Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If someone had told Aizawa Shota that this was how his night was going to go, he definitely would’ve called them an idiot. Or, that’s what he would have done about 20 minutes ago, before he ran into a random teenager on the roof of a random building, looking for him specifically.

Shota had been doing his patrol, like usual. Hoping that for once he’d get a nice, easy night, where nothing happened, but alas, he should’ve known better than that. Honestly, he should probably be used to this sort of thing, considering how long he had been a pro.

He was just keeping an eye out on the streets below when he heard the crunch of gravel behind him. Turning around, Shota was expecting a fight. Instead, he saw a teenager standing there. He couldn’t be much older than the kids in Shota’s class. His clothes were torn and ragged, and there was dirt caked on his face. Immediately, Shota was on high alert. He had a bad feeling that this kid was in deep shit, and he probably sought Shota out for help of some kind.

“You okay, kid?” Shota asked, making sure to keep his body language relaxed.

“Depends on your definition of ‘okay’,” he responded sarcastically.

“Are you in any danger?” Shota tried. If the kid was going to be cagey about his answers, that would just be a problem.

“Oh, definitely,” the kid responded.

“Can you give me a little more than that or are you going to make me guess?”

“Yknow, part of me thinks it would be really funny to make you guess, but sadly, I am in a bit of a rush and do actually need help. You’re Eraserhead, right?” The teasing smirk faded from his face as he finally made eye contact with Shota, giving the hero a chance to see his mismatched eyes. One of them was brown, while the other was a cloudy white. Even more alarms went off in Shota’s head as he tried to find any visible injuries on this kid.

“Yes, I am. What’s wrong? How can I help?” He almost took a step towards the kid, but stopped himself. This kid had quite possibly been abused and run away from his home life or he could be homeless, and if that turned out to be the case, then Shota didn’t want to scare him.

“Look, some friends of mine are in…bad shape and need help, but they’re not comfortable going to a hospital and well, we figured an underground hero might be willing to help without alerting anyone.”

“I’m not a doctor, kid. If your friends need medical attention, then the best thing to do would be to bring them to a hospital. The most I could do would be a temporary fix.”

“I’m not bringing them to a hospital!” The kid snapped. “If you won’t help us, then fine! I’ll do it myself!”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t help, all I said was that a hospital would be their best bet,” Shota reasoned. Now he really needed to get to the bottom of this.

“Yeah well, I can honestly say, none of us feel safe at hospitals, especially not with people looking for us,” the boy muttered.

“Hold on, people are looking for you? Why?” Maybe Shota was jumping the gun a little bit here, but at this point he just wanted answers, and this kid was skirting around the truth.

The kid’s eyes widened slightly as he seemed to realize what he just said.

“I-shit. Shit! I didn’t mean to say that. If I asked nicely, would you be willing to ignore that last bit?”
For a brief moment, Shota felt his head get fuzzy, and felt the need to walk away from this topic, and find something else to ask, but the feeling faded as the kid looked away.

“Was that your quirk?” He asked.

“I figured trying to mind control the guy I’m asking for help wouldn’t exactly go over that well, so, sorry about that,” the kid (Shota really needed to ask his name) refused to look at him, and continued to just stare at the ground.

“I appreciate that. You can make it up to me by answering a few questions, how does that sound?”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Let’s start easy, what’s your name kid?”

“Call me York,” he muttered.

“York? Is that a nickname or something? What about your real name, kid?” Shota asked. He’d take the nickname, but if he needed to contact this kid’s parents, he’d need his full name.

“At this point, it’s the closest thing to a ‘real name’ I have, so it’s the best I can offer you.”

“Okay, okay, fine. Moving on, who’s looking for you?”

“This guy who’s known as The Director. We, uh, we escaped from his bullshit experimental lab and we’re trying to, y’know, avoid being detected, cause freedom sounds really fucking great if you ask me, and I’m so done with being that bastard’s lab rat,” York snarled.

Shota froze. This kid had been in some kind of experiment, along with several others from the sound of it.

“How many of you escaped? And how many are hurt?” Shota forced himself to stay calm, freaking out on this kid would only do more harm than good. He needed to earn York’s trust, and it seemed like helping his friends would be his best bet.

“There’s…10 of us, in total that got out, and 3 are hurt. CT is the worst off though. Wash isn’t doing well either, but we don’t know what’s wrong, he’s just been really sick. Carolina will be fine, she just lost a fight on our way out.”

“What about you?”

“What?” York looked confused, as if he hadn’t been expecting Shota to ask about his own well being.

“Your eye,” Shota clarified.

York paused for a second, hand touching the side of his face, just below his left eye. “This? It’s fine, it happened a while ago. Nothing can really be done about it at this point.”

Shota nodded. He wasn’t exactly happy with that answer but he would let it go in order to help these kids as best as he could.

“You’re comfortable bringing me to your friends?” he asked.

York sighed. His shoulders sagged, whether it was with relief or exhaustion, Shota wasn’t sure.

“Something like that. C’mon, this way.”

York moved quickly and with no hesitation, jumping from roof to roof. He did this with the confidence of someone who had been doing this for years, despite the fact that he couldn’t be older than 16. Shota followed him, making sure to keep an eye on their surroundings. He did not want anyone following them, especially if some of the other kids couldn’t fight.

York led him to what looked like an abandoned warehouse. The paint on the outside was chipped and falling off. The windows were boarded up, and the hinges on the door were rusted. All in all, it was actually a pretty good place to hide. They were hidden in plain sight.

York stopped a little ways away from the warehouse. “Let me go first, at least to warn everyone you’re here.”

Shota gave him a nod, moved to lean against the nearest building, and waited for York’s signal.

Chapter Text

North watched as York said something to Eraserhead, who simply stepped back and let York walk towards their current hideout. It was old and run down, but they were making it work. They had stolen some blankets and first aid supplies, and Florida and Tex were out right now looking for food. 

“Hey,” his sister called from behind him. “York is back, he’s trying to get everyone together downstairs.”

North nodded. He quietly stood up, never taking his eyes off of Eraserhead until he had to. 

The twins made their way to the ground level where the rest of their group was. Wyoming was cleaning his gun, as he usually did when he was anxious. Maine was sitting by the door, acting as a guard should anyone try to bust in. Carolina was awake, and insisting that she was fine, even though she was still struggling to sit up. Wash was tangled up under some blankets, his face still flushed with the fever he’d be suffering from for the past week. CT hadn’t woken up, and North was starting to get worried. She had been on death’s door when they found her, and even with York’s abilities, she was still hurt badly. They had all done their best to help her, but none of them really had any medical training. 

York was standing by the door, arms crossed, and exhaustion clear on his face. 

“So, you found Eraserhead?” Wyoming asked. “And he’s actually willing to help?”

“That’s what he said, it took some convincing though, and I had to bring up The Director,” York shrugged. 

“You what? ” Carolina snapped. The redhead forced herself off the ground, her face clouded with rage. “You had no right to tell him anything!”

“It was either tell him that or have him bring you guys to a hospital, which would you prefer?”

“We don’t need anyone else’s help!”

“Carolina, I can’t keep healing you guys. I’m doing my goddamn best but I have my limits.”

“How much did you tell him?” Carolina stumbled over toward York, doing her best to get up in his face. 

“Only the basics of our situation. Who’s hurt, a brief summary of why we’re hiding in a warehouse,” York didn’t even flinch. He gently grabbed Carolina’s shoulders and carefully maneuvered her to the ground. She smacked his hands away, but sat down regardless. 

“Oh god, they’re having another lover’s quarrel,” South mumbled. 

North smacked her arm. “Come on, South, be nice.” 

“What, you gonna join in?”

North rolled his eyes. “No, I’m not.”

Maine cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention, and stopping the argument between York and Carolina. “Do you think we can trust him?”

York hesitated for a few seconds before he spoke, “I think he’s our best bet and he seemed genuine about wanting to help.”

“Fine, he better be able to do something for Washington and CT though, otherwise, you’re in deep shit, York,” Carolina snarled. 

“Dear Carolina, if worse comes to worst, and Eraserhead does end up doing something that would put us in danger, we can just kill him,” Wyoming suggested. North really hated the fact that that comforted him. 

“Well, if we can all agree not to shank the guy when he walks in the door, then I’ll give him the okay to come in,” York glanced around at the rest of the group, looking to see if any of them would object. No one did. With a nod, York stepped back out. 

North moved to sit by Carolina, placing a gentle hand on hers, “We’ll be fine. I trust York’s judgment, and I know you do too. If he thinks Eraserhead will help us, then I think we should listen to him. He’s always had a great bullshit detector.”

Carolina sighed, “You’re right, I know you’re right. I’m just worried that if we trust the wrong people, we’ll end up as experiments again, and I refuse to let anything happen to any of you. Especially you and York.” She dropped her head onto North’s shoulder. 

“We’ll be fine. Like Wyoming said, if we have to we can fight our way out. Hell, you, Tex, and South probably don’t even need our help in a fight, you three could do it on your own,” North chuckled. He looked up and around to see where his twin had ended up, and saw her sitting between CT and Wash. She placed her hand on Washington’s forehead, and North watched as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He could see the tension in her body as she dropped her hand. He could only assume that meant that there hadn’t been a change. Although North was pretty sure he could see Wash’s eyes open slightly when South moved her hand away, but he closed them not too long after. At least the kid was waking up every now and then, that was an improvement from the start of the week. North watched as South shifted her attention to CT, who looked like she was sleeping, but they all knew that wasn’t the case. North turned his attention back to Carolina when she pushed away from him in order to glare at the door. 

Not too long after, York stepped in with Eraserhead following behind him. The pro hero glanced over each of them, probably checking who was injured, and who wasn’t. North saw him glance at Wyoming for a few seconds longer than the others. Either that, or he was focused on the sniper rifle the brit had put back together. North needed to grab his at some point, just to make sure nothing happened to it. 

As soon as Eraserhead saw CT and Wash, he quickly made his way over to them. South gave him a glare as he crouched down next to CT.

“What happened to her?” he asked. 

There was a shared look between the group, and an uncomfortable silence overcame the room. 

“We don’t know,” Maine finally said, voicing the thought that had been haunting all of them for days.

What had happened to CT?

Chapter Text

Wyoming did not trust easily. He had learned fairly early on that most of the time, when someone offers you something, they want something in return, and this belief had been reinforced with the time spent around The Director. So, when York suggested going to a stranger for help, Wyoming was understandably on edge. When York actually showed up with an underground hero, Wyoming became even more anxious. What made it worse was the fact that Eraserhead wasn’t asking questions about why they had taken refuge in a warehouse, or anything like that. No, all he asked was ‘ what happened to CT?’  

In short, Wyoming did not trust Eraserhead one bit. He would want something in return, that’s how this always went. If someone did you a favor, they expected something in return, and you wouldn’t have a choice in the matter. That’s how they all ended up screwed over by The Director. 

Keeping a careful eye on the scruffy looking “hero” (he wasn’t convinced that a man dressed like that was qualified to be a hero), Wyoming moved to where they had stored their ammunition. He and Tex had stolen a lot of ammo a few days ago to cover what they had used in their escape. The only people who really used firearms were himself and North, and occasionally South if she couldn’t brute force her way through a problem, but they still needed to make sure they had enough to defend themselves. 

Wyoming watched as Eraserhead tried to get CT to wake up, and when she didn’t, he moved on to check her injuries. They looked a lot better thanks to York spending hours healing her, to the point of exhaustion trying to keep her alive, but they were still very much a problem. He changed the bandages on the smaller ones, and when he moved on to some of the larger cuts, he looked at South, who had refused to move from her spot.

“These need stitches,” he said, gesturing to a particularly deep cut on CT’s leg. 

York cursed, obviously blaming himself for missing that. “I thought so, but I didn’t… dammit! ” 

Wyoming understood that sentiment. None of them really knew all that much first aid, they were never given the chance to learn. The only member of their group that could probably have done something about this was currently sick and unable to stay awake for long periods of time. 

“Kid, if you were able to do all of this, then you shouldn’t feel bad. I can take care of the stitches, but she should definitely get checked out by someone with more experience outside of field medicine,” Eraserhead moved towards York, and Wyoming decided this would be a good time for some target practice. He picked up his gun from where it was propped up against the wall, and took aim at the target he and North had set up. He saw Eraserhead freeze out of the corner of his eye, the pro was no longer moving towards York. Instead, he turned towards Wyoming, his face was blank, so he couldn’t quite get a read on the hero, but he figured he had achieved his goal.

“Can I help you, mate?” Wyoming asked, raising his eyebrows. 

“Why do you have that?” Eraserhead asked.

“I don’t see how that’s important right now, I thought you were here to check on CT and Washington?” Wyoming didn’t move from his spot, kept aiming at the target. Eraserhead had to stand down first before Wyoming moved. When he told North he would kill the pro hero if he did anything, he had meant it. He had no problems putting a bullet through Eraserhead’s heart if it came down to it. He wouldn’t even need his quirk for that. All he would have to do would be line up a shot where he couldn’t be seen and pull the trigger. If that didn’t work, he could always ask Florida to act as a distraction. 

“There’s not much more I can do for her, aside from stitch this cut. She needs an actual doctor. I know someone who can help, and I can tell her not to ask questions,” Eraserhead kneeled back down, taking a needle and some thread from their first aid supplies. 

Wyoming glanced over at Carolina. She was the one who called the shots. Wyoming didn’t want to meet this doctor, but if Carolina agreed, he would go. He would not be happy about it, and he would be prepared to kill anyone who tried to hurt them. 

“How do we know if you’re being honest? You could be lying,” Carolina narrowed her eyes at Eraserhead. 

“I have no reason to lie, especially not to a bunch of kids. I just want to help. You kids don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to,” the older man said. 

Wyoming couldn’t help but think that was a lie. What kind of fool wouldn’t ask questions when a group like them showed up and asked for help and refused to explain what was going on. That was suspicious, and Wyoming would continue to keep an eye on this hero. 

“Fine,” Carolina snapped. “We’ll go, just as long as you don’t ask any questions and if you don’t help, I’ll make you regret it.”

“Okay, let me make a call, and then we’ll have to grab your friends and then we can go meet up with her,” Eraserhead carefully stood up and stepped outside.

The rest of them sat in uncomfortable silence. No one dared to speak, everyone trying to calm their nerves. Wyoming’s eyes were glued to the door. He would not relax until Eraserhead made good on his word and left them alone once CT and Wash were fine. 

A few minutes later, Eraserhead walked back in, “All right, pack up kids, we’re going to UA, Recovery Girl will meet us there.”

York carefully helped Carolina to her feet, South gently picked up CT, and North helped get Wash on Maine’s back. Wyoming had a feeling that Tex and Florida would find them soon enough.

Chapter Text

“Do you think we’ll be able to slip back into the group without being noticed?” Florida asked from the shadows. 

Tex glanced at him. Her hand gripped the strap of the backpack filled with food as her eyes drifted back to their group. 

“Yeah, I think so,” she said. Without waiting for a response, Tex reached out and grabbed Florida’s wrist. She watched as both Florida and herself disappeared. She dragged him forward, moving as quietly as possible. They just needed to catch up and make sure Eraserhead didn’t do anything. Tex made sure to follow a little ways back, dropping the invisibility when they were sufficiently hidden in the shadows. 

When the gates of UA came into view, Tex grabbed Florida’s wrist again and broke into a run, dragging the taller man behind her. She just needed to catch up to the group, they couldn’t afford to get locked out and separated from the rest of their group. 

She finally let go of Florida when they finally caught up. Their sudden appearance caused York, North, and South to jump. Maine let out a startled grunt. The commotion drew Eraserhead’s attention. He paused to look the two of them over, eyes widening in surprise for a second. 

“Sorry to pop in unannounced!” Florida chirped. He put on a cheerful smile, and waved. Tex moved past Wyoming to get to Maine. 

“Need a hand with him or you got him?” She asked, looking at Wash. 

“No, I have him,” Maine grumbled. Tex nodded. 

She turned to glare at Eraserhead, who had been giving her a look. Instead of asking any questions, he simply turned away and opened the door to the school. 

