heroic stuff when you can also mess with your friends, right? Anyways, what I really wanted to talk to you about was your masterpiece of a poem. It’s crazy how much everything hit really close to home for me, so even if it was unintentional, thank you for gifting me something like this. I guess I should also thank your little sister for not stopping you. You said your quirk ruined your life, but I don’t think that’s the case. Just because there’s nobody willing to accept us doesn’t mean it’s the end for us. Let me tell you what I did until I found a few friends: screw everyone else, they’ll only bring you down. All those cool and practical quirks are great, but it’s the key to an easy life. So many people don’t know the burden we have to carry. I’ll talk to you soon, kid.

Later,

Inmate #89423

Shinsou felt a tap on his shoulder as he lifted his head from his desk. He looked up to see Kaminari’s face peering down at him.

“Lunch just started,” he explained. “I figured you wouldn’t want to sleep through that.”

“Oh.” Shinsou sat up straight and looked around the classroom, now noticing that the room was empty, save for the two of them and Aizawa, who was at his desk on typing on a laptop.

“So do you want to…” Kaminari awkwardly gestured towards the door.

“Uhh, just give me a second,” Shinsou said. “I’ll meet you in there.”

“Oh, okay,” Kaminari replied. He glanced at Aizawa before picking up his bag and walking out.

Before Shinsou could even let out a sigh, he heard Aizawa close his laptop. “What’s up with you?”

Shinsou looked up to see Aizawa leaning back in his chair and staring down his son. “You’re acting off. Hizashi and I assumed it was a passing phase but you’re falling asleep in class again. That hasn’t happened in months.”

“I’m just weirdly tired,” Shinsou said, not looking him in the eye.

“Is that it?”

What was he supposed to say? “Sorry dad. A few days ago, a letter from a villain gave me a crisis and I ended up crying for an hour.” Surely that wouldn’t end well for anyone.

“Yeah,” Shinsou replied. “What else are we doing today?”

“I’m planning on going over everyone’s Sports Festival fights since we didn’t have time a few weeks ago,” Aizawa explained.

“Oh joy,” Shinsou replied. He knew he shouldn’t complain. After all, he ended up in third place, but he really wasn’t in the mood to watch Midoriya beat him again in their fight for third. Not to mention Bakugou had beaten him as well and put him in the fight against Midoriya in the first place.

Aizawa raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you sure you’re okay? Are you sick or anything?”

“I’m fine dad,” Shinsou replied. “I’m going to grab lunch now.”

Aizawa was silent before nodding. “Alright. See you.”

Shinsou grabbed his bag and heading towards the cafeteria, feeling his father’s eyes following him out the room.

He was fully aware of how stupid he was feeling. He shouldn’t be feeling like this at all. He’s in the hero course at the best school in the country, he got third place at the damn Sports Festival, he has friends and family who support him, so why should one letter from someone who doesn’t know him constantly haunt him in the back of his mind?

But on the other hand, is that his eventual fate? Is he going to end up alone in the end? He could hear a thousand positive affirmations, but this one fear of his sticks to him like a parasite. He’s on his way to becoming a hero, so why does he beginning to think that he’s living with a burden instead of a quirk?

Just as he was about to enter the cafeteria, he stops and turns around, his appetite now lost.

Chapter Text

Dear Inmate #05876

You don’t need to apologize at all! Plus, I like how you talk, (or write I guess). I can only imagine how funny the conversation with your wife must’ve been. There always seems to be a straightforward person in a relationship. With my parents it’s my mom, with you and your wife it was your wife. Even my mentor’s old boyfriend was scarily straightforward when I met him for the first time. You said that it was good I learned something from you, but I don’t think the learning is over. It’s something that’s been on my mind outside of the letters a lot.

Sincerely,

Student #18

Midoriya arrived back from the hospital feeling weirdly happy, which was odd considering his circumstances.

He knew he could be a chatterbox, but he never realized the true extent of just how much he could talk until his visits to Saya started becoming almost daily. His awkward small talk evolved into stories of his time at school to ranting about quirk theories. He knew she couldn’t answer, but the thought that she could hear him was enough for him.