“I was expecting at least some questions,” she muttered. 

“We worked out a deal, we let a pro hero take a look at us and he doesn’t ask questions unless they’re on our terms,” South responded. “We wouldn’t come here otherwise.”

“Not even names?” 

“He…didn’t ask for any of ours,” North muttered. 

“Seriously?” Tex huffed. “I’m going to introduce myself to him because apparently none of you have.”

“Hey! I did!” York said with mock hurt. The blonde woman smacked his shoulder as she walked by. 

“So, you’re Eraserhead, huh?” 

The pro hero gave her a quick look, before looking forward again, “I am.”

“Call me Tex. I figured I’d introduce myself since none of these fucking idiots will,” she held her hand out to Eraserhead. He gripped her hand and shook it. Tex let the brief conversation fall to silence as Eraserhead opened the door to what looked like an infirmary of some sort. Sitting inside was a short old lady, wearing a massive lab coat and a weird pink visor. She turned as the door opened and shared a strange look with Eraserhead. 

“So, which of these kids needs help?” She asked. Tex moved out of the way as South walked in with CT. The old woman immediately directed South to place her on one of the empty beds. She did the same with Maine, who placed Wash next to CT. Carolina had stepped away from York and moved to sit down on her own. Tex put her back against the doorframe, and crossed her arms. She watched as the old lady hobbled over to Carolina first, using an oversized syringe as a cane. 

“What happened to you, dear?” She asked. 

“Lost a fight,” Carolina responded bitterly. 

“Alright, let me take a look at you and then I’ll get you patched up, how does that sound?”

“Fine, so long as you help CT and Wash.”

“Of course, that’s why I’m here.”

Tex tuned out Carolina’s voice, instead, she focused on keeping her focus on the old woman. Tex was confident that, should the need arise, she could beat two heroes in a fight. It would be even easier if the others joined in but Tex didn’t necessarily need them. 

Tex was startled out of her thoughts when she saw the old woman lean forward and plant a kiss on Carolina’s cheek. 

“ What the fuck?” Carolina shouted. 

At the same time Tex shoved herself off the wall with a shout of, “ Hey! ”

“Relax you two, that’s just how her quirk works,” Eraserhead sighed. 

“It’s alright, dears. That’s just going to speed up how long it takes your injuries to heal. Now, you should lay down and rest for a bit, it’ll help.”

Carolina pushed herself to her feet and limped over to the nearest empty bed. She laid down, but made eye contact with Tex. Tex gave her a nod and moved back to her position against the door. She could keep watch while Carolina took a break. She poked her head outside to see where everyone else had ended up, and saw them all on the ground in the hallway. North and South had curled up next to each other, North’s head had fallen onto South’s shoulder, and Tex was pretty sure he had fallen asleep. York and Maine were sitting side by side in silence. Seemed like even York was tired of filling the silence. Florida had his legs tossed over Wyoming’s lap. Wyoming was staring blankly ahead, probably keeping an eye out to make sure no one tried to sneak up on them. 

Tex returned to her position in the infirmary, and got settled in for a long night of watching and waiting. 

Chapter Text

Washington could hear voices from somewhere nearby. His head hurt, he felt nauseous, and he just wanted to go back to sleep, but with all the talking, he couldn’t. 

“-have to inform him of this development,” one of the voices said. Wash recognized her as the doctor that had been in charge of the most recent experiment. He never did learn her name. 

“We will, should Washington turn out to be a failure, we will take care of it,” a second voice responded. That one was the Counselor, Aiden Price. 

“You mean we kill him and make it seem like it was an accident,” the doctor said. 

“Precisely,” Price responded coolly. 

“Is The Director aware of this development?” She asked. 

“Yes, he is the one who gave me the order. He will take care of informing our employer. Perhaps he will send us a more compatible test subject. Losing Washington will not be a major setback.” 

Wash swore he felt his heart stop for a second. They were going to kill him if he didn’t get better. He had only been sick for a few days. Maybe he should let them know he was awake and feeling mostly fine. 

He never got that chance. He vaguely heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He managed to open his eyes slightly, just enough to see the doctor, a woman with dark skin and dark hair, approach him with something in her hand. She looked at him for a brief moment, before jabbing a needle into his arm. 

“Sleep well, Washington,” she whispered. 

Wash could do nothing but panic as he felt his consciousness fade. 

Wash woke up to the feeling of someone picking him up. His headache was worse than the last time and being picked up only made it worse. He let out a quiet whimper. 

“I’m sorry, bud, but we gotta go,” a familiar voice whispered. That was North. 

“North, he’s not doing too well,” someone else said. Wash was pretty sure this one was South. 

“We just have to go. I don’t know how much time Tex and York can buy us,” North sounded stressed. 

“Wha’s goin on?” Wash finally managed to mumble. Oh, his throat hurt. He wasn’t expecting that. He forced his eyes open to see North standing in front of him. Wash was on South’s back. 

“We’re leaving. We have a way out of this hell hole and we’re taking it,” South snapped. “We’re all getting out of here, no matter fucking what!”

“We even convinced Carolina, Wyoming, and Florida to come with us,” North tried to sound reassuring, but Wash had always been able to read him. He was scared. And that scared Wash. 

“Where…?” Wash coughed. 

“Who fucking cares? All that matters is that we’re not here,” South’s response didn’t help calm Wash’s nerves. 

South took off in a run before Wash was prepared, and all he could do was bury his face in her back. 

Washington blinked, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the light. For a few terrifying seconds, he thought he was back in The Director’s lab, he nearly threw himself out of the bed, before he realized he wasn’t tied down. Looking around, he realized he was in a small infirmary, he saw Connie wrapped in bandages but looking better than she had the last time he had seen her. He could see Maine and South sitting in two uncomfortable looking chairs. It was almost funny seeing Maine sitting in a tiny chair. 

He forced himself to take a few deep breaths to calm down and take stock of his current situation. He was in an unfamiliar place, but he saw people he knew and trusted. His headache had not gone away, but he felt less shitty than before. 

“Hey,” Wash called. 

The effect was immediate. South and Maine both whipped around to face him. 

“You okay?” Maine asked, standing up. The big guy moved over to Wash. 

“I…I think so? Still have a headache but I don’t feel like death warmed over anymore. Where are we?”

“UA high school, a place for kids to learn how to be heroes, ” South’s eye roll was practically audible. “But, the school nurse is a pro or something. She’s got like, a healing quirk I guess. She used it on Carolina last night.”

“But, what about Connie?” Wash asked. 

“She’s waiting for her to wake up,” Maine rumbled. 

“She told us CT would be fine. It’s probably because she’s getting actual medical treatment instead of York trying to kill himself healing her,” South said. 

“Where’s everyone else?” Wash finally asked. 

“Eraserhead apparently has some place for us to stay. Told us that it would be ‘safe,’” South said. “We decided to stay behind to keep an eye on you and CT, everyone else needed a goddamn nap.”

“Tex had to physically drag North and Carolina out of here because they refused to leave,” Maine cracked a small smile. Wash returned the smile. 

“Ah, you’re up,” an old woman hobbled over to Wash. “I’m Recovery Girl. How are you feeling, dear?” 

“Uh, like I told these guys, mostly just a headache at this point.”

“Hmm,” Recovery Girl moved to grab a thermometer from one of the cabinets. “Open your mouth.”

Wash obeyed as she placed the thermometer in his mouth. When it finally beeped, she took it. 

“Good, it looks like your fever broke some time last night,” she said. 

“Oh, that’s good,” Wash said. He wasn’t really sure what else to say to that. 

“If you are still feeling fine by the end of the day, I will let you leave. The rest of your friends have been quite worried about you and I think they would like to know you’re okay,” Recovery Girl gently patted his arm. 

“Thank you, ma’am. And thank you for looking after Connie,” Wash responded. He wasn’t sure how comfortable he was trusting these pros, but it was better than being used as an experiment. 

“It’s no trouble at all, dear. You two are welcome to stay here with him if you’d like.”

South and Maine shared a look. 

“We’ll stay,” Maine said. 

“Like hell we’re leaving this dumbass alone,” South picked up her chair and set it down near Wash’s bed so she could place her feet on it and lean back. 

Chapter Text

York glanced around the room, looking for anything suspicious. He didn’t care what Eraserhead had told them about this so-called ‘safe house’, York wanted to make damn sure nothing could touch his family. Not again. His gaze drifted towards the windows across from where North, Carolina, and himself were sitting. He was squished between the two of them, as they had both fallen asleep after several arguments and a creative use of York’s quirk. He had just wanted his partners to get some rest and take care of themselves. 

Looking out the window, York noticed it getting late and South and Maine still hadn’t come back. York knew he was being paranoid, but paranoia is what kept him alive during his time in The Director’s lab. He was worried. Not only that, but there still hasn’t been any update on CT or Wash. 

York wasn’t given anymore time to dwell on this, because the door opened. York turned towards the door. He instinctively grabbed a knife that was on the coffee table. He wasn’t nearly as good with knives as CT or Wash were but he was good enough. If someone had broken in and planned to attack them, York could take them out. He felt Carolina shift next to him, she was probably waking up, but that was fine. If a fight did actually break out, having Carolina on his side would make things so much easier. Maybe waking North up would be good too, just in case. 

“It’s me,” Eraserhead called. “Recovery Girl told me your friend Washington is okay enough to leave the infirmary. I was going to go pick him, South, and Maine up after I dropped off this stuff for you.”

York saw him hold up several plastic bags filled with food and probably other important things for living. 

“Aw, did you go grocery shopping for us?” York quipped. He placed a hand over his heart and sighed dramatically. “How kind of you!”

“Yeah yeah. Will you kids be alright if I go pick up the others?” 

“We’re not kids,” York said, a little childishly.  “And how do I know you’re being honest?”

Eraserhead gave York a look, not quite disappointed, but something close. Maybe a little judgemental. Either that or York was way too used to The Director’s constant disappointment. 

“You could come with me if that would make you feel better.”

“Or, you could tell me something about yourself that most people wouldn’t know.”

“Fine, that seems logical enough. I have 3 cats. Jelly, Meatball, and Soba.”

York burst out laughing. He felt Carolina and North startle awake next to him but he couldn’t help it. That was the funniest thing he’d heard in a long time. This super serious pro hero named his cats after food. 

“You have a cat named Meatball? ” York wheezed. 

“Huh?” North mumbled sleepily. 

“I do, and he’s a menace,” Eraserhead had a small smirk on his face. “I have a picture of all three of them if you want to see.”

“What’s he talking about?” Carolina asked. God they were both way too cute when they were sleepy. 

“My cats,” Eraserhead said, reaching for his phone. 

“You can show us later, Wash is gonna want to see them anyways. He’s a massive cat person,” York told him. 

Eraserhead nodded, “Alright, kid. Keep an eye on the others, I’ll be back soon. Put the food away while I’m gone.”

“What are you, my dad?” York called as Eraserhead shut the door. 

“What was that about?” North asked. He was rubbing his eyes as he tried to wake up a little more. 

“Wash is being freed and Eraserhead is going to pick him up. He might come back with South and Maine, depends on how CT is doing I think.”

“Do you really trust a stranger to keep us safe?” Carolina asked. This wasn’t her usual rage that came from someone trying to undermine her authority. She was asking a genuine question. 

“I don’t trust him, not yet, but I do believe that he wants to help,” York finally placed the knife back on the table and moved to run his hand through Carolina’s hair. The red was faded from all the dirt and grime. York actually pulled a leaf out of her ponytail. He honestly wasn’t sure how long that had even been there. Her eyes were no longer the bright green they had been when he first met Carolina. Instead, they had dulled to a pale green. She looked tired and older than she really was. She had become colder and closed off, only opening up around himself and North. York could only hope that she was able to open up to people again. 

York turned his head to take a look at North as well. The bastard was sitting on his blind side, so he couldn’t even subtly look. North’s hair was barely blond at this point, it was almost brown. York couldn’t help but wonder if he had just dunked his head in some mud or something. North’s eyes, like Carolina’s, had lost their shine. York was worried that North would stop trusting people, like the rest of them, because even when everyone else had turned bitter and cynical, North tried to stay optimistic, and York would hate to see him lose that. 

“Come on you two, help me put away the groceries,” York stood up and held out a hand for each of them. Carolina and North each grabbed one of his hands and stood up. 

“What, don’t want to get yelled at by the tired old man?” Carolina asked. 

“Nah, I wanna see what food he bought us,” York moved to the kitchen where Eraserhead had deposited the grocery bags. 

The three of them worked together to put the food away. 

By the time they had finished putting everything away, Tex, Florida, and Wyoming had all come to the kitchen out of curiosity, probably. York wasn’t too sure. 

“What’s all this?” Florida asked. He picked up the still full bags that were still filled with the necessary bathroom items. York couldn’t even begin to describe how excited he was to take a nice fucking shower. And hey, maybe he could get Carolina and/or North to join him. 

“Stuff Eraserhead bought for us. He got us a bunch of food too,” North said. 

“How kind of him,” Wyoming muttered sarcastically, searching through the fridge. 

“He sure seems invested in helping us,” Tex said. She leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. 

“He probably wants something,” Wyoming responded. York watched him take an apple out of the fridge. “Most everyone has their own agenda and he’s most likely just working on his.”

“I don’t know, I think he genuinely wants to help,” North countered. 

“I can’t tell if you’re incredibly naive or just plain stupid, North. After everything we just escaped, you truly believe that there are people out there who do things out of the goodness of their hearts? That people are willing to do things for no personal gain? Really? ” Wyoming walked over to North, and got up in his personal space. He had a condescending smirk on his face and an air of arrogance around him. This is why York barely tolerated Wyoming some days. Well, that and the fact that Wyoming was partially responsible for blinding him. 

“Maybe I don’t want to be nearly as jaded as you, have you ever considered that? I know people are selfish and cruel, but that doesn’t mean I have to distrust everyone I meet. Or should I just be like you? A distrustful liar who would sell someone out just to stay safe. Not everyone is like you, Wyoming. Maybe I’m the only one here who still wants to think this way, but goddamnit I just want to believe we can trust other people,” North snapped back. York could see the tension in his body. 

“Oh please, you think anyone cares about us? The harsh reality is that you can’t rely on others. I wouldn’t be surprised if, one day, South decided she didn’t need you. Unlike you, she understands the concept of fending for oneself,” Wyoming rolled his eyes. “You’re nothing more than a fool, North.”

North’s hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were turning white, and before York could do anything, North’s fist connected with Wyoming’s face with a sickening crack. Wyoming stumbled back, bringing a hand up to his nose. Blood streamed down his face. 

“Jesus, you two!” York shouted. Carolina had moved to push North away while Florida gently pulled Wyoming further back. 

“York, please make sure Wyoming’s nose isn’t broken,” Carolina instructed. 

“I don’t know, I feel like this is karma. I mean, it could be a good look for him,” York shrugged, and walked over to Wyoming. 

“York…heal him before Eraserhead gets back,” Carolina ordered. 

Florida pulled Wyoming’s hand away from his face to give York the chance to heal it. York placed two fingers on Wyoming’s nose. A soft gold light enveloped the two boys. York could feel the swelling go down almost immediately, meaning Wyoming’s nose probably hasn’t been broken, just badly bruised. The worst that would’ve happened was he’d maybe have a black eye and a massive bruise. At least this way, Eraserhead wouldn’t be able to ask questions. York dropped his hand and took a few steps back. Wyoming looked fine, aside from the blood on his face and hand. Man, it would sure suck if Eraserhead showed up before Wyoming could sort himself out. 

“Are you guys done with your dick measuring contest?” Tex asked. “Get your shit together, Eraserhead and Washington are outside.”

“ Fuck!” York, Wyoming, and Carolina all shouted. Wyoming rushed off to the bathroom to clean the blood off his face, York looked around to see if there was any blood on the ground or any furniture, and Carolina dragged North out of the kitchen so he would be able to cool down somewhere a little less crowded. 