His happy mood morphed into confusion when he entered the dorms, expecting to calmly greet everyone but instead seeing what could only be described as a hurricane.

His fellow classmates were running to and from with brooms, dusters, and garbage bags. He thought he saw a vacuum floating through the air but he hoped he was just hallucinating.

“Uh, guys?”

Out from the hurricane came an unfazed Todoroki, who walked over to greet Midoriya. “Hey. you’re back later than I thought.”

“Oh, you know,” Midoriya hesitantly said. “I like doing extra work with Best Jeanist. You’re back earlier than I thought, though.”

“I actually didn’t go in today,” Todoroki said. “Hawks said something came up. He was kind of weird, if I’m being honest.”

“Kaminari weird or actually weird?”

“Actually weird. I’m numb to this class now.”

Midoriya snickered at that. “So why exactly is everyone panicking?”

“You know how UA does tours sometimes? Some elementary school kids came by today, and the teachers thought it would be nice to see one of the dorms and say hi to the students,” Todoroki explained.

“Aizawa agreed to that?”

“God no,” Todoroki said. “All the homeroom teachers drew straws and he lost.”

Midoriya looked at Shouji, who accidentally tore a pillow he was trying to fluff. Maybe Aizawa wasn’t the only one who lost.

“So where even is Aizawa?”

“He told Bakugou and I that since we have the most experience with rowdy children, we’ll be fine alone.”

Ah yes, his less demanding, potential problem in the future. Bakugou was somehow doing the possible of acting like he normally did (but in a good way), and avoiding him at all possible moments. He still was processing the fact that he called him Izuku for the first time in ten years, and he didn’t know how he felt about it. He was still too busy trying to figure out if it was an accident or not to revel in the nostalgia of it all.

He looked over to where Bakugou was now, and had to hold back a laugh as he watched him try and grab the floating vacuum cleaner.

Their last interaction at Narumi Elementary School played in the back of his mind, and he didn’t wish to forget it, since he was so afraid that it was all some strange dream. It was like a weird vision of their past playing out in front of him, but this time Bakugou got his head out of his ass way earlier. It was… nice. Maybe he should tell Dr. Aki about this next time he sees her.

“Midoriya?” He turned to look at Todoroki staring at him with concern. “You zoned out there.”

“Sorry. Just tired after today,” he replies.

“Maybe you should cut down your hours,” Todoroki suggests. “Hawks has been drilling into me about how important breaks are.”

Midoriya couldn’t help but smile up at him. “I’ll think about it if it continues.”

Before they could continue their conversation, the sound of the doorbell halted the cleaning frenzy, and Midoriya watched Iida race over to the front door, returning a few moments later with two teachers and a gaggle of children trailing behind them.

“Everyone! Narumi Elementary School is here!”

The familiar name had Midoriya turning around in an instant, and the loud shouts of “Deku!” brought a smile to his face.

He gave them a small wave. “Well this is a nice surprise.”

“You know them?” Todoroki asks, and soon enough, the rest of 2-A begins to get acquainted with the children.

“My patrol route is always near them,” he explains. “I swing by a lo-OOF!”

Midoriya looked down to the source of the collision with him, smiling wide when Riku’s familiar face smiled back up at him. “Hi Deku!”

“Hi Riku!” Midoriya replied, hugging him back tightly. He looked at Todoroki who moved to idly watch from the sidelines. Just past him, he saw Bakugou trying to disappear behind Tokoyami, which was unsuccessful given the height difference.

Riku pulled away and looked around, zeroing in on Bakugou, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. Next thing Midoriya knew, he was being dragged by the hand towards Bakugou by a surprisingly small child.

“Ground Zero!” Riku said excitedly. “Thank you for defending me! The two older kids apologized at recess the next day!”

Midoriya and Bakugou awkwardly met each other’s eyes before looking back down at the kid in between them.

“It’s whatever. You don’t have to say thank you.”

“But I want to!”

Bakugou looked up at Midoriya, who was not so subtly gesturing to Riku behind him, urging him to give the kid what he wanted.

Bakugou looked back down. “You’re welcome. Let me or, uh, Deku know if anyone else fucks with you.”

“Bakugou, stop swearing in front of the kids,” Iida suddenly interjected.