Good news, there was no blood anywhere other than Wyoming’s face and clothes. Bad news, Eraserhead is stupidly perceptive and will realize something is wrong when North is being broody and Wyoming is hiding in a different room. Oh, well. 

Chapter Text

Shota opened the door to the safe house, Washington and Maine at his heels. South Dakota had opted to stay behind and keep an eye on CT, even though Shota had assured her that the other girl would be fine in Recovery Girl’s care.

Shota’s gaze drifted over towards Washington. Apparently, when she had gone to use her quirk on him, something strange had happened. She hadn’t been sure how to describe it, other than it felt like her quirk had been given a boost. Shota was tempted to ask Washington about it, but he was pretty confident he wouldn’t get an answer. The whole trip over, Washington had made sure to put himself between Shota and Maine, almost like he was trying to protect the bigger boy. 

Washington looked around curiously. He seemed pretty interested in the house, even though there wasn’t much in it. There was enough furniture and facilities that it was livable for a decent amount of time, but it wasn’t anything special. Shota stepped into the living room, Washington and Maine following behind him. He saw Carolina sitting with North Dakota, and something about that set him on edge. 

“I’m back,” he said, trying not to startle them. If he wanted answers he’d have to play the long game. These kids were skittish and untrusting, Shota knew he’d have to be patient if he wanted to gain their trust. 

Carolina turned to face him. She looked suspicious and unhappy with his presence until she saw Washington and Maine. 

“Where’s South?” She asked. North Dakota’s head snapped up. He looked angry. 

“She wanted to stay behind with your other friend.” 

“I think she was sick of me,” Washington shrugged. “Not that I mind, I can only interact with her in small doses.”

“She’s safe, right?” North Dakota asked, completely ignoring Washington. 

“I wouldn’t have let her stay there if I didn’t think she was safe. Recovery Girl said your friend, CT was it? Should be fine in a few more days, whatever you kids did probably saved her life,” Shota said. 

“We’ll have to thank York later then,” Carolina muttered, and Shota just barely caught it. 

“Did York take care of her injuries?” 

“Yes,” Maine said.

“So…where is everyone else?” Washington asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet. 

“Oh, York and Texas are in the kitchen and Wyoming and Florida are upstairs,” Carolina replied, a little too quickly if you asked Shota. 

Washington sat down in the chair next to the couch. Both the couch and the chair were a dark brown, and decently comfortable. Shota didn’t actually recall where he got the pieces of furniture but they had been here long enough that dust had collected. 

“Did anything exciting happen while I was gone?” Shota asked as he stepped out of the room to lock the door. 

“North punched Wyoming,” Tex called from the kitchen. 

“That was a long time coming, if you ask me!” Washington responded. 

“I’d pay good money to watch the twins beat the ever living shit out of that bastard,” York said bitterly. 

“I’m not going to beat up Wyoming,” North Dakota sighed. 

“Why not? You already tried to break his nose, may as well go all out,” Tex suggested. 

“You should break his legs,” Maine mumbled. 

“Or his wrists, if you don’t want any more competition,” Carolina said. 

“I can hear you, I hope you realize that!” Wyoming shouted from upstairs. “And I would prefer not to fight South, thank you very much!”

“Oh, so you’d be okay with fighting North?” Washington asked.

“Yes, because we are equally bad at hand to hand!”

“I’m better than you, jackass!” North Dakota shouted.

Shota sighed. This was exhausting. Children were exhausting. He hadn’t expected a fight to break out while he was gone. He had hoped that this would be an uneventful night. He had been hoping to ask the kids a few questions, nothing too invasive, just enough to maybe help them, but now he didn’t think that would be happening. All the kids seemed…preoccupied with getting Washington back. 

York had wandered in and ruffled the younger boy’s hair, North Dakota had scooted closer to him with a bright smile and a look of relief on his face. Carolina was sitting back with a small grin. Maine continued to stand behind Washington almost protectively. Tex had her arms crossed as she leaned against the wall, her eyes locked on to Shota, but every few seconds, he caught her glancing at Washington. Shota was honestly surprised when Wyoming and Florida came downstairs. Wyoming had blood on his shirt, presumably from getting punched. Florida had a smile on his face, but that smile never reached his eyes. Both boys nodded at Washington. The glazed over look in Wyoming’s eyes that Shota had gotten fairly used to seeing finally faded. The tension in Florida’s shoulders had dissipated. 

Shota decided to let the kids chat with each other. He could at least make dinner for them while they checked on Washington. He needed to make something relatively easy considering he had to feed 8 teenagers. He really should’ve thought this through. 

With a sigh, Shota got to work putting together some curry, hopefully this would be enough for them. 

It was like drawing moths to a flame. As soon as he got to work, the kids started to filter in. Carolina wandered in first, curiosity and caution written on her face. Maine followed shortly after with Washington at his heels. Florida sauntered in and his face lit up when he saw the food cooking. York and North Dakota came next. North Dakota gave Shota a smile, while York tilted his head and shot Shota a look. Wyoming and Tex stepped in last, both of them looked distrustful. From what little Shota had been able to gather about this group, they had every right not to trust him. He didn’t expect them to tell him anything right away, he knew it would take time before they were willing to be honest with him. 

Once the food was ready, Shota turned to the group. 

“Help yourselves,” he said. 

None of them moved. They all just stared at him with varying degrees of confusion, doubt, and caution. 

“What do you want?” Carolina asked. She had taken a step forward, placing herself between him and the rest of the group. 

“For you kids to eat an actual meal instead of stealing food,” Shota answered honestly. 

“No, I mean, why are you doing this? What do you want? ” 

“York asked me to help you, and I’m going to do that.”

“York asked you to get Wash and CT medical attention, he didn’t ask you to do all of this,” Carolina snapped. 

Shota watched as Washington reached out to grab her arm, but she shook him off. She gave him a look, and he backed off immediately. 

“I’m not going to abandon a bunch of kids who need more help than what they’re asking for. I wasn’t going to leave you in an abandoned warehouse when I could give you a place to stay,” Shota reasoned.

“So you decided to cook for us too?” She practically growled. 

“Didn’t look like any of you were going to do it, so someone had to,” Shota responded. He wasn’t going to press them for answers, not until they were ready. 

“You better not be trying to drug us.”

“Why the fuck would I do that?” Shota was filled with a cold rage. They were expecting him to drug them. Who did that to kids?  

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Florida said with the same false cheer he always seemed to have. 

“I didn’t put anything in it, it’s just curry. I’ll have some too if that’ll make you feel better,” Shota forced himself to stay calm. He would not lose his shit in front of these kids. He needed to stay calm and make sure they felt comfortable here. 

Carolina looked at him expectantly. Shota grabbed a plate and put some of the curry on it. He took several bites and shrugged. 

“It’s pretty good,” he told them. 

Hesitantly, Carolina grabbed a plate and served herself a small portion. She took a careful bite and Shota watched her eyes widen. She looked ready to devour the rest of her plate but didn’t. 

“It’s…it’s ok,” she said, taking another bite. 

That was apparently all the rest of the kids needed as they all grabbed some for themselves, and Carolina got a much bigger second serving. 

“So, all this is really just because you wanted to, not because you want anything from us?” Carolina asked. 

“For right now? Yes. Obviously, I have questions but what matters most right now is making sure you kids are all safe and healthy,” Shota said. He could wait for answers. 

Carolina looked at each of the other kids, who had spread themselves out around the kitchen and living room before looking back at Shota. 

“We can answer some questions, as long as we can tell you when to back off.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Shota nodded. “Alright, how old are you kids?”

“Wyoming is 18, Florida and Texas are 17, York, the twins and I are 16, Maine and CT are 15, and Wash is 14.”

Shota had to grit his teeth to keep himself from cursing. He was furious. Some of the youngest kids had been the ones that Recovery Girl had to help. York had mentioned experiments yesterday, and Shota realized that that was why Carolina had asked about the food. 

“Where are your parents?” Shota hadn’t meant for that to slip out. Carolina drew in a sharp breath. 

“Doesn’t matter,” she mumbled. 

“Sorry, I won’t ask again.”

“Thanks. Any other burning questions for me or do you have any for the others?”

“Am I allowed to ask for real names or quirks?”

Carolina hesitated. The stoic look on her face crumbled and it shifted to fear. “You might use our names against us.”

“I wouldn’t. I’d reach out to your families or inform the police about you at most, so long as you were comfortable with that, but I wouldn’t put you in any more danger,” Shota said gently. He crouched down in front of her. “You don’t have to tell me right now, though.”

“Quirks aren’t off limits,” she said. 

“Alright, so tell me about yours.”

“Super speed. I think that’s pretty self explanatory,” she seemed to have regained her composure, or at least, she was doing a good job putting up a front. 

Shota nodded. “Maybe you kids could show me what you can do some other time, just so I know what I’m dealing with.”

“Yeah, that sounds like fun,” Carolina grinned. “Now go ask the others, I’m not explaining their quirks to you.”

“Yeah yeah, I’m going,” Shota stood up and walked over to Wyoming, York, Maine, and Tex. The tension between them was weirdly high. 

Tex and Wyoming seemed to be locked in a staring contest, neither of them seemed happy with the other. York was sitting on Wyoming’s left, staring at his empty plate. Maine was sitting on Tex’s right, looking mildly uncomfortable with the whole situation. 

“Am I interrupting something?” Shota asked.

“Jesus Christ!” York shouted. The brunet placed a hand on his chest as he tried to slow his heart rate. “Why do people always come up on my left? Why?”

“I wasn’t trying to be sneaky.”

“You weren’t exactly making a lot of noise.”

“Sorry,” Shota said. 

York waved him off, “meh, don’t worry about it. So, what’s up? You done talking to Lina?”

“Yes, what was that about?” Wyoming chimed in. 

“She told me she would answer some questions, and when I asked about quirks, she told me to ask you all myself, instead of her telling me,” Shota explained as he sat down in a chair. 

Shota caught the look Wyoming and York shared, a look of mild disbelief and shock. 

“Did she now?” Tex finally asked. 

“You don’t have to answer, I’m not going to pressure you,” Shota assured. He would be patient in waiting for answers, building trust was more important right now. 

“Right, okay. If Lina gave the okay, I don’t see why not. Mine is called Suggestion, basically I just have to ask people something real nicely and they’ll do it,” York explained. “Doesn’t really work if I’m being sarcastic though.”

“You use sarcasm quite a bit, no wonder your quirk is almost useless,” Wyoming rolled his eyes. York glared at the black haired boy, but Wyoming ignored him and continued to speak. “My quirk is Hunter. Best way to describe it would be, I can see the outlines of people through objects and mark one or two at a time to actively track, if that makes sense.”

“Like an enemy radar in a video game,” Maine spoke up. 

“Something like that, yes.”

That would explain why Wyoming was constantly staring off into space, he was most likely tracking people and making sure no one tried to sneak up on them. 

“Regeneration,” Maine said once Wyoming had finished. “But it only works on myself.”

“The big guy’s practically indestructible,” York joked. 

“Maine and Wash are on the same spectrum of indestructible but different ends, no I will not elaborate,” Tex smirked. Maine snorted and gave a small shrug. “Mine basically gives me enhanced physical abilities.”

“Makes her a real bitch to fight,” York said casually. 

“Speaking from experience?” Shota asked. 

“Yes,” Wyoming, Maine, and York chorused. 

Tex simply sat back in her chair with a smirk, “Sorry boys. Better luck next time.”

“Oh fuck that,” Wyoming stood up abruptly. “I would rather not fight you again.”

Maine nodded in agreement. 

“I’d be willing to get my ass kicked by you again if I had a different team. You know, people who won’t throw a grenade at my face.”

“I wasn’t aiming at you,” Maine grumbled. 

“Yeah, I know, big guy. I think I’m allowed to be angry about how that fight went, considering,” York reached out and patted Maine’s arm. 

Shota almost asked if that was how York got the scar around his eye, but he didn’t think that would be a good idea. Instead, Shota let out a quiet hmm. 

“Thanks for the food, by the way,” Tex said as she stood up. 

“Don’t worry about it, you kids looked like you needed something to eat.” 

Tex raised an eyebrow at him. She made a show of looking him over, “right. Whatever you say, Eraserhead.”

She turned and walked back towards the kitchen, where Shota saw her grab some more food. He noticed Carolina had grabbed another serving for herself and was making her way over to this group. Shota figured this would be a good time to talk with the others. Washington, North Dakota, and Florida were sitting in the living room talking quietly with each other. 

“How’s the curry?” Shota asked as he made his way over to them. 

“Oh, it’s delicious!” Florida smiled at him. 

“South’s not gonna be happy she missed this,” North Dakota chuckled. 

“Ish gud!” Washington said through a mouth full of curry. 

“I’m glad you kids are enjoying it,” Shota said. He sat down on the couch next to Florida. 

“What were you talking to the others about?” Washington asked. 

“I was asking about their quirks.”

“And let me guess, you’re curious about ours as well?” Florida chirped. 

“Yeah, pretty much. I’m not going to force you to tell me if you don’t want to,” Shota said. 

“Oh no, it’s not a problem! I certainly don’t mind sharing. I can adjust how much pain I feel!”

“You-what?” Shota choked. That was a dangerous quirk, especially for the kid. If he didn’t know how injured he was, he could get himself killed. 

“It’s fucking terrifying,” North Dakota commented. “Maine tried to snap him in half like a twig once and he just…stood up, like nothing happened.”

“Oh, I was fine!” Florida smiled. 

“Right because having several broken bones and internal bleeding counts as being fine,” North Dakota narrowed his eyes at Florida. 

“I don’t want to hear this from the person who decided to take several bullets for South despite her being perfectly capable of dealing with that herself.”

“I was fine,” North Dakota argued. 

“You were not,” Washington huffed. “I very specifically remember you being the opposite of fine.”

“Bold words from the kid who gets hit by cars every time he’s near them.”

“It’s not every time!” Washington’s voice cracked as he protested loudly. 

That raised alarms in Shota’s head. In what situation would these kids be getting shot at? Who had let these kids get into that kind of trouble?

“Okay, fine, maybe I don’t make the best decisions when South gets into trouble, I will admit this,” North Dakota said sheepishly. 

“Just South?” Washington said sarcastically. 

“You’re not a very good liar, North!” Florida laughed at that same time as Washington’s comment. 

“Anyways,” North Dakota coughed uncomfortably. “We’ve gotten a little off topic, don’t you think?”

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Shota admitted. “Feel free to keep talking, though. I’m not going to stop you.”

“It’s fine, we really should answer your question. I can basically lock onto a target and use that to improve my aim. My sister likes to tell me I have built in aim assist and then she gets mad at me when I’m better at hitting things from range than her,” North Dakota said. 

Shota nodded, and looked over at Washington. He was the last person currently here that hasn’t answered his question. 

“I can mimic other people’s skills so long as I can watch them do it for about a minute or so,” the freckled blond said. 

“Is there a limit to how long you can use those skills or not?” Shota asked. He was honestly, just curious. Washington regarded him carefully for several seconds before responding. 

“I can use them as long as I remember what that person did.”

There was more to that than what Washington was telling him, but Shota wouldn’t pry. He’d have to ask about South Dakota and CT’s quirks when they got here. 

“Oh, I should probably give you a heads up about my sister’s quirk, just in case you see her tonight and she’s in a mood,” North Dakota suddenly said. If Shota didn’t already know what his quirk was, he would’ve thought he could read minds. 

“And why should I be worried about her?” Shota asked. 

“She’s more likely to use her quirk if she’s angry.”

“God, she’s such a bitch,” Washington grumbled. 

North Dakota glared at him, but didn’t grace his comment with a response. Instead, he continued on with his explanation.

“Her quirk allows her to go into a rage, and she just does whatever she wants at that point, and she’s damn near unstoppable.”

“That’s good to know,” Shota said. “What about CT?”

“She can create an afterimage of herself,” Florida piped up. Washington gave the black haired boy a scathing look. It seemed like the youngest of the group didn’t trust easily, and no matter how lighthearted he had been before, it was clear that Washington didn’t want to give Shota any answers. Shota could see the dark circles under his eyes. He had noticed them earlier, but now that he was closer, the exhaustion was more obvious. Not to mention he had isolated himself from the others. His gloved hands rested in his lap as he avoided contact with the others. 