“You first.”

Iida tilted his head in confusion. “What are you talking ab-”

In the confusion, Bakugou unsubtly walked away.

“He’s funny,” Riku said. “So is Ingenium.”

“Kids seem to like Bakugou a lot.” Midoriya looked next to him, where Todoroki had rejoined the duo.

“There’s a weird charm to him,” Midoriya adds.

“Like when he says ‘fuck!’” Riku says happily, causing Midoriya’s smile to become more strained.

“Let’s go meet up with your friends.”

Weirdly enough, meeting all the students went smoothly, with Satou bringing out treats for them and Sero becoming an impromptu tour guide. While he was telling the kids a story about how exactly the hole in the wall next to the TV came to be, Midoriya felt a hand tug his shirt.

“Deku, can I see your room?” Riku asks.

“Uhhh…” His mind flashed from the copious amounts of All Might merchandise in his room to the reputation that he needed to maintain with these kids. “I think my room is really messy right now, actually.”

“You can see mine,” Todoroki suggests. “Everyone here cleaned their rooms too just in case.”

“Really, Shouto?” Riku asks.

“Of course,” he says while smiling.

The two walk off with Midoriya closely following behind, watching them make small talk between each other. Midoriya couldn’t help but smile as Riku grabbed onto Todoroki’s hand as they walked.

Todoroki’s room looked the same as it did when they first moved in, save for a few new additions. The most noticeable was the large cork board hanging above his desk, with photos decorating every inch of it.

He remembered the day at the mall when he decided to buy it. He had told Midoriya that he intended to keep important things on it. At the time, he thought Todoroki meant schedules or reminders, but he was glad to see what ended up on it.

He turned back around to look at Riku and Todoroki, who was explaining to the kid about his room renovations when they first moved in. Seeing the gentle smile on Todoroki’s face as he answered all of Riku’s questions warmed his heart. He didn’t notice the blush on his face as he admired how his slow growing hair framed his face, and how he occasionally brushed a strand out of his face and behind his ear so he could look at Riku’s face clearly. He loved the way the corners of Todoroki’s mouth raised ever so slightly whenever he smiled, and how when he focused on what people were saying, his lips parted slightly and-

“What’s this, Shouto?”

Midoriya snapped out of his trance as Riku looked at one of the sheets of paper on his desk, causing Todoroki to move and get a closer look.

“It’s a birthday card my siblings made for me when I was young,” Todoroki explained, picking it up from his desk and opening. “I was five.”

“I know that handwriting!”

“What?” Todoroki asked.

“My quirk is called Forgery, and I can copy anyone’s handwriting once I’ve seen it,” Riku explained. “Part of my quirk also means I can recognize and remember all the handwriting I’ve seen.”

“You didn’t mention that part!” Midoriya suddenly said. “Can you recognize someone’s handwriting from when they first started learning how to write? Does it extend to art too?”

“We can test it all out one day,” Todoroki interjects. He turns to Riku and points to the neatest handwriting on the page. “Was Fuyumi ever a substitute teacher for you?”

“Not that one.” Riku points to the the one written in blue ink. “That one. I thought the only hero in your family was your dad.”

It was very rare that Todoroki was ever super expressive. He wasn’t an emotionless robot, but compared to nearly everyone in 2-A, he wasn’t winning any acting awards anytime soon. So imagine Midoriya’s surprise when it looked like Todoroki went through the five stages in grief in about two seconds.

“What… what are you talking about?” he breathed out.

Todoroki?” Midoriya moved to put a hand on his shoulder, but Todoroki lifted a hand up, stopping him in his tracks.

“That’s the hero who helped me one time a few months ago when I got lost,” Riku explained. “I asked for his autograph and he gave it to me.”

Midoriya could see the colour drain from Todoroki’s face as Riku continued on, not noticing how distressed he had gotten.

“Albatross said not to talk about him since he’s a secret hero, but you’re his brother so it’s fine.”

“Albatross,” Todoroki whispered, staring at the card in a daze.

When Midoriya saw his left hand twitch, letting out a tiny wisp of smoke, he quickly crouched down next to Riku. “Why don’t you head downstairs right now. Todoroki and I need to grab something from his room and then we’ll be down quickly.”