God, Shota was worried about these kids. He didn’t want to leave them alone, but he knew he had to go on his patrol, and that they most likely wouldn’t want him here while they slept. He could always come back later to check up on them, just to make sure they’re okay.

Yeah, he would just make sure to come back during the night, he could only hope that nothing happened while he was gone.

Chapter Text

Wash knew he wasn’t supposed to be here. He had honestly just been wandering around when he found a door with a sign that said “restricted area.” He usually avoided going into places like this, knowing that if he got caught, he would be punished for disobeying the Director’s orders, but something about this place made him pause. He could hear the sound of footsteps behind the door. It sounded like someone was sprinting towards the door. The footsteps came closer and closer, until there was a crash as something slammed into the door. 

“Let me out!” Someone screamed. There was another loud slam as whoever was behind the door tried to break through. Wash moved to the door on instinct. He searched for a way to open the door, and found a keypad. Wash should’ve known. He had seen some of the guards and scientists put in codes before, so maybe he could try one. He knew a bunch of them, but he had no idea if they would work here. Wash took off his gloves and slipped them into his pocket.

The person on the other side kept screaming, and it seemed like they had no intention of stopping. 

“Shhhhh,” Wash hissed. “Stop yelling or you’ll attract the guards!”

The person quieted briefly, then, in a shaky voice asked, “Who the fuck are you?”

“I’m Wash, now, shush, I’m gonna try to open the door, but I don’t know if I can.”

“Okay, okay.”

“What’s your name? And do you know the code?” Wash asked as he tried the first code he knew. It was the head of security’s code. The keypad beeped angrily at him. Not that one then. 

“Epsilon…and no I don’t know the goddamn code. That fucking bastard never let us out of our rooms.”

Fuck. That didn’t help. Wash tried the code he had seen one of the scientists put in when they locked the door before any of the experiments. The keypad beeped angrily again.

“Hurry up! I don’t know how long I have!” Epsilon urged.

“I’m trying, I’m trying! I don’t know the code!” Wash was starting to panic. If he couldn’t figure this out, and he got caught, he didn’t want to find out what would happen. In a desperate move, Wash tried the code he had seen Price use to lock his office. The keypad lit up and the door swished open, revealing a boy who couldn’t be older than 9, maybe 10 at the oldest. He had light blue hair, almost unnaturally pale skin, and dull blue eyes. He was in a hospital gown, with cuts and bruises covering his arms and legs. He looked almost haunted by whatever he had been through. Wash stepped back, giving Epsilon the chance to run.

The blue haired boy took a few shaky steps out of the hallway, before collapsing. Wash lunged for him. He knew he made a mistake as soon as he touched Epsilon. 

He found himself drowning in memories that weren’t his, but it was impossible to separate them from his own. Memories of being dragged forcefully out of a tank and immediately dragged to a lab, where others were already restrained and unconscious. They tested drugs on him, and when the results weren’t what they had hoped, they called him worthless and a waste of time. No one touched him, he only caused pain. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he cried, but that wasn’t Wash’s voice. Was it? He didn’t know. He didn’t know. 

Epsilon woke up screaming. He didn’t know where he was. It was hard to breathe. Why couldn’t he breathe? He heard someone calling a name. Who were they talking to?

“-shington! Washington!” They called. 

That wasn’t his name, was it? He was…he was Epsilon, right?

“Washington, I need you to breathe,” the voice instructed. 

No, that wasn’t right. He wasn’t Epsilon. He was Washington. Breathing was hard, how did the voice expect him to do it? He was trying. 

“Kid, I need you to focus on breathing, okay?” The voice was strangely calm. If Wash couldn’t breathe, shouldn’t they be panicking too? 

“Just, follow my breathing,” the voice instructioned. Wash tried to match their breathing but it was hard. He really was trying! Wash kind of wanted to cry. He focused on trying to slow his breaths, no matter how futile it felt. 

“That’s it,” the voice reassured. 

After what felt like hours, Wash’s breathing finally evened out. He blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear his vision. He didn’t remember closing his eyes. He took a few shaky breaths as he finally looked around the room. It was dark, and he was sitting on an old couch. Sitting in front of him was Eraserhead, looking concerned. Wash scrambled away from the hero on instinct. He had no idea what the hero wanted, but he had a feeling that he wasn’t just doing this out of the goodness of his heart. He hadn’t trusted the hero on the walk back to the safe house, he wasn’t going to trust him now. 

“Hey, you with me?” Eraserhead asked. 

Shit. It just occurred to Wash that Eraserhead witnessed his breakdown. Fuck . Fuck. He’d want to know what caused that, and Wash didn’t want to tell him about his nightmare. His memory. No, not his. Epsilon’s . Wash hadn’t even been able to tell the others about what happened. He didn’t want to. 

Eraserhead was still staring at him expectedly, waiting for a response to his question. Right. 

“Yeah…yeah, I am,” Wash responded hesitantly. 

“Good,” Eraserhead nodded. He stood up from the crouch he was in. “Well, I should get back to my patrol. I had been planning on stopping by to make sure nothing happened, and I’m glad I did.”

“Right, uh, sure. Thanks for the help.”

“No problem, Washington.”

Ah, fuck it. If they were going to be dealing with this guy for a while he might as well. “You can call me Wash. Just easier that way.”

Eraserhead smirked at him. “Aizawa. Now, you should try to get some more rest, Recovery Girl will have my head if you get sick again.”

“I’ll try,” Wash said. 

“I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon to make sure you kids don’t get into any trouble with no adult supervision,” Eraserhead-no Aizawa said. The older man quietly slipped out the door after that. Maybe, the hero wasn’t nearly as bad as Wash had originally thought. 

Wash heard the sound of footsteps rushing down the stairs and he saw North looking worried and confused, holding his rifle. 

“Wash? What the fuck was that? Are you okay?” North asked in a panic. 

“Sorry, I had a nightmare. I’m fine,” Wash tried to give North a reassuring smile, but it felt shaky. 

North sighed. “Okay, that’s better than I was expecting.”

“Like I said, I’m fine now, you should go back to sleep.”

Wash hadn’t been expecting North to walk over to the couch and sit down next to him. He carefully unloaded the rifle and placed it on the table before turning to Wash. “You’re right, we should go to sleep.”

“But, what about-?”

“York and Carolina will be fine. I’m sure they’ll enjoy having more room in the bed,” North countered. 

Wash sighed. He knew wasn’t going to win. When North went full dad mode, no one could stop him. All Wash could do was accept his fate and allow North to hover. 

North reached out, clearly giving Wash the chance to pull away if he wanted. Wash let himself flop dramatically against North. He grabbed the discarded blanket and draped it over both of their laps before he curled up. North placed a gentle hand on Wash’s back. Wash let his eyes close, knowing that North wouldn’t let anything happen to them if he could help it. It seemed like Wash would be able to get some more sleep tonight, despite the nightmare. 

“Night, Wash,” North muttered. 

“Night,” Wash mumbled back sleepily. 

For once, Wash was able to fall asleep relatively quickly. 

Chapter Text

Connie hadn’t been expecting to wake up in a small infirmary with an old woman checking her over. Actually, Connie hadn’t been expecting to wake up at all. She was pretty sure she had died after getting Texas the files she stole. She remembered pain, so much pain, but she had pushed through to make sure Texas had all the information on the Director that might help them take him down. She remembered blacking out not too long after that, and well, to be honest, she had thought that would be it, but apparently she was wrong. 

Instead, she had woken up in a strange place, in less pain than before. She knew better than to panic. If she showed her fear, they would only use it against her. So, she wouldn’t let them know she was scared. 

The old woman finally seemed to notice she was awake, and hobbled over with a small smile on her face. “How are you feeling, dear?”

Dear? Dear? That was new. This definitely wasn’t one of the Director’s doctors then. They didn’t believe in terms of endearment, they just called everyone who came into their lab “subject” or their full name. Connie never liked being called Connecticut, especially not by those freaks. 

“I’m okay,” Connie lied. Moving hurt, and she had no idea where she was. It felt like she was alone, no one from her team was here. 

Of course they wouldn’t be here. She was a traitor. She turned their backs on them and turned them against each other. She didn’t deserve to have them here. 

“Don’t lie to me, young lady. You’ve certainly been through a lot, but I’m here to help,” the old woman insisted. 

Connie narrowed her eyes at the woman. “You’re here to help? What kind of help?”

“I can speed up the healing of your injuries.”

So her quirk was similar to…wait. That’s how she survived! York must’ve saved her. 

“I’ve already helped two of your friends, I just wanted you to wake up before I healed you,” the old woman continued. 

“My…friends? Who did you help?” Connie asked. Who came with me? She thought desperately. 

“I believe it was Washington and Carolina.”

Connie let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Maybe they hadn’t abandoned her. But, that didn’t make any sense, Connie couldn’t understand why no one would be here. If they really had escaped, then leaving her alone just put a target on her back. 

“You’re lucky to have such good friends. South Dakota has barely left your side in the few days you’ve been here.”

“South was here?” Connie couldn’t stop herself from asking. 

“Still is, I believe. Principal Nedzu came to talk to her not too long ago. He practically had to drag her to get lunch with him.”

“Principal? I’m sorry, where am I?” 

“You’re at UA High school. I’m the school nurse, Recovery Girl,” the old woman said. 

This was…a hero school. This was either a really elaborate lie set up by the Counselor, or Texas had succeeded, and Connie was thinking it was probably the latter. 

“How long have I been here?” Connie asked. 

“Only a few days, dear,” Recovery Girl responded. “Now then, let me ask you again, how are you feeling?”

“A lot of things hurt but it’s nowhere near as bad as it was before. I’ll be fine.” 

Recovery Girl didn’t look impressed. She actually looked kind of disappointed. Connie felt…bad? She hadn’t felt bad about disappointing someone in years! 

“I’m also kind of hungry,” she offered. 

Recovery Girl sighed, but she gave Connie a gentle smile. “I’ll ask someone to get you some food, how does that sound?”

Connie smiled back. “That sounds great, thank you.”

She watched the old woman walk out of the infirmary and immediately, Connie forced herself to sit up. She drew in a sharp breath as her chest exploded in pain. 

Right. She probably had fractured ribs. Well, maybe bruised at this point if York really did have a hand in keeping her alive. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and almost collapsed when she put pressure on her right leg. Looking down, she saw bandages wrapped around her lower leg, covering most of it. She hadn’t thought of it at the time, but she must’ve been clawed by one of the guards when she tried to run with the files. Still, she refused to stay here. She needed to find South, and then find the others. Slowly standing up, Connie took a shaky step forward and almost collapsed again. Her body was shaky from not moving for a while, it seemed. Connie stood up, and this time, she used the wall to support herself. She spotted an air vent on the wall across from where she was standing. It looked big enough for her to fit in, but small enough that most others wouldn’t be able to get in. The only problem was that she didn’t have a lay out of the school. Hiding was more important, she could worry about escaping later. Shuffling along the wall, Connie kept an eye out, making sure that no one was going to find her in the middle of her escape attempt. She carefully stepped onto one of the shitty chairs and began her attempt at opening the vent. 

“My my, I was sure we’d have a few more minutes before you tried to run!” Someone said from the doorway. Connie almost fell off the chair in surprise. She whipped around to see South standing there, in clothes that she definitely hadn’t owned before. She was wearing a massive purple hoodie that looked like it would’ve fit North better, a pair of jeans, and black sneakers. Her hair actually looked like it had been washed recently, and it was pulled out of her face. Connie couldn’t help but think she looked really cute. 

“CT, what the fuck?!” South yelled. Her eyes were wide, and she looked almost shocked. 

“I was exploring,” Connie tried to sound casual, but she was leaning pretty heavily against the wall at this point, and her leg hurt the longer she stood on it. 

“Well, I do admire your tenacity, however, you are still injured and Recovery Girl will not be happy with you if she catches you,” the voice from before said. Connie looked around wildly, trying to find where the mysterious being was. “I’m down here!” 

Connie looked down and saw a mouse? Bear? Thing standing next to South. He was this small, white animal (?) wearing a suit. He had a scar over his left eye, and a bright smile on his face. 

“Hello!” He said. 

“Uh…hello? Are you…principal Nedzu?” Connie asked. 

“That’s right! I am! And you are CT, correct?”

“What, South yelling my name didn’t give that away?” 

“I just wanted to be polite! But yes, I do know your name. You must be feeling better if you’re up and moving.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Connie said, hoping that he wouldn’t see through her lies. 

“Why don’t you come on down, and we can get some food? Recovery Girl mentioned you were hungry!” Principal Nedzu said. 

He was calling her bluff. He could see right through her. Connie knew she had been caught. If she tried to make it anywhere without support, she wouldn’t get very far. With a defeated sigh, Connie carefully stepped down from the chair, but she didn’t move from there. 

“You,” South said, as she walked over. “Are a fucking idiot. Are you trying to channel North or did you finally just give up on using your brain and go for impulsive stupidity, instead?”

Connie could only shrug as South wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her back to the bed. Connie sighed in relief as she laid down. It felt good to take the pressure off her leg. Even though her muscles were screaming at her for her very poor choice. South was right, which was rare, she hadn’t exactly thought her actions through, so focused on getting away that she hadn’t actually stopped to think about how far she would really get. This time, she would wait until her injuries had healed and then she would try again.

“Don’t try to wander off before you are fully healed, that would just hurt you more, and we certainly don’t want that,” Principal Nedzu said. He hopped up onto a chair and smiled at her. 

“Where did Recovery Girl go? I thought she was gonna follow us back,” South plopped herself onto Connie’s bed.

“She most likely went to find Aizawa, since he is the one looking after you kids,” the principal said. 

“Who’s Aizawa?” Connie asked. 

“He’s the dude that got us a place to stay. Turns out, he’s a pro hero and a teacher. He’s been spending a lot of time with the others. The most I’ve really seen him recently was when he threw some clothes at me and told me I could take a shower if I wanted,” South answered. “I don’t really give a shit about the guy, but he’s managed to keep North off my ass, so I appreciate that.”

Connie laughed at that.

“You’re welcome for that,” A gruff voice said. Connie was getting tired of people appearing randomly.

“Yes yes, thank you for distracting my brother so he isn’t having a breakdown without me,” South said flippantly. Connie knew South cared about her twin, she just needed space sometimes. The Director had caused a rift in their relationship early on, and they were still trying to fix things. Unfortunately, this meant that North had stuck very close to South, and South occasionally needed a break from him. 

“It’s good to see you awake,” Aizawa said. He was holding a small bowl with rice in it. Recovery Girl shuffled in after him. 

Aizawa handed Connie the bowl and without saying a word, grabbed the chair Nedzu was sitting on and dragged it over. The principal clambered onto Aizawa’s shoulders and nestled into the weird scarf on his neck. 

Connie stared at the bowl in her hands and hesitantly took a bite. She wasn’t actually all that hungry but she knew she should try to eat. She just had a bad feeling that these heroes would want to know everything. She needed to make sure Texas still had all the information, all the files, everything, she had gathered. It would be easier to explain things if she had tangible evidence, rather than just telling them that the Director is one of the most well known, and well regarded scientists in the world. Because, who would believe a little girl who had run away? Connie took another bite of the rice. 

“Now then, I think we would all like to know what happened to you that you ended up in such a bad state,” Principal Nedzu said. 

“I got my hands on some information I shouldn’t have, people tried to stop me,” Connie answered. 

“You were attacked?” Recovery Girl sounded horrified. 

“More or less.”

“Who would use this kind of force on a child?” 

The same people who did experiments on children. Connie thought angrily. 

“They wanted to kill you, didn’t they?” Aizawa asked.

“Like I said, I got my hands on information that the Director didn’t want anyone else to find out about.”

Connie felt South squeeze her hand gently. 

“Do you have a copy of this information?” Principal Nedzu asked, leaning forward slightly. 