“Alright!” Riku said. Once the door shut behind him, Midoriya turned to Todoroki and grabbed the card, looking at the contents inside.

“I thought you had two siblings. There’s three notes in here.”

“I had three siblings. Now I have two, but I guess not?” Todoroki replied, running a hand through his hair.

“What do you mean had?”

Todoroki took a seat on the ground and groaned. “Touya disappeared when he was 14. The old man said they investigated secretly, but they found nothing. We… we thought he was dead, Midoriya.”

“And now he’s a hero?”

“Impossible. He probably hates heroes. He wouldn’t even bother being an underground hero either.”

Midoriya sat down in front of his friend. “What are you going to do now?”

Todoroki fiddled with the card for a moment. “Now, I’m going to ask Hawks to look up a hero named Albatross. When that leads to a dead end… I don’t know.”

“He hasn’t contacted you or your siblings since he left?”

“Nope. Probably wants to keep it that way too, since we’re still under Endeavour’s thumb.” Todoroki huffed before standing back up and putting the card away. “Next time you see Riku, can you ask him what he looked like?”

Midoriya blinked. “Oh, uh, yeah, but wouldn’t it be better to bring it up to the police. If it’s Endeavour’s kid, they’re going to work hard with all the pressure and-”

“And with all the pressure, my family is going to be in the public eye, which is the last thing any of us want. For now, don’t tell anyone else about this.” He took a step towards Midoriya and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Can I trust you?”

All Midoriya could do was silently nod. Todoroki removed his hand and headed out into the hallway, Midoriya silently following. Before he could enter the elevator, he heard his phone ring. “Musutafu General Hospital” covered the screen.

“Go ahead without me,” Midoriya says. “There’s no service in the elevator.”

Todoroki nodded and entered as Midoriya answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Hello, Midoriya. This is the receptionist at Musutafu General Hospital. It says here that you are on Sumiro Saya’s visitation list, is that correct?”

“It is,” he replied hesitantly.

“Perfect. I’m just calling to inform you that a few moments ago, Sumiro has miraculously woken up!”

Dear Student #20,

It’s been a while since I sent out my letter to you, and I’m quite saddened at the lack of response. You must be busy with the information I sent you last time, but I don’t blame you. I’ve spent a lot of time when I was younger researching the relationship between villains and heroes within families. The results are interesting, yet tragic. Is it for a project? Whatever the case may be, I hope everything is alright, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,

Inmate #00524

One of the few moments of peace Yaoyorozu felt since the disaster began was during her internship.

She was the only UA student there, which meant that she was still Creati, not “Chisaki Momo” or “Overhaul 2.0” as some people have been calling her lately.

She didn’t want to be Yaoyorozu Momo either, because right now, Yaoyorozu Momo was the sad girl who kept her head down in class and locked herself in her room to avoid her classmates. Yaoyorozu Momo was someone that Eri was afraid of, and if Eri couldn’t stand to hear her name, then neither could she.

She was happy with just being Creati, because Creati was a hero, and that’s all she had to be.

Her and Fat Gum had spent the last five minutes chasing a villain through the streets of the city, shouting at everyone to make way. Luckily for them, the villain seemed to be more focused on escaping than causing harm to civilians, making their job ten times easier.

The villain’s pace began to slow as he began to get more and more tired, until he eventually stopped, causing Yaoyorozu and Fat Gum to stop about ten feet away.

“Tuckered out? Why not come with us peacefully then,” Fat Gum says.

“Your concern is nice, but I have no plans with going you two at all, peacefully or not,” the villain replied.

“Creati,” Fat Gum whispered to her. “Get it ready. When I say so, dive and get him.”

Yaoyorozu placed a hand at her back, grabbing onto the taser she created and keeping her hand hidden from the villain’s view.

“We are giving you one chance to give yourself up, or else we will have to resort to more drastic measures,” Yaoyorozu said, sternly.

“Now I’m actually giving a shit,” the villain chuckled, examining Yaoyorozu. “I know you, Creati. I’ve got a niece at UA, actually. I’ve heard a lot about you recently. Let’s see how true it is.”