“I gave it to someone else. Let me talk to Texas, she’s not going to show any of you the files unless I give her the okay.”

“Wait, what files?” South asked. “That bitch never mentioned any files.”

“It’s a whole bunch of information on the project, on us, and his experiments,” Connie said. “I found them while digging through the servers, and I managed to make a copy of a decent amount of the data before getting caught. I gave it to Texas for safe keeping.”

“You never told me about this,” South whispered, sounding slightly betrayed. 

“Would you have believed me if I had told you?”

“Wha-! Of course I would have!” 

Connie didn’t say anything, she just raised an eyebrow at her friend. 

“Okay…maybe not immediately,” South admitted. 

“I hate to ask you this so soon after you woke up, but would you be willing to retrieve the files from your friend?” Principal Nedzu asked. 

“Sure, if you make me a promise first.”

“And what would that be?”

“Don’t bring this to the police or any other heroes. Not yet. I don’t know if the others are ready to talk about what happened right now, and if the police find out, they’re going to want information from us.”

“That’s a tall ask,” Aizawa said hesitantly. “The sooner we can get this information to the authorities, the sooner we can find the person responsible for this.”

“Going after him will alert him that he’s been found out. He’ll know where the information came from, and it’ll paint an even bigger target on our backs. I don’t want to be hunted down because you didn’t fucking listen to me when I warned you. If you go after the Director now, he will find us ,” Connie could not stress this enough. The Director was on high alert right now, and anything that caught his attention would lead him to their group. 

“I see,” Principal Nedzu hummed. “I think that’s doable! This information does not leave this room, is everyone in agreement?”

Aizawa and Recovery Girl both nodded. 

“Good! Hmm, maybe it’s time we add another dorm, it might be helpful if we have to keep a group of rowdy kids safe in the future. What do you think, Aizawa?”

“That seems like a logical plan,” the hero agreed. 

“Lovely! Now then, I should let Recovery Girl give you a proper check up. Let either myself or Aizawa know when you are feeling up to sharing those files with us,” the principal hopped out of Aizawa’s scarf and walked out of the infirmary. Connie was half expecting Aizawa to go with him, but the man stayed seated. 

“Don’t you have class to teach or something?” Connie asked. 

“No, I expelled them. They had no potential,” he responded casually. 

“Are you even allowed to do that?” 

“Yes.”

“Horrifying, thank you.”

“No problem.”

“Finish eating that dear and I’ll heal you up,” Recovery Girl interrupted…whatever the hell that conversation was. 

Connie turned her attention back to the barely touched rice. She made sure to eat most of it before awkwardly placing it on the bedside table. 

Recovery Girl came over to her and moved in to give her a…kiss??

Connie tried to pull away but South forced her to stay still. Damn her and her physical strength. 

“It’s fine, this is how her quirk works,” South assured. 

Connie didn’t exactly relax, but she did allow the old woman to plant a kiss on her forehead. Immediately, Connie felt her energy drain, and her eyes began to drift closed. She tried to fight it, but it was hard. 

“Just rest, dear. You’ll feel better when you wake up,” Recovery Girl said quietly. 

Connie let her eyes close, and she slumped against South. She could find the others when she woke up. 

Chapter Text

To say South was pissed was an understatement. Texas and CT both had all the information from the Director’s experiments and neither of them had said anything. Why not? And now CT had just agreed to tell a bunch of strangers all their secrets. That was complete and total bullshit . And Aizawa, the sneaky piece of shit, had been way too willing to accept the information. 

Okay, maybe South wasn’t angry that CT wanted to give them the data. She was angry that nobody had told her they had it. This felt too damn important to keep secret. 

That might be why CT wanted to give it to the pros. But, someone would have to explain to the others that CT was willing to spill all their secrets, even if she had bargained for a way to keep everything quiet for the time being. 

South clenched her fists and stared at the ground. She didn’t know what to do, and she hated it. She wanted to trust CT’s judgement, and believe that she was doing the smart thing, but after everything they had gone through, South couldn’t find it in herself to trust the heroes. She knew she wasn’t the only one either. Carolina, Wyoming, Florida, and Wash were all in the same boat as her. York and Maine probably didn’t trust them, but they didn’t outwardly distrust them, either. South knew her stupid brother was the only one who would trust them way too easily and way too fast, and it would bite him in the ass down the line. 

“Hey,” Aizawa called. 

South nearly jumped a foot in the air. She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she had forgotten he was there. 

“Don’t fucking do that!” She snapped. 

“I can hear you overthinking things from here,” he said dryly. 

“Yeah? And what the fuck are you gonna do about it?”

“Let’s take a walk,” Aizawa suggested as he stood up. 

“What?” That made South pause. Why did he want to go on a walk?

“You heard me, come on,” he continued to stare at her expectantly. 

With an irritated grunt, South rolled off of CT’s bed and walked over to Aizawa’s side. Aizawa started walking off down one of the hallways, in the opposite direction of the teachers lounge where Nedzu had taken South for lunch. 

“Where are we going?” South asked. 

“Nowhere in particular. You just looked like you needed to cool off,” Aizawa responded. 

“I’m perfectly fucking calm.”

“Sure you are. This is about the information CT has, isn’t it?”

South grit her teeth and glared straight ahead. “Yes,” she ground out. 

Aizawa sighed. “We’re going to use this information to help you, I promise.”

“Yeah? You seemed pretty fucking intent on getting your hands on that information so you could give it away!” South shouted. She wanted to scream. Tell him to fuck off and leave her alone. She actually had half a mind to punch him right then and there. She could make him angry. Get him riled up so she could at least have some fun before knocking him out. 

“It’s my job to protect people, that’s what a hero does. I have no intention of giving up anything you kids tell me unless I get explicit permission.”

“Why the fuck are you even bothering with us then? If you’re not going to hand us over to the authorities, then what’s the goddamn point?!”

“The point is to keep you safe, in a place where you don’t have to worry about being hurt. If you want us to keep it a secret, that’s fine, just let us help. That’s all I’m asking.”

South felt her fury boil over, and in the blink of an eye, she had gotten right up in Aizawa’s face. Without hesitation, she tried to slam her fist into his nose, only to miss when he moved out of the way. She snarled at him and charged again. 

“So this is what North meant,” Aizawa mumbled. “What a pain.”

South tried to grab him but he slipped out of the way again. She quickly spun around and threw her leg out to kick as hard as she could. There was a satisfying whack as her foot connected with Aizawa’s stomach. She tried to pull it back, she felt something wrap around it. She saw Aizawa’s weird scarf trapping her leg, and without warning, he pulled, knocking her off balance. South hit the ground, and before she could get up, Aizawa’s scarf wrapped around her chest and arms. She writhed on the ground, desperately trying to break free. 

South snarled at Aizawa. She wanted him to be angry. He should be angry. 

“Fuck you!” She spat. “Let me go!” 

She felt the scarf tighten around her. She could see his composure crack, just a little. He had a death grip on the scarf, and his whole body was tense. He gave her a glare. But that wasn’t enough. If she couldn’t break free, then she’d make him snap. She could tell he was getting pissed. She could feel him getting angrier. She thrived off it, and she could make it so much worse. And then, the feeling shattered. Both the feeling of his rage and her own overwhelming fury disappeared, leaving her worn out and left with the embers of rage that were slowly starting to fade. 

Aizawa’s eyes glowed red and his hair floated above his head. 

“Are you done?” He asked. 

South halfheartedly tried to break free again, but to no avail. 

“South, enough,” Aizawa said softly. 

“Why?” She snarled. 

“Why? Why what? ”

“Why the fuck are you doing all this? It doesn’t make sense!”

“Because I care. And because I don’t want anything happening to you kids,” he kept his voice soft and he crouched down in front of her. South watched as he carefully unwrapped the scarf. He was letting her go, after all that. 

“ Why?” South said again, this time quieter. Most of the fight had left her. She was so tired. She was tired of running, tired of constantly fighting just to stay alive. She missed the days where she could joke with North without any tension, when her life was normal and safe. She missed the days when her biggest concern was reigning in her temper so she didn’t accidentally activate her quirk. 

“You’re starting to sound like a broken record.”

South let out a watery laugh. 

“You kids clearly haven’t had much good in your lives, and you don’t deserve that. I want to help keep you safe,” Aizawa slowly reached out, hand stopping short of South’s shoulder. “We’re not going to do anything you don’t want us to, we just want to protect you.”

South gave a shaky nod. Aizawa gently placed his hand on her shoulder, and South crumbled. Like a puppet with its strings cut, she pitched forward. Aizawa carefully wrapped an arm around her. For the first time in years, South broke down. She sobbed into Aizawa’s shirt. She felt safe in a way she hadn’t felt for a long time. 

Aizawa didn’t move, he let her stay there until her sobs slowly died down. 

“Sorry,” South sniffled. God she sounded pathetic. “That was stupid.”

“It wasn’t stupid. You kids have been through a lot, and it’s only natural that you’d be overwhelmed,” Aizawa said softly. “Do you wanna head back to the others or wait for CT to wake up again?”

“Wait for CT,” South muttered. “Don’t want to deal with Texas or Carolina right now.”

“Alright, come on,” Aizawa shifted so he could stand up. He held out his hand and South reluctantly took it. He pulled her to feet and carefully led her down the hallway towards one of the classrooms. He closed the door behind them and sat down at the desk up front. 

South half expected a bunch of children to be staring at her when she entered the room but found it empty. 

“This is my homeroom class. No one else will come in here since I don’t have any first year students,” Aizawa answered her unasked question. 

“Are these the students you expelled?” 

“Yeah, gives me more time to grade stuff from the other classes I teach, and take more naps.”

“Wow, you sound like a real great teacher,” South rolled her eyes. 

“You can think whatever you want,” Aizawa grumbled as he pulled some papers out of his desk. South stood awkwardly for a few seconds before sitting at one of the many desks. 

They sat in silence for a while, the only sound was Aizawa shuffling through papers, and the sound of writing. 

South was bored. She didn’t want to sit in silence and do nothing. Even if it was just talking that would be preferable to this. 

Aizawa must’ve noticed her growing impatience because he looked up at her curiously the more she fidgeted. 

“I’m bored,” she admitted when she met his gaze. She expected him to tell her off for being a distraction, or maybe just tell her to suck it up and deal with it, he was clearly busy. She wasn’t expecting him to put his pen down with a sigh. 

“I should’ve guessed you wouldn’t want to sit still for too long. Sorry, that’s on me.”

“What?” South couldn’t hide the surprise on her face. 

“I didn’t think you’d be up to doing much talking, but I should’ve asked if you needed anything first.”

This had to be fake, right? There’s no way he was taking the blame for her own incompetence. She could handle some boredom, mostly because she knew that if he didn’t finish what he was doing, she’d be in so much trouble. 

“Look, it’s fine. I can just shut up and wait for you to finish.”

“I can finish this at any point, I have several free periods during the day, I’m in no rush to get this done. So, what do you need?”

“I don’t…need anything,” South mumbled. “But, I guess it would be nice to just talk.”

“Hmm, you didn’t get enough of talking with Nedzu earlier?” 

“I mostly just ignored him. I don’t think he cared.”

“That sounds like Nedzu alright,” Aizawa said. 

“So he’s always like that?” 

“Talkative and long-winded? Yeah.”

“Fuck that, it’s like spending time with Florida minus the psychopathic tendencies,” South did not want to deal with another aggressively cheerful person. 

“He’s not that bad once you get used to him. My partner is worse.”

“Partner? Like, married partner or coworker?”

“Yes.”

“I refuse to believe that you’re married.”

“Why?”

“You own a yellow sleeping bag that you take naps in and it makes you look like a fucked up catipillar.”

“And yet, I am, in fact, married.”

“You’re bullshitting me,” South could not wrap her head around the idea of the literal embodiment of exhaustion being married.

“I’m not. You’ll definitely meet him the longer you stay around here.”

“You’re messing with me.”

“What, do you want me to go find him? His class ends in a few minutes, I can drag him in here to prove it,” Aizawa moved to stand up, but South stopped him.

“Woah woah woah, no need to get the guy if he’s so annoying.”

“You sure? You seemed pretty adamant about me proving his existence.”

“Yeah, well, I changed my mind. I believe you.”

Aizawa smirked at her victoriously. South glared at him, but there was no heat behind it. Okay, this guy was kind of cool. South might try to give him a chance. 

Chapter Text

Carolina couldn’t describe how happy she was when CT walked through the door of the safe house, awake and uninjured, for the first time in almost 2 weeks. It had been 5 days since Eraserhead had offered to help them, and, in that time, he had spent most of his afternoons and evenings with them. Carolina was scared to admit that she was starting to feel comfortable with this routine. She was waiting for the inevitable betrayal, where she would have to take her team and run again. She had been on high alert the whole time Eraserhead was around, because she knew that the moment she let her guard down, he would do something to endanger them. 

South seemed pretty comfortable with him, which made Carolina even more suspicious. South didn’t warm up to people. She was the equivalent of an out of control wildfire and nothing could stop her when she went on a rampage, so the fact that South was willing to vouch for Eraserhead just made Carolina’s hackles raise. It seemed like a lot of her team was starting to trust him more and more when he hadn’t done anything to earn it. Wash started using his name a few days ago, and had been less wary around him. Maine seemed unsure about him, but didn’t seem intent on actively avoiding him. York and Texas both seemed to have it in their heads that he was here to help, and don’t even get her started on North, who seemed almost desperate to believe that this man was trustworthy. The only people who she thought had their priorities straight were Wyoming, Florida, and she had hoped CT. Turns out, she was wrong. CT was also apparently getting all buddy buddy with Eraserhead. 

“Connie!” Wash shouted as soon as he saw her. He bolted over to her, and that was the most excited Carolina had seen him in a long time. 

“Hi, Wash,” CT replied.

Carolina watched as CT pulled Wash into a tight hug. Maine followed behind Wash, concern evident on his face, but as soon as CT pulled him into the hug, all of the tension in Maine’s body faded. It was almost comical watching the shortest member of their group be so forceful with someone so much taller than her. 

“It’s good to see you, too big guy!” CT giggled. 

Carolina couldn’t stop the soft smile that spread over her face watching CT rejoin everyone. 

“It’s good to have you back,” Carolina said. 

“Good to be back, boss.”

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m good as new,” CT smiled. 

“Thank god, we were all pretty worried about you,” Carolina finally felt like she could breathe. Her team was alive, and they weren’t in immediate danger. She wasn’t going to say they were safe, because they weren’t, but the threat of anyone dying wasn’t nearly as big of a threat as it had been. 

“Yeah, I could tell. I was told South stayed at UA the whole time I was out.”

“North was going crazy, he’s been pacing nonstop these past few days,” York chuckled. 

“Shut up! I was just worried!” North shouted, his face turned a brilliant red. Carolina always thought North was very cute when he got flustered.

“Dude, there's a difference between being worried, and being an anxious mess,” Wash countered. 

“North? Anxious about being separated from his sister? It’s more likely than you’d think,” CT laughed. She had climbed onto Maine’s shoulders at some point and was just sitting there. Maine didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. 

“Relax, you big baby, I wasn’t gone for that long,” South snapped. She punched North in the arm but didn’t pull away when North wrapped her up in a hug. 

“Well, it appears the whole team is together again, how wonderful,” Wyoming said, with a hint of sarcasm. It was less than his usual amount of sarcasm, and Carolina was impressed by his restraint. 

“Yeah, I didn’t miss you either, jackass,” CT flipped Wyoming off. 

He let out an offended scoff. “I will not stoop to your level.”

Carolina watched him for a few seconds, and once CT had turned her attention from him, Wyoming tried to sneakily raise his middle finger to her. Carolina smacked his hand. 

She heard Florida giggle and Wyoming made another offended noise. 

“Right, I’ll leave you kids to your reunion, and get started on dinner,” Eraserhead had been lurking in the background for a while, but finally spoke up. 

Carolina prepared to follow him into the kitchen, like she usually did, when CT wiggled off of Maine’s shoulders. 

“Texas and I can help,” the brunette said. 

That made Carolina freeze. Why would CT want to help Eraserhead with Texas ? 