Yaoyorozu’s blood ran cold as the villain looked to his left, where a woman was crouched under a bench for protection. He slammed his hand to the ground as the ground beneath them started to rumble.

“CREATI, GO!” Fat Gum shouted.

Yaoyorozu tried to move forward, but she could barely even move a muscle. She looked down to see if the villain trapped her with the cement, but she was shocked to see that she was unharmed.

“CREATI!” Fat Gum shouted, now more frantic.

Yaoyorozu dove and closed the distance between her and the villain, but not before the cement from the ground shot up and at the woman. Before the cement could travel any further, she brought the taser to his gut and watched him go limp and hit the ground.

She heard sirens and quickly turned towards the woman who was now being helped up by Fat Gum. she quickly made her way over, but was stopped by Fat Gum holding up a hand.

“One second, Creati,” he whispered to her.

A wave of shame washed over her when she peeked from behind Fat Gum and saw the woman’s broken leg.

“Let’s see how true it is,” the villain had said. She froze up again. She wasn’t supposed to freeze up anymore. She was better than that.

An ambulance soon arrived to care for the villain and civilian. Yaoyorozu could hear her mutter “Fucking hero students,” under her breath as the paramedics took her away, leaving Yaoyorozu alone with a taser and a shattered pride.

“Come in!”

Kirishima opened the door to the teacher’s lounge, happy to see the person he was looking for was in there alone and seated on the couch marking.

“Kirishima! What can I do for you?” Mic asked happily.

“Actually, I-” Kirishima suddenly cut himself off as he walked past Mic and the couch and made his way over to Aizawa’s desk, peeking underneath it. “Sorry, just double checking.”

“I know I’m the guy you guys talk to when your hiding something dumb from Shouta, but there’s only so much property damage I can hide from him,” Mic sighed.

“Nothing like that this time,” Kirishima says, taking note of him saying “Shouta.” “I just need some advice.”

“Look, if it’s relationship advice, I’m not the best person to talk to, and the advice I gave Shinsou a few weeks ago could barely count as relationship advice so-”

“Legal advice!” Kirishima blurted out, rendered Mic shocked. “Not for me, but for someone else.”

Mic’s face turned serious, which was a weird look on him considering everything Kirishima knew about him. He patted the empty space on the couch next to him. “My law knowledge doesn’t cover everything. What do you need?”

Kirishima sat down on the couch and began to explain. “My villain wants to be a hero, but when I suggested that they become one once they’re released, they told me that felons can’t be heroes.”

Mic slowly nodded his head. “I’m guessing you want to help them somehow. Do you know where they’re incarcerated?”

“Musutafu Penitentiary. Don’t know what for, though.”

“At least it’s not Tartarus,” Mic said to himself. He turned to Kirishima and gave him a small smile. “Well it’s not 100% true, so I suspect your penpal got some muddled information. Yes, felons cannot apply to be a hero but, a third party can put in a request on behalf of the felon and if the request is approved, the person in question has their behaviour and life monitored and watched once they’re out of prison. If all goes well, they can start their classes.”

“Really?” Kirishima said happily. “So my villain has a chance?”

“I’ll be honest with you kid,” Mic replied. “There is no way of knowing until we get a look at their record.”

The excitement Kirishima felt lessened, but didn’t completely disappear. “So what you’re saying is-”

“You’re not asking your villain for their identity so you can search them up,” Mic interrupted.

“Buuuuut we have their location, inmate number, and a hero who can access their file,” Kirishima says. “Not to mention the hero isn’t going to tell me anything.”

Mic stared directly into Kirishima’s pleading eyes, daring himself not to waver, but not succeeding. “FINE. I'll do it!”

“Thank you, Sensei!” Kirishima cheered.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m the best, I know. Why did you even ask me of all people?”

“For starters, you’re really smart,” Kirishima begins. “Jirou was telling me how much you taught her about sound waves and other physics stuff.”

“So you assumed that because I know physics, I know other smart people things?” Mic chuckled.

“Well, it’s also because Aizawa-sensei once mentioned how you tutored him in hero law when you two were in UA.”

“A high school story about me that’s not embarrassing? I’m in shock.” Mic got up and led Kirishima to the door.

As they reached the door, Kirishima turned around one last time. “You said you’re bad at relationship advice. Why?”

“In high school, my friends once locked my crush and I in a room together and wouldn’t let us out until we sorted our feelings out,” Mic said.

“Did everything work out?”

Mic put a finger to his lips before slamming the door in Kirishima’s face.

Chapter Text

Dear Inmate #03224,

I don’t think I’d trust Hawks to save a cat from a tree without getting scratched, so I highly doubt that you could make a “great” hero, but who knows? I’ve been surprised a lot lately. My brother is a smart guy, but don’t tell him that. I can’t inflate his ego anymore than necessary. I know I don’t have to listen to the old man, trust me. Right now, he’s the last person I want to talk to, especially with what I have to deal with right now.

Insincerely yours,

Student #15

A knock on his office door pulled Hawks out of the research he was doing. He looked up in a panic and grabbed the papers on his desk, pushing them off and onto the floor under his desk.

“Come in!”

The door creaked open and in came Todoroki, looking quizzically at the frazzled hero.

“Are you okay, Hawks?” he asks.

Hawks looks down at the files on the ground and back up to his intern. “Of course I am. What are you doing here though? Isn’t it Thursday?” He looked at his calendar. “Did I lose track of time?”

“It is, but I’m not here for work.” Todoroki points at the chair on the other side of Hawks’s desk, and the hero beckons him forward.

“I just have a question,” Todoroki says as he takes a seat. “Do you know anything about a hero named Albatross?”

Hawks raises an eyebrow. “Doesn’t ring any bells. Why?”

“Research project,” he replies, and Hawks notices how his eyes wander as he speaks. “Is there anyway you can search him up with some hero exclusive database stuff? Nothing comes up when I search him up except for the bird.”

“I can try,” Hawks says, typing away on his computer. “Is he an underground hero? Same stuff used to happen when you try and look up your teacher.”

“I don’t know.”

Hawks pauses in his typing to look at Todoroki in confusion. “So you have a research assignment on a hero, and the teacher who assigned it gave you zero starting information?”

Todoroki stared back blankly. “Exactly.”

Hawks knew he was lying, but he decided to entertain the kid for a bit longer if it meant that he could figure out what he was planning. He looked back at his computer, only to be surprised at the blank screen in front of him.

“No results,” Hawks says, double checking his spelling. “I’m not going to pretend like I still believe you and ask where you got the name.”

Todoroki mulled over what to say before replying. “Something I heard in passing.”

“And you were so intrigued, you came all the way here to find out more?”

“Sure.”

Hawks sighed at his response. “Did your little penpal tell you that name?”

“No? What made you think that?” Todoroki asks, leaning forward. “Do you think they know who Albatross is?”

“I don’t know if he knows who Albatross is, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Dude seems to have a lot of secrets.”

“He’s a guy,” Todoroki mutters to himself, and Hawks mentally kicked himself for giving out too much information. “If I ask him, do you think he’ll tell me?”

“Why the fuck not, kid,” Hawks says. “Anything else you need?”

Todoroki shrugs. “No. I’ll get out of your hair now.”

“This wasn’t a bother at all, kid.” Hawks smiles at the intern. “You’re not a bother.”

Todoroki gives him a small smile in return. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Hawks.”

Once the door shut, Hawks picked up the papers scattered on the floor, looking through each of them for the 500th time.

He was surrounded by countless, printed news articles about Endeavour from the past 20 years, ranging from his rise to #1, to op-eds about his personality and fighting style, to random social media posts about his family. He looked at one post in particular, which included a photo of his intern and his older sister being spotted at the mall. An idea struck him as he reached for Todoroki’s file and looked for his emergency contact.

Dabi said he couldn’t ask Todoroki Shouto for help, but he never said anything about Todoroki Fuyumi.

Student #17,

Stopped replying because you realized I was right? Typical of you heroes. You back out once things get too tough to deal with. All bark and no bite, you don’t even know what you represent anymore. Did you know that in the dictionary, there is only one definition of “hero?” If you ask me, there should be two. A hero and a Hero are two completely different things. If you someone discover a difference, get back to me on that.