“I can do what, now?” Texas asked incredulously. 

“Come on, it’ll be fun!” CT and Texas almost seemed to share a look. 

“Sure, why not? Let’s get York in on this too,” Texas suggested. 

“Oh, I love cooking, I’m in!” York declared, moving a little too quickly to meet up with CT and Texas. 

Carolina’s suspicion from earlier came back with a vengeance. It seemed like these 3 knew something, but they didn’t have any intentions of sharing. 

The betrayal hit next. York knew something, and hadn’t told her. He trusted Texas, the person responsible for blinding him, more than he trusted Carolina, and that hurt. That hurt a lot. She had thought that he would’ve opened up to her after their escape, but obviously not. Once again, she was second best to Texas. It already hurt knowing she wasn’t good enough for the team before, but now it was clear she wasn’t good enough for York either. 

“That was weird,” Florida muttered.

“Not my problem,” Wyoming shrugged. 

Maine made a confused noise but didn’t follow anyone into the kitchen. 

“I guess we wait for dinner before bugging Connie for the rest of the night,” Wash grabbed Maine’s arm and dragged him over to the couch. 

North stepped away from South and placed a gentle hand on Carolina’s shoulder. 

“Hey, you okay?” He whispered. 

“ I’m fine ,” she snapped. She almost shoved his hand off but stopped herself. She was allowed to be pissed off at York, but North hadn’t done anything wrong. She would not take her anger out on North. 

“Are you sure?” He sounded concerned. 

“ Yes,” she insisted. If she could get him to leave her alone, maybe she could figure out what the hell she wasn’t being told. “I’m just tired and stressed, I’ll be fine.”

North furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, and the doubt was clear on his face, but he backed off. “If you’re sure.”

“I am.”

North pulled her into a gentle hug, and whispered, “if you need anything, York and I are here for you, you don’t have to shoulder everything alone, okay?”

“I know,” she whispered back, dropping her head against his chest. She pulled away shortly after that. North gave her a soft smile and hesitantly made his way back over to South, who was complaining loudly about how small the room was. 

Carolina quietly slipped away from the group and stepped into the hallway, just outside the door to the kitchen. She could hear voices from inside. 

“So, you want me to give you the files on the project?” Carolina heard Texas say. 

“Yeah, I made a deal with him and the principal, they get the information, we stay under the radar,” CT said quietly. 

“And why should we trust that?” York asked. 

“My main goal with the lot of you is to keep you safe, and if that means keeping you hidden, I’ll do it, but it’s easier if I have all the information and the option to give you a safer place to stay,” Eraserhead responded. 

“And that safe place is UA?” York asked. 

“Safer than here. There’s more security there, and it’s staffed by pro heroes,” Eraserhead explained. “It would put my mind at ease during the day and it would give you the option to do something other than sit in this tiny house all day.”

“Sure, why the hell not, here,” Texas said. 

“Thanks, I’ll take this to Nedzu tomorrow.”

“I gotta ask,” CT started. “York, when did you find out about this?”

“Tex showed me the files before we left, not that I needed much convincing. This just sealed the deal.”

“Oh I’m sure Carolina handled that well, you running off with Texas?” 

Texas snorted. “I thought Carolina was going to kill him when we came back for the others, it’s a fucking miracle he was able to convince her to come with us.”

Carolina clenched her fists and closed her eyes as she felt tears welling up. She had been blinded by her desperation. All she had wanted was the attention and pride of her father again. She had been willing to throw everything else away if it meant impressing him. She hadn’t even apologized to York for hurting him, and he just kept treating her the same as he always had. She didn’t deserve him. 

“I’m just glad she listened to me,” York chuckled. 

“You forgave her for beating the shit out of you pretty quickly,” CT said. 

“Oh please, like any of us properly handle our emotions. I didn’t exactly lie down and let her beat up, I fought back. I didn’t win, but I did fight back.”

Carolina’s back hit the wall behind her and she slowly slid down. She covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to stay quiet and pulled her knees into her chest. She felt hot tears fall down her face. York had forgiven her, even when she hadn’t done anything to earn it. How could she have done that to him? It had never even occurred to her that there was someone out there that was proud of her already. She was a failure. York deserved so much better than her. 

“Hey, now, what’re you doing on the floor?” York’s voice jolted her out of her thoughts. 

“I-York…I’m so sorry!” Carolina gasped. 

“I forgive you,” York said. He gently pulled Carolina’s hand from her face and used his thumb to wipe away her tears. “I’m sorry too, for running off without you.”

“You had every right to! I should’ve listened to you earlier,” she cried quietly. 

“I mean, that would’ve been nice, but you didn’t have a reason to believe me,” York gently ran his fingers through her hair and placed his forehead against hers. “But you’re here now, and that’s what matters.”

“But I-!”

“We’ve all fucked up, you can’t blame yourself for everything, okay?” 

Carolina didn’t know how she was supposed to respond to that. She felt like she deserved to take all the blame. York should blame her for everything. She hadn’t listened to him, she had hurt him. Why wasn’t he angry at her?

“Come on, let’s get off the floor, we can chill in the kitchen for now,” York grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet. “I’d say you could help cook but, uh, maybe don’t.”

Carolina couldn’t help but laugh at that and she let herself get led into the kitchen. She saw Texas sitting at the small table in the corner while CT helped Eraserhead. 

“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” Texas asked.

“ NO!” York and CT shouted in unison.

“Ugh, fine,” Texas groaned.

York led her over to the table Texas was sitting at and gave her a gentle nudge towards the empty seat. Carolina sat down, ignoring Texas in the process. 

“Food should be ready soon,” Eraserhead told her. 

Carolina nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed with everything going on. 

“So, how much of that did you overhear?” Texas asked. 

Carolina glared at Texas. She had no intention to answer, she didn’t owe her any answers.

“Here,” Eraserhead said, placing a plate with several pieces of pizza on it in front of her. “Don’t tell the others.”

“Wait, holy shit, there’s pizza? Where were you hiding that?” CT asked.

Carolina hesitantly took a bite of the pizza. It was really good. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been given the chance to eat pizza. 

“No idea what you’re talking about,” Eraserhead gave Carolina a small smirk, before he went back to whatever he was doing before. 

“Here,” he said after a few minutes. “You kids can take this out the rest of the group.”

“Sure,” Texas stood up and grabbed the pot and walked out. York and CT grabbed dishes and followed after her. York glanced back at her, and gave her a reassuring smile before leaving the kitchen. Carolina waited for Eraserhead to leave, but he didn’t. Instead he sat down in the seat Texas had been in and stared at her. 

“I’m not going to go back on my word,” Eraserhead said. Carolina almost dropped the piece of pizza she had in her hand. “I told you kids that I wanted to help, and I meant that.”

“What files were you talking about?” She asked quietly. 

“CT offered to give Nedzu and myself access to the files she stole from the Director and in return, we give you kids a more permanent place to stay and better protection,” he pulled a USB drive out of his pocket for Carolina to see.

“Do you know what’s on them?”

Eraserhead shook his head. “I only know the basics from what CT’s told me. I haven’t looked at the files yet. I was going to look at them tomorrow with Nedzu.”

“What are you going to do with the information?”

“Hopefully, keep you kids safe and, at some point, use whatever we find to track down the Director.”

“You didn’t think to ask us about this?” Carolina snapped. She felt her anger from earlier come back. How dare he assume he had any right to dig into their lives. CT may be fine with this, but Carolina wasn’t. She was supposed to be the leader, and yet it felt like she had no control anymore. 

“Would you have answered me if I had asked?”

Carolina grit her teeth. He was right. She wouldn’t have answered. She would have told him to fuck right off. 

“No,” she snarled. 

“If CT hadn’t offered up the data, I would have waited for you to tell me, but having access to this information sooner rather than later will give us a better understanding of how to keep you out of danger,” Eraserhead insisted calmly. 

Carolina wanted to resist. She wanted to tell him that he had no right to check the files. But something stopped her. Eraserhead wasn’t trying to trick her. His expression was open and honest. The fight in Carolina died out.

“If CT gave you those files, then I won’t stop you from looking, but you might not like what you find.”

“I can handle it. You can trust me, Carolina, I promise.”

“Yeah, okay,” Carolina reached for the last slice of pizza on her plate and decided that if it meant keeping her family safe, she would give Eraserhead a chance. If he fucked up, she would take him out herself. 

Chapter Text

Shota pulled the USB drive out of his pocket and stared at it. He was waiting for Nedzu in his office. As soon as the principal came in, they were going to look at the files. Shota had a bad feeling about what they were going to find, especially based on Carolina’s reaction. 

“You might not like what you find,” echoed through his mind. He knew he needed to look, but he was hesitant. He didn’t know what had happened to them, but he dreaded looking. The kids were skittish and untrusting, they didn’t like accepting help from others, and when given the chance to go to the authorities, they preferred to stay hidden. Yeah, Shota had a really bad feeling about this. 

Shota turned when he heard the door open. Nedzu walked in and gave him a bright smile.

“Good morning, Aizawa!” He said cheerfully.

“Morning,” Shota grumbled. He closed his fist around the USB drive.

“Were you able to get the files from CT?” 

“Yeah, here,” Shota handed the drive over to the principal. He knew he had to look, he had told CT he would, but the more time passed, the more worried he got.

Nedzu carefully plugged the drive into his computer. He beckoned Shota over to the other side of his desk. Shota followed and leaned forward to get a better look at the files.

Project Freelancer . That was the name of the folder that contained all the other folders. Nedzu opened the folder, which revealed several more folders. 

Alpha Team

Bravo Team

Charlie Team

Delta Team

Echo Team

Fragments

Experiments 

Nedzu opened the first folder. Ten files popped up, and they were all names that Shota recognized. He felt a jolt of fear run down his spine as he glanced over at Nedzu.

“Well,” Nedzu began. “I suppose we should take a look.”

He opened the first file.

Name: Beta 

Codename: Texas

Quirk: Enhanced abilities

Artificial Quirk: Invisibility

Shota froze. “No way…”

Nedzu glared. “I see. So this Director was experimenting with quirks.”

“Wait, Beta? What does that mean?” The bad feeling got worse. It almost seemed like Tex didn’t even have a name. This was only the first file. They had to get through so many more. Shota forced himself to keep reading.

Notes: subject Texas has shown increasing amounts of aggression, too much exposure to [redacted]

Shows extreme adaptability, taken number one spot from subject Carolina, no interest in leading

Involved in incident involving subject New York, blame does not lie on her

Mental flexibility shown, high possibility that she could support [redacted] memories. May be able to save her

Do not let subject Texas engage with other members of Alpha Team

“They tried to isolate her,” Shota hissed. 

“I wonder if Texas is a more unique case,” Nedzu said thoughtfully. 

“Do you think the others know?” 

“Hmm, I believe CT does, but we will have to ask at a later point and time,” Nedzu closed Texas’ file. He opened Carolina’s next.

Name: Caroline Church

Codename: Carolina

Quirk: Superspeed

Artificial Quirk: Duplicate

Notes: subject Carolina has shown exceptional leadership, the obvious choice to take charge of Alpha Team

Extremely competitive, hates being considered second best

Has begun training with increasing frequency since losing the number one spot to subject Texas

Originally gave up spot for artificial quirk for subject Maine after the incident 

Demanded artificial quirk in order to beat subject Texas, pushed subjects Washington and South Dakota back significantly 

Loyal to the project

“That feels like a moot point, now,” Shota’s hands were curled into tight fists. He wanted to find the Director and punch him. The notes were so cold and distant, as if these weren’t children that he was experimenting on. 

“Interesting,” Nedzu mumbled. 

Shota glanced over at him. Nedzu was deep in thought, one paw rested on his chin. 

“I may have an idea who the Director is,” he said after a moment. 

“What?” Shota’s eyes widened.

“Let’s keep going! I would like to confirm my theory before I say anything!” Before Shota could protest, Nedzu clicked on the next file.

Name: Jonathan Hargrove

Codename: New York 

Quirk: Suggestion

Artificial Quirk: Healing Hands

Notes: subject New York has been made subject Carolina’s second in command, shows promise as a leader, however, a tight leash must be kept on him, he is dangerously perceptive

Skilled at picking locks and breaking and entering

Received artificial quirk after incident with subjects Wyoming, Maine, and Texas

Completely blind in left eye, potential liability

The second person to receive artificial quirk due to injury

Do not leave him unsupervised

“Hargrove? Do you think he’s related to Malcolm Hargrove?” Shota asked.

“Most likely, I wonder if Charon industries is involved with this.”

“That’s going to be a big problem, they’re a massive organization and they have a hand in a lot of different projects.”

“Yes,” Nedzu looked thoughtful. “We may have to ask New York about this.”

“He prefers York,” Shota corrected.

“OH! Good to know!”

The brief reprieve ended as Nedzu moved on.

Name: Reginald Crafton

Codename: Wyoming

Quirk: Hunter

Artificial Quirk: Rewind

Notes: subject Wyoming shows startling efficiency when given direct orders, no matter what they are

Has show extreme accuracy with ranged weaponry, with and without quirk

Excels at tracking targets down, and dealing with them appropriately

Caution: skilled liar/manipulator

Name: Aleksander Markov

Codename: North Dakota

Quirk: Target Lock

Artificial Quirk: Bubble Shield

Notes: subject North Dakota has a tendency to act rashly when other members of the team are in danger

Like subject Wyoming, has extreme accuracy with ranged weaponry, with and without use of quirk

Protective of subject South Dakota, she can be used as a motivator to keep him in line

Easy to manipulate, extremely trusting

Name: David Dupont

Codename: Washington

Quirk: Skill Mimic

Artificial Quirk: Amplification

Notes: subject Washington has shown signs of unchecked anger in the past, there have been several instances where he has lashed out at other subjects within the project

Shown to hold grudges for long periods of time

Extremely adaptable, no specific area of expertise

Had an encounter with [redacted] unknown how much information he has, monitor him once he wakes up

Should subject Washington know too much, kill him

“What the fuck?” Shota shouted. They had plans to kill Wash? He was a literal child. The youngest of the group. What could he possibly know that would be so much of a threat? How dare that piece of shit threaten to kill a child. 

“Aizawa,” Nedzu said calmly. 

Shota whipped his head around to face the principal. Nedzu placed a small paw on Shota’s hand, which was gripping the table far too tightly. 

“I’m fine, let’s just keep going,” Shota growled. His hands shook with rage but he was determined to make it through the rest of the files in this folder.

“If you’re sure,” Nedzu clicked the next file.

Name: Joshua Callahan

Codename: Maine

Quirk: Self-Regeneration

Artificial Quirk: Overpower

Notes: Is known to have a very quick temper, however, unlike subject Washington, subject Maine will react immediately upon being angered

Is mostly responsible for subject New York’s injury, threw a grenade at subject Texas, however, subject New York was in the blast radius rather than subject Texas

Was involved in an incident in which he was gravely wounded, and very nearly died. subject Maine did survive, however, he sustained some minor damage to his throat

Received artificial quirk in subject Carolina’s place

Has shown an aversion to using artificial quirk, likely due to the controlling nature of it

Name: Milla Markov

Codename: South Dakota

Quirk: Relentless Rage

Artificial Quirk: Disrupt Emotion

Notes: subject South Dakota also has a quick temper, and is fairly uncontrollable when she goes into a rage

Highly competitive, especially against subjects Carolina and North Dakota

Shows extreme aggression when compared to subject North Dakota

Does not act protectively of subject North Dakota in a fight

Can be used to fulfill goals of the project 

Name: Maritza Ortego

Codename: Connecticut 

Quirk: Afterimage

Artificial Quirk: N/A

Notes: Shows extreme competence both in and out of combat despite lack of secondary quirk

Similar to subject New York, a tight leash must be kept on her, skilled at digging up information

A danger to the project, she must not be allowed to leave, either keep her here or kill her

Shota grit his teeth and took a deep breath. He gave Nedzu a tense nod. There was only one person left in the folder, he just needed to finish reading this.