Inmate #78246

Bakugou hissed as he ripped his hand out of his bag and looked around the class, feeling glad that nobody noticed him and were instead focused on Aizawa’s lecture. He examined the paper cut on his finger and scowled, peering into his bag to see what cut him.

He nearly let out a groan when he saw a drop of blood on the corner of the discarded letter he shoved into his bag earlier that day. Shoving it further down the bag, he dug around once more until he found the spare pen he was looking for and faced the front of his class.

His pen hit the paper but instead of writing notes, he stilled as his mind wandered back to that stupid letter.

He didn’t stop replying because the asshole was right. He wasn’t, for the record. He stopped because he just couldn’t be bothered to continue to run in the circle they found themselves in. The villain would spew some random, preachy nonsense, Bakugou would tell him he’s wrong, and they would proceed to pull out an infinite supply of reverse Uno cards trying to win the fight. It was useless, and he had more pressing matters to deal with, like continuing to listen to Aizawa right now.

“Side note,” Aizawa said as he clicked on the next slide. “Interestingly enough, one of the sidekicks at the scene of the accident ended up in an early retirement.”

“How come?” Ashido asks.

“You guys are probably too young to remember, but there was a huge protest both online and in public about him after a video of his behaviour after the accident.”

“What did he do?” Satou asked.

“At first, there were small criticisms that began to build up. Dismissive of victims well being, collateral damage, rude to other heroes. When he shouted, ‘I’m here to do my damn job and that’s it,’ at an injured civilian, people decided that they’ve had enough. The biggest thing to come out of it was what people thought a hero was. I remember following the debacle closely when I was your age.”

“What was complicated about that?” Sero asked. “I mean don’t get me wrong, what the guy said was shitty, but I figured people would be more focused on him.”

“People started discussing what exactly his ‘job’ was,” Aizawa explained. “Some say he did his job and helped rescue everyone. Others say his behaviour was unfitting for a hero.”

Bakugou did not like where this was headed.

Aizawa continued. “People were debating about the difference between a hero and a Hero.”

Bakugou felt his heart drop to his stomach.

“Sensei, you said the same word twice,” Kaminari comments.

“The difference between a hero and a Hero,” Aizawa repeats, putting more emphasis on the second hero. “One is your standard definition that you’d find in a textbook, the other is more subjective. I personally think they were onto something with this talk. In the end- yes, Bakugou?”

“Can I go to the washroom?” Bakugou asks, lowering his hand.

“Go ahead. At this point, I should just have you guys stop asking and just sign out or something…” Aizawa’s voice faded away as Bakugou speed walked down the hallway.

He carefully entered the washroom, poking each door gently to make sure he was alone until he reached the last stall. He entered, put his head in his hands, and let out a muffled yell.

Great! Amazing! Fantastic! It was one thing to ignore some locked up villain’s letters. What was the worst thing they were going to do? Write mean words? That’s nothing, but Aizawa talking about it? Mr. Perfect Role Model For Everyone potentially agreeing with what his villain was cause for concern.

There were few adults that really got Bakugou, and lucky for him, Aizawa was one of them. Unlucky for him, however, when Aizawa says something he disagrees with, that normally means that his teacher might be onto something.

“I’m a hero,” he whispered to himself. “I stop the bad guy, I win, and I’m the hero.”

The school would’ve kicked him out a long time ago if he wasn’t. Miruko wouldn’t have requested him as an intern if he wasn’t. His friends would’ve cast him aside after he told them the truth about his past behaviour if he wasn’t. All Might wouldn’t have so much faith in him if he wasn’t.

He was a hero, so why was the word losing its meaning the more he repeated it?

“You haven’t written to me in a while,” Uraraka says to the boy across from her.

Mustard shifts uncomfortably in his seat, not meeting her eyes. “You know where I am, what’s the point?”

Uraraka shrugs at his response. She turns and looks at the door behind her, where Midnight was waiting on the other side, not wanting to disturb the two. “So did you think about what I said?”

Mustard took a deep breath and finally looked up at her. “I did and… I’m sorry.”

Uraraka blinks. “What?”

“I’m sorry?” Mustard repeats, hesitant this time. “I assumed your life was easy just because you were at UA. I’m a villain, not an asshole.”