Name: Butch Flowers

Codename: Florida

Quirk: Pain Filter

Artificial Quirk: N/A

Notes: subject Florida has shown a distinct lack of emotion when it comes to cleaning up after missions gone wrong

Highly effective at taking people down, both via blackmail and more direct methods

Works extremely well with subject Wyoming

Does not show emotion often

“There’s a folder on the experiments he ran on them,” Nedzu said, mouse hovering over the last folder on the drive. 

“Fuck,” Shota whispered. 

“I have to say, I agree with you there.”

Nedzu opened the folder and opened the first file.

I have begun this project in order to test the limits of quirks and whether or not it is possible for a person’s mind and body to sustain multiple quirks, as well as the possibility of creating artificial quirks. It is imperative that the results of this research come back positive. I have already gathered a large number of test subjects, all of whom are to be brought to my lab. Throughout my research, I have discovered that a person’s quirk is more flexible at a younger age, much like many other functions within human beings, therefore, I will perform my tests on a younger group to start. Once I have a way to create a stable artificial quirk, I will use older test subjects. 

Everything we have tried has ended in failure. No matter what we attempt, we cannot find a way to create a stable artificial quirk. I will not give up. I have been contacted by someone wishing to offer their assistance, someone who has a way to perhaps get my research the boost that it needs. I have not asked for their name, however, I did agree to work for them. I do not care what I must do, so long as I can find a way to create this. If I can do that, I may be able to save her. My daughter offered to volunteer for the project. I said yes. My employer assured me they would get me the necessary tools as soon as possible. For now, I will simply focus on pushing the limits of the test subjects’ quirks.

I did it. I was able to create a stable artificial quirk in the form of a serum that can be injected into a person’s body. I was able to replicate the serum as well, however, it is unclear what the quirk the subject will receive. The quirks may be identical or it may differ from person to person. I will begin testing with this at once.

Beta was the first to receive the finished product. After working nonstop on this for almost a year, I have finally managed to create the perfect product. Many of the subjects within Project Freelancer who showed a lack of promise or skill received the imperfect version of the serum, and as a result, several of them suffered from unforeseen side effects, the worst of which was death. Despite this, the finished product has far less side effects, and the risks are significantly lesser. Beta reported that the actual process of receiving the artificial quirk was extremely painful. Regardless, she has recovered remarkably quickly, which bolsters my theory that she would be able to endure a memory transfer and shoulder that burden. 

New York received the serum next. There was concern from the doctors that he would not be able to handle the procedure due to the severe physical trauma he suffered, however, he did not react as poorly as was expected. He, like Beta, reported being in extreme physical pain. New York took longer to recover than Beta, likely due to his body attempting to recover from the procedure, as well as the fact that he was still healing from his previous injury. 

The rest of the notes were similar to this. Apparently, the process to receive the artificial quirk was dangerous, and potentially deadly. Shota was beyond furious. This bastard decided to use untested drugs on children and killed some of them because of this. If he hadn’t made a promise to CT, he would find the Director and take him down himself. 

“Aha,” Nedzu jolted Shota out of his thoughts. “I thought so.”

Shota glanced at the principal briefly before turning his attention back to the screen. At the bottom of the page was a name. 

Doctor Leonard Church

“No wonder CT didn’t give us a name for him. Dr. Church is one of the most well renowned scientists in the field of quirk study, if someone were to accuse him of this, well, I’m sure he’d be able to find his way out of the situation.”

Shota swallowed hard. Carolina was most likely his daughter. It was bad enough that he had experimented on children, but if he had truly used his daughter as a test subject, then there was no redemption for him. Shota couldn’t speak. He was so angry. He wanted to go out and track this man down. He didn’t care if he broke the law, the Director deserved to be punished. 

“I think that’s enough for one day,” Nedzu said. “Let’s take a break, okay? I’ll give you the rest of the day off if you need it.”

Shota shook his head. He didn’t think he’d be able to face the kids right now, but he also didn’t really want to deal with teaching or any of his coworkers. Fuck, he would probably have to talk to Hizashi about this later. 

“We’re going to have to alert the rest of the staff of this once the kids move into the dorm.”

“Let me…let me talk to them first, I doubt they’d be happy if we gave away all their information without permission,” Shota forced out. 

“I see, well, let me know once you do that so we can figure something out. Having the rest of the staff in the know would help with building the dorm, and it would probably be better for the kids if they didn’t have to hide even while on campus.”

Nedzu was right, and Shota knew that. The most logical thing to do would be to leave now and tell the kids Nedzu’s idea. Shota also knew that as soon as he had to interact with them, his rage would come back. 

“Oh! I also have something for them!” Nedzu hopped off his chair and opened a drawer on his desk. Inside was a large bag with several boxes in it. Nedzu grabbed the bag and handed it to Shota. Peering inside, Shota saw a bunch of phones. 

“What? Where did you-? Why? How?” Shota sputtered. There were enough phones for all the kids, and they weren’t cheap phones either. They were a relatively recent model. How and why Nedzu got these was baffling. 

“I figured it might be better if they were able to communicate with us in an emergency!” Nedzu smiled. 

“There’s enough for all of them,” Shota pointed out. Nedzu just smiled wider. 

“Why don’t you take those back to the kids? They’re all set up and they have our numbers and Recovery Girl’s for emergencies.”

Shota tightened his grip on the bag and gave Nedzu a tense nod. “Fine, I’ll go see them now.”

“Excellent! I’ll find someone to cover your classes for the rest of the day, don’t worry about that!” Nedzu waved his paw as Shota turned and left his office. 

Shota stepped into the teacher’s lounge, he knew Hizashi would be in here, he always was around this time. 

“Hey,” he called. 

Hizashi turned to face Shota excitedly. “Hey, babe! What’s up?”

“I’m heading out early today, Nedzu asked me to run some errands for him,” Shota lied. He really didn’t want to drag Hizashi into this mess, but he knew he would have to if the kids agreed to Nedzu sharing the files with the rest of the staff. 

“Are you okay? Did something happen?” Hizashi was worried now. 

“Nothing happened, like I said, Nedzu asked me to do something for him. I don’t know if I’ll be back later or not,” Shota sighed. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Okay…will I see you tonight or do you have a patrol?”

“I’m off tonight, so I’ll be home by the time you wrap up at the studio.”

“You’ll let me know if you need anything right?” Hizashi stood up and placed his hands on Shota’s arms. 

“I will, I promise,” Shota gave him a quick kiss. “I’ll see you at home, love you.”

“Love you too, babe. Stay safe.”

Shota made his way to the safe house as quickly as he could without drawing too much attention to himself. He knocked on the door three times in rapid succession followed by 2 slower knocks, and waited for someone to open it. The door opened slowly, and a single blue eye framed by long black bangs peeked out at him. Apparently it was Florida’s turn to answer the door. 

“Can’t say I was expecting to see you this early,” Florida chirped. 

“Nedzu got some things for you and asked me to drop them off,” Shota held up the bag in his hand. 

“Oh? And what is that?” 

“It’s a bunch of phones, so you kids can contact Nedzu, Recovery Girl, or myself if you need to.”

“Oh! How kind of him!” Florida pulled the door open enough for Shota to slip in. 

Shota heard the rest of the group in the living room yelling about something. He wasn’t even surprised anymore. He was even less surprised when he saw Maine holding York in the air like an angry cat as Tex held Wyoming back by his collar. The two of them were arguing (again), and Shota was very tempted to just walk away. He sighed when he looked past them and saw CT restraining Wash and North blocking South’s path. South was screaming at Wash, who was only getting more agitated the longer she yelled. 

“ENOUGH!” Carolina shouted, effectively silencing the whole room. She beat Shota to it by a split second. “Will you all shut up?”

“I don’t have to listen to you, ” South sneered. She shoved North out of the way and stormed over to Carolina. “You’re not in charge anymore.”

“And yet, you still feel the need to challenge me. Are you really that threatened by me that you feel the need to constantly make a fool of yourself?”

“Oooh, we might get to watch Carolina take South out, that doesn’t happen often,” Florida giggled. He was enjoying this far too much, and Shota figured he should put a stop to this before any fights did actually break out.

“Knock it off, all you,” Shota said. The effect was immediate. Most of them froze, like deer caught in the headlights. Maine dropped York, who scrambled to his feet. Wash pulled away from CT in his panic, back going ramrod straight. Tex calmly released Wyoming, who straightened his shirt with a huff. North backed away from where he had been moving to get to South. South and Carolina moved away from each other at lightning speed, both straightening their backs and looking at him like they were waiting for orders. They were on guard, like they expected him to yell at them for this.

“Relax, you’re not in trouble,” he reassured. None of them moved. “I came by to drop these off.” He held up the bag again. 

“What’s in there?” Tex asked. She was the most relaxed out of any of them, and from what Shota had gathered from those files, she had received a lot of favoritism from Dr. Church. 

“Phones.”

That seemed to snap them out of it. 

“Phones, sir?” Carolina asked cautiously. 

“Yep. Nedzu told me to give these to you so you can contact us if there’s an emergency.”

“What’s the catch?” Wash asked.

“No catch, these are for you, but there is something I need to ask,” he placed the bag on the table by the couch. He glanced at the group and saw the tension return.

“It’s about the files CT gave me.”

“Look, if you’re going to ask if that stuff is true, it is,” CT snapped. 

“That’s not what I was going to say. Don’t interrupt me,” Shota responded. He wasn’t actually annoyed, that was just his usual response to stuff like that. “I was going to ask if you would be okay with Nedzu sharing the files with the remainder of the staff.”

“ What?” Carolina snarled. 

“It’s going to take time to build a dorm for you kids, especially if we have to sneak around everyone in the process. But, if the rest of the staff knows, they can help keep the rest of the students from asking too many questions, and you’ll be a lot safer.”

Tex shrugged, “Sure, I don’t care.”

CT nodded in agreement. “My only condition stands, as long as the heroes respect that, I say go for it.”

“The more people that hate that man, the better. I would’ve kicked his ass myself if I didn’t have to fight my way out ,” York whipped around to glare at Wyoming. 

“ You are the one who threw a locker at me !” Wyoming shouted. 

“Man, it really sucks having someone attack you with something that could count as a deadly weapon, doesn’t it?”

“Piss off, you dick.”

“I’ll think about it when I get my vision back.”

“Ugh, you are insufferable. But fine, whatever, do what you want,” Wyoming waved Shota off flippantly. 

Shota rolled his eyes and scanned the remainder of the kids. 

North shuffled uneasily, glancing around, before nodding. “Sure, I don’t see why not.”

“Tch, what fucking ever,” South snapped. “Go ahead, spill our secrets to the world.”

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea!” Florida piped up. 

Maine gave Shota a hesitant thumbs up. 

Wash clenched his fists but gave Shota a tense nod regardless. 

That just left Carolina. The redhead had her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She took a deep breath. 

“Okay, fine, but I want to be there.”

Shota raised his eyebrows. “You want to sit in on a staff meeting?”

“I want to make sure you’re not lying to us,” she corrected. 

“I don’t see why not,” Shota decided. If she wanted to listen to them squabble like a bunch of children, she could. 

“You should take someone else with you,” York suggested. “Y’know, just in case.”

“And I want at least one person to stay here and keep an eye on things,” Carolina countered. 

“Ugh, responsibility,” York groaned. 

“I can go,” Wash said. “I mean, if you want me to come.”

Carolina looked at Shota, waiting for his answer. 

Shota nodded. “I’ll let Nedzu know. I’ll pick you two up on my way in.”

Shota had a feeling he might regret this later but, if it would put the kids at ease, he’d be willing to bring them along. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. 

Chapter Text

Wash was pacing nervously as he and Carolina waited for Aizawa to show up. He regretted asking to come already but he wasn’t going to back out now. He had promised Carolina and he wasn’t going to let her down. That didn’t change the fact that he was maybe panicking internally, just a little bit. He caught Connie’s eyes and she just shook her head. She didn’t tell him to calm down or relax, but he could tell he was getting on her nerves. 

He stopped pacing when he heard a knock at the door. Carolina wasn’t anywhere to be seen, which meant that Wash would have to answer it. He opened the door expecting to see just Aizawa, but was surprised to see another man a few steps behind him. The other man wore all leather, which was certainly a choice. He had long blond hair spiked up like a goddamn cockatiel, and he had on a pair of sunglasses. 

“Uh, who’s that?” Wash asked, pointing at the blond man.

“Present Mic,” Aizawa answered before the other could respond.

“Right, okay. Let me get Carolina, wherever she is,” Wash muttered the last part under his breath.

He opened the door a little wider so Aizawa and Present Mic could step inside. Wash was sure he would have to search the whole house, when he practically ran into her at the bottom of the stairs. She had been talking with North and York and none of them had been paying much attention. Wash jumped back to get out of their way.

“Aizawa is here,” Wash muttered.

Carolina nodded. “Alright, guess it’s time to go.”

“Hey, you guys will be fine,” York reassured. “I promise to keep an eye on things until you get back.” He gave Carolina a quick kiss on her cheek. 

“Don’t worry about us, we’ll be here when you get back.” North kissed the top of her head. 

Wash felt a little awkward watching this happen but Carolina definitely seemed like she needed the reassurance. 

Wash quickly turned away from the incredibly domestic scene and headed back to the front door, where Aizawa and Present Mic were both waiting in silence. Wash could hear Carolina’s quiet footsteps behind him as she caught up. 

Aizawa glanced at Present Mic before glancing at the two of them. 

“Ready?” He asked. 

Wash nodded at the same time Carolina said, “let’s go.”

The walk to UA was awkward. Present Mic tried to fill the silence by rambling about random topics, ranging from his cats to dumb things he’s seen high schoolers do. Aizawa kept sending Wash and Carolina concerned looks, while politely responding to Present Mic. Carolina was ignoring him, she kept glancing around, clearly on edge. 

Wash had to admit, he was just as on edge as Carolina. Sure, it’s not like he hasn’t been to UA before, but the idea of sitting with a bunch of heroes they didn’t know while all the secrets of Project Freelancer were exposed right in front of them was terrifying. Honestly, Wash didn’t know why he even agreed to come. He should have let Texas or Connie come instead. He had no idea what information was in those files. Carolina seemed intent on avoiding any conversation about what Aizawa knew, but Wash wanted to know. Honestly, he wanted to see if it matched up with what he learned from… him. Wash couldn’t stop the chill that ran down his spine at the thought of him. He forced himself to take a shuddering breath before he had a full on breakdown, lost in memories that weren’t his own. 

My name is David. Wash reminded himself. I go by Washington. 

Wash repeated this mantra over and over, desperate to keep the oncoming panic at bay. He clenched his fists as tight as he could, and he was sure that if he hadn’t been wearing gloves, he definitely would have drawn blood. 

Wash was pulled out of his spiral by Aizawa calling his name. Wash realized he was breathing way too fast. He had stopped somewhere on the walk, both Carolina and Present Mic were a decent ways ahead, both watching Aizawa and Wash with concern. 

“Wash,” Aizawa said again. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Wash lied through shaky breaths. He was not fine. He focused on breathing in, and breathing out. He wasn’t going to think about that. He could do this. “I’m fine,” he reiterated.

Aizawa simply stared at him. “This has to do with those files, doesn’t it?” 

“I’m just…a little on edge. I don’t know what’s in them other than the vague idea of Freelancer secrets. I guess I was expecting Carolina to bring it up, but she seems hellbent on avoiding talking about it,” Wash admitted.

“Right, that makes sense,” Aizawa said. “There’s files on all of you, plus a bunch more on kids that we haven’t met. There’s stuff on the experiments he ran, his goals, and a group he called ‘fragments.’”

All the air in Wash’s lungs vanished. Aizawa knew. He knew everything. He shouldn’t have asked. They’re going to find out about Epsilon and Wash won’t be able to hide what he knows. 

“Hey hey, Wash, you need to breathe,” Aizawa said gently. 

Wash wanted to tell him thanks, I know but all he could do was desperately suck in air like a drowning man. Epsilon’s screams echoed loudly in Wash’s head, pleading and begging for help, for everything to stop.