“Don’t think that’s mutually exclusive,” Uraraka muttered under her breath. She leaned forward and leaned on her palm as she looked at the boy in front of her. “I didn’t expect an apology from you.”

“Don’t get used to it. I’m apologizing about what I did to you. I still think a lot hero students are entitled assholes.”

Uraraka opened her mouth before immediately shutting it. They were off to a good start, she didn’t want to argue and ruin it. “That’s a conversation for a different day. How about we do what we originally planned on. What’s up with you and your aunt?”

“My mom would always tell her how she never went out of her way to help us out. She comes home tired after a long day and turns on the TV only to see her sister giggling with some interviewer on the news.” Mustard clenched his fists. “It wasn’t fair that I was temporary to her.”

“Temporary?”

“She babysat me sometimes when I was much younger, but those were the only times we talked. Once my mom came home, she handed me off and left.” Mustard scoffed as he thought about the memories. “The only time I saw her outside of being taken care of was after I attacked your camp. She was at the police station. After that, it took her a damn year to see me here.”

As Mustard spoke, he noticed Uraraka’s eyes constantly trained on him, and she was slowly nodding along to what he was saying, which motivated him to vent his frustrations more to her. He didn’t feel like he was talking to a wall or hero or some government assigned hero. He actually felt heard.

Unfortunately for him, their conversation was cut short by a guard sticking his head in and looking to Uraraka.

“Sorry, Midnight’s calling.”

“Of course she is,” Mustard muttered.

“C’mon, she probably didn’t have a choice,” Uraraka says as she gets up. “I’ll see you soon, Haizono.”

Mustard gives a short wave as Uraraka leaves the room, spotting a panicked looking Midnight looking at her phone.

“Midoriya and Iida were looking for you and they asked All Might who then proceeded to ask me where you were,” she blurts out as the two walk towards Midnight’s car.

“Did you answer?” Uraraka asks, now equally as panicked.

“No!”

“You left All Might on read?”

“I do it all the time, he probably won’t notice!” Midnight takes a deep breath. “What’s the plan?”

“Uhhh…” Uraraka looks down at her phone, seeing a few missed texts from her two friends. Deciding to ignore them, she looks at one person’s text in particular. An invitation she unfortunately had to decline. She presses the call button and prays.

“Ochako?”

“Mina, thank goodness!” Uraraka says. “Are you still at the mall?”

“Yeah. You need anything?” Ashido asks.

“Did you tell anyone you were going out?”

“Besides asking Aizawa for permission and asking you to come, no. Are you okay? You sound frantic.”

“I’ll explain later but right now, I need you to casually bring up in the groupchat that I’m with you and that Midnight is chaperoning,” Uraraka says, earning a confused look from her teacher.

“What did you do?” Ashido asks bluntly.

“I didn’t do anything! Ask Midnight if you want.”

“Midnight’s with you? What the fuck did you two do?”

Uraraka looked nervously to her teacher. “Can I tell her?” she whispered.

“You called her Mina. That’s enough proof of trust for me,” Midnight replied.

Uraraka nodded, a small smile appeared on her face as she spoke to Ashido. “It’s about the letters. I’ll explain at home but just mention it in the chat and Midnight and I will pick you up so we can all go back together.”

“This’ll be interesting. See you guys soon!”

Uraraka hung up and looked at her teacher. “I hope this works.”

Her phone vibrated as she checked the text notification.

Aizawa’s Problem Children

Alien Queen: Ochako just fell into the mall fountain lmao

“Alright,” Uraraka sighs. In her panic, she forgot the dangers of giving Ashido creative freedoms.

Small Might: Help her?????

Lord Explosion Murder: Lmao

“It worked,” Uraraka grumbled, getting into the car and showing Midnight the texts.

Midnight laughed at the texts as she checked her phone. She was quiet for a moment before bursting into laughter once more, shoving the phone in Uraraka’s face.

Nedzu Please Give Us A Raise

High Noon: Forgot to tell you guys I’m with Ashido and Uraraka at the mall

High Noon: Uraraka just fell into the mall fountain lmao

Cockatoo: Help her?????

Cat Nap: Lmao