Wash shook his head in an attempt to stop any more of those memories from consuming him. He forced himself to take deep breaths. He was all too aware of Aizawa hovering over him, concern written over his face. He focused on finding Carolina. He locked eyes with her for a moment, and she started moving towards him with no hesitation. Present Mic followed behind cautiously. 

“What did you do?” Carolina snarled at Aizawa. To his credit, the hero didn’t even flinch. He looked like he was going to say something, but Wash spoke up first. 

“He didn’t do anything, Boss. I’m fine.”

Carolina glanced between the two over with obvious doubt. 

“Are you sure?” She asked. 

“It really wasn’t him,” Wash tried to keep his voice even. He didn’t want Carolina to know how shaken up he had been. He couldn’t let them know what had happened. They wouldn’t believe him. Carolina was still struggling to accept the reality that the Director wasn’t who he said he was. She wouldn’t listen to Wash if he told her everything he learned. Wash knew that he had to keep everything he’d learned from Epsilon a secret. He’d promised the other boy he would get him out, and he had every intention to follow through, now more than ever. 

“I’m fine, just a little stressed. No big deal,” Wash lied. Carolina placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and Wash forced himself to stay calm. 

I can’t boost her quirk if she’s not using it, he reminded himself. 

“If you’re sure,” she sounded hesitant, almost like she wanted to tell Wash to go back to the safe house. 

“We should get going, don’t wanna be late, right?” Wash did not want to be the center of attention anymore. He just wanted to get this over with. 

Carolina squeezed his shoulder and furrowed her brows. He could tell she didn’t fully believe him, but right now definitely was not the time to have this conversation. 

“We’ll talk about this later, okay?”  She whispered. Wash nodded, knowing it would be hard to get out of that, but goddammit he was going to try. 

Aizawa sighed, but seemed to agree with Wash. 

“We do have to get going, I have a feeling this is going to be a long morning.”

Present Mic gave Wash a quick look before he gave him a bright smile. 

“Come on, I’m pretty sure Nemuri made cookies when she found out you two would be joining us.”

Carolina glared at the back of Present Mic’s head as he resumed leading the way to UA. Wash followed Present Mic while Aizawa stayed at the back of the group. The rest of the walk was quiet and mildly uncomfortable. Wash could feel Carolina staring at him. He would tell her what happened eventually. Just, not right now. 

Thankfully, they made it to the school before any students had arrived. Present Mic led them to a room with a few others, who Wash could only assume were other pro heros. 

There was a woman with long, dark hair in a white, skin-tight suit. She was speaking loudly with a man in a cowboy outfit. He had a gas mask covering the entirety of his face. Next to him was a man wearing a massive tan coat that covered most of his body. He had a black and gold helmet that covered his face. Near him was a person in some kind of astronaut space suit. There was a man that looked like a block of cement talking to a tall, well built man with white hair in a red skin-tight suit. Wash was starting to wonder what it was with heroes and wearing tight outfits. 

“Good morning!” Present Mic said loudly. Aizawa flinched and briefly covered one of his ears. 

“It’s too early for you to be yelling already,” he grumbled. 

“Aw, cmon Shota, it’s not that early,” Present Mic responded. 

“Says you,” the cowboy said. “Not all of us show up this early regularly.”

“Snipe’s just mad he hasn’t had his coffee yet,” the dark haired woman smiled. 

“Listen, I didn’t want to be late, and that meant forgoing coffee.”

“I thought for sure you two were gonna be late, what took you so long?” The white haired man asked. 

“We had to make a detour on our way,” Aizawa said. Present Mic gave him a confused glance but didn’t say anything. Apparently, none of the pros had seen Wash or Carolina yet, which he was thankful for. 

“Do either of you know what this meeting is about?” The astronaut asked quietly. 

Present Mic shook his head. “Not really, Shota wouldn’t tell me anything last night.”

“Sorry,” Aizawa shrugged. “I couldn’t exactly show you stuff, Nedzu has the files now.”

“Does this have to do with why you left early yesterday?” The woman asked, stepping forwards. She placed her hands on her hips and stood in front of Aizawa. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped when she locked eyes with Wash. 

“Shota,” she purred. “Where did you acquire a child?”

That got the attention of the rest of the pros. Aizawa’s shoulders dropped in defeat and he looked back at Wash and Carolina apologetically. Wash guessed he had been doing his best to shield them from view. He must’ve roped Present Mic into doing the same. 

Carolina stepped in front of Wash, blocking him from the older woman’s view. 

“Fuck off,” she snapped. 

Boss, why ? Wash thought. 

“Aizawa, where did you find two children?” The blocky man asked. 

“Carolina, please be nice,” Aizawa urged. 

“I didn’t come here to be nice.”

“Why did you come here then?” The white haired man asked curiously. 

“I had to make sure he wasn’t lying,” Carolina nodded towards Aizawa aggressively. 

“Uh, lying about what?” Present Mic glanced between Aizawa and Carolina. Seemed like Aizawa really hadn’t told anyone else about them. 

Wash could tell Carolina was getting hostile. He carefully reached out and grabbed the back of her shirt. He felt like a little kid again, but this was probably the easiest way to get her attention. 

Carolina whipped around to face him, her rage turning to concern as she looked at Wash. 

“Relax,” he whispered, completely ignoring his own tension. Carolina didn’t need to know how stressed he was. He could handle this. It wouldn’t do either of them any good if they started a fight with seven adults, professionally trained to kick ass. Wash was pretty sure Aizawa wouldn’t fight them. But the rest might. Sure, Carolina can kick serious ass, she’s practically a one person army, and Wash was damn good at holding his own, but they didn’t know anything about these people. They had no idea what their quirks were or what weapons they might have. Wash didn’t like their odds. If he had a knife or two, maybe, but right now, they were both completely unarmed, surrounded by strangers with unknown skills and abilities. 

“Is this why you asked me to bake something last night?” the woman asked, snapping Wash out of his thoughts.

“What, did you think I wanted cookies to snack on during the meeting?” Aizawa asked sarcastically.

“You’re bribing the kids!” 

“More of a reward for putting up with you.”

Wash carefully curled his free hand into a tight fist, his other was still balled in the fabric of Carolina’s shirt. 

“Ugh, will you just get out of the way, at least let me introduce myself to them,” the woman smacked Aizawa’s arm. Aizawa took a step to the side, giving the rest of the room the chance to see them. Wash stepped out from behind Carolina. He didn’t want it to look like he was hiding behind her. 

“Hi there,” she said kindly. “My name is Kayama Nemuri, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Carolina.” She didn’t move from her spot, still acting as a buffer.

“I’m Washington,” Wash waved a little uncertainly. 

Kayama smiled at them. “Shota bullied me into making some cookies last night if you want any.”

“Midnight’s baked goods are fantastic,” the cowboy said, as he grabbed a container off of someone’s desk, probably Kayama’s. “I’m Snipe, pleasure to meet y’all.”

Snipe handed the container to Kayama, who took it and opened it. She offered it to Carolina and Wash. Carolina refused, no matter how much she stared at the cookies. Wash on the other hand, reached out and grabbed one. Carolina glared at him, and he shrunk under her gaze. 

“I’m hungry,” he muttered. “And they look good.”

“You can’t be serious,” she snapped back. 

Wash watched as Aizawa grabbed one of the cookies and ate it. Kayama smacked his hand even after he had already taken a bite. 

“Really? Really? And here I thought you didn’t want my cookies!” 

“What are you going to do, stop me?” 

Wash took a bite of his cookie. 

“Holy shit,” he whispered. Wash didn’t know what he was expecting, but this was the best thing he’d had in literal years. It was slightly warm, and gooey, which was the best. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually had a cookie, let alone one this good. A tiny part of him was reminded of mom’s baking that she would do to show her pride when he or his siblings did something impressive or praiseworthy. 

Wash’s previous excitement died as his thoughts drifted to his family. He hadn’t been able to contact them since he was forced into the project. They probably thought he was dead. He missed them. He missed them so much. He missed his mom, who was always there for him, even when it was just the two of them. His dad was always there when Wash snapped. He was the one who knew how to calm him down, talk him through problems and keep him from truly flying off the handle. Wash missed his sisters. He hadn’t thought about them in years. Hadn’t been given the chance to think about them. He wondered if Annalise was still the little genius she had been. He hoped Molly was still the little social butterfly he remembered her being, unafraid of reaching out and befriending people. 

Wash was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of the door opening. Principal Nedzu strolled in with Recovery Girl, and two others Wash hadn’t seen earlier. One of them resembled a dog, with long blond hair, wearing a muzzle over his mouth. The other was a shirtless man wearing a yellow helmet that looked like a claw covering most of his face. 

“It seems everyone is here!” Nedzu clapped his paws together with a smile.

Wash glanced around to see the rest of the staff had gathered closer to the door, each of them giving Nedzu looks ranging from confusion to concern. 

Wash subtly tugged on Carolina’s sleeve. He knew he had her attention when she took a small step closer even though she didn’t take her eyes off the heroes.

“I wasn’t paying attention when some of them introduced themselves,” he whispered.

“The person in the space suit is Thirteen, the man with the big coat is Ectoplasm, the walking block is Cementoss, the white haired man is Vlad King, and Present Mic’s name is Yamada,” she responded just as quietly. 

“Good morning Carolina! Good morning Washington! I hope you’re both doing well,” Nedzu said cheerfully, as if the whole of UA’s staff wasn’t about to delve into some of their most traumatic years.

“We’re fine,” Carolina practically growled.

“Kayama’s cookies are really good,” Wash said. He heard Kayama shout triumphantly from his left.

“See! I told you!” She yelled at Aizawa. 

“I see. Well, if everyone is ready, we should have this meeting before the students show up,” Nedzu stepped out into the hallway and into another large room with a big table in the shape of a U. He hopped up onto the chair at the end. The rest of the heroes followed and took their own seats, leaving Wash, Carolina, and Aizawa. 

Aizawa walked over to Nedzu and Wash watched as he was handed something. 

Nedzu gave the two of them a smile as he gestured to the empty seats next to him. 

“There’s space for you two, you don’t have to stand in the doorway.”

Wash hesitantly sat down next to Nedzu, and Carolina took the seat next to him. She wound up next to Yamada. Kayama slid the container of cookies over to them wordlessly. Both of them grabbed one without a second thought. 

Once everyone was settled, Nedzu turned to face the rest of the staff. 

“I apologize for calling this meeting so suddenly, however, Aizawa and I made a rather shocking discovery yesterday, and decided it was important to keep the rest of you informed of what we learned.”

Wash could feel the stares of the other heroes in himself and Carolina. He slid down slightly in his chair and stuffed another cookie in his mouth. 

“I met a kid a few days ago who asked for help for some of his friends who were in rough shape at the time. He told me he had been the subject of human experiments,” Aizawa began. Immediately shouts of disbelief and rage broke out. Aizawa glared at the adults, hair rising around his head. His eyes turned red as he looked around the room. 

“Are you done? Let me finish,” he snapped. Everyone quieted down after that. “Thank you. As I was saying. The kid goes by York, and he brought me to his hideout where he and his friends had been staying. I brought them here so those that were injured could get treatment from Recovery Girl.”

“ I was fine,” Carolina snarled. 

“Boss, your leg was literally broken, how were you walking on it?” Wash asked quietly. 

“Shut up, Washington. I was fine.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Aizawa responded sarcastically. “Regardless of how fine you were, Wash and CT were not. Thankfully, Recovery Girl is very good at her job. When CT woke up, she told us she had stolen some files from the person who had been conducting the experiments, ‘the Director’. Nedzu and I were given permission to take a look at the files under the condition that we don’t share them with anyone until their group feels safe.”

“Wait, but, wouldn’t it be better to let the police deal with this man as soon as possible?” Kayama asked. 

“Considering how long it would take them to find him? We’d probably just end up back in his lab before they finished,” Wash muttered angrily. 

Yamada sucked in a deep breath. He was probably the only one who heard Wash other than the principal. Nedzu said nothing. Instead, he gave Wash a reassuring smile.

“If we went to the police after giving our word that we would keep this quiet, the kids would probably run before the police could find anything, or ask them anything, isn’t that right?” Aizawa stared at Wash and Carolina as he spoke.

“If you do anything to endanger my team, I will make you regret it,” Carolina snarled. Wash reached out under the table and grabbed her sleeve. He honestly wasn’t sure when he had started doing this, but it always managed to snap her out of her rage. Maybe giving her something else to focus on helped her.

“But isn’t it dangerous to just leave them alone?” Snipe asked.

“We’re not!” Nedzu chirped. “We’re going to repurpose one of the empty dorms to give them a place to stay!”

“There’s a reason we’re actually sharing this information. It’ll be easier on everyone if we all know the truth. If we can keep them on UA’s campus, then we can make sure nothing happens to them,” Aizawa said as he moved over to the computer. He put the USB stick in the computer and turned on the projector. 

“Are those the files?” Thirteen asked quietly. They sounded nervous.

“Yes. And just a warning, you’re not going to like this,” Aizawa opened the first folder, and Wash had to look away when he saw his own name. He already knew most of what was written down anyways. Especially in his own file. He’d heard the same thing from Price for the past 3 years, he didn’t need to read it again. 

“Artificial…quirk?” Kayama breathed out. “Please tell me that doesn’t mean what I think it means.”

Wash stared at his lap. He refused to look up. He didn’t want to make eye contact with any of them.

“He experimented on children?” Vlad King snarled. Wash could hear the sound of dog-like growls from near Vlad King. 

“Who the hell does he think he is?” Snipe hissed.

“He’s someone who’s very good at his job,” Carolina interrupted. “And someone with a lot of power in the scientific world.”

“Carolina, hun, do you know who he is?” Kayama asked kindly. No matter what Carolina thought, Wash knew that she wasn’t trying to bullshit them. None of them were. The heroes were trying to help, and he had to give them some respect for that at the very least.

She was silent for a long time, Wash looked up to see the staff giving the two of them worried looks. Carolina was biting her lip nervously. After a few more minutes of silence, Carolina looked over to Aizawa, probably to avoid looking at the rest of the heroes.

“His name is Leonard Church.”

“Wait wait wait wait. Church, as in, Doctor Leonard Church, leading scientist in quirk study? The man who’s been working to try to find a way to allow quirkless people to develop a quirk? The same man who wants to find ways to help strengthen people’s quirks? That Leonard Church? ” Yamada’s voice rose with each word. Thankfully, he was cut off before it got too loud.

“Who else would be smart enough to do this?” Aizawa asked.

“That’s…” the shirtless man breathed out.

“Horrible,” Ectoplasm finished.

“He experimented on kids !” Kayama slammed her hands on the table. Wash flinched. Part of him was expecting to be yelled at for something out of his control.

‘Get your quirk under control, do you hear me?’

“It gets worse,” Aizawa said quietly. 

“How? Shota, how can it get worse?” Yamada asked.

“He was experimenting with more than quirks,” Nedzu said darkly. “He found ways to create artificial humans.”

That got more shouts from the teachers but Wash couldn’t hear anything.

“Epsilon,” he whispered. Epsilon’s memories made sense now. Everything he had learned was true. The Director had been keeping most of these people hidden away and abusing them. The only exception was Tex. The Director treated her better than he treated anyone else in the project. But why? Why did he-?

‘Don’t say goodbye.’

Wash dropped his head into his hands. He didn’t know her, he shouldn’t have recognized her. That was

“Allison.”

Allison Church.

The Director’s wife.

Carolina’s mother.

Wash had never known her, so why?

‘I hate goodbyes.’

His head was killing him. He wanted everything to stop. 

He could hear Epsilon begging him for help. Desperate to escape. 

‘Make it stop!’

‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll try harder!’

Wash gripped the sides of his head. He wanted to curl up and hide away. He was drowning. Epsilon’s pleas repeated over and over, overlapping with Allison’s voice. It was too much. Wash squeezed his eyes shut. It was too much. Somewhere, far away, he could hear shouting, but he couldn’t tell who they were. 

The last thing he heard before everything went quiet was a familiar voice screaming his name.

“ DAVID!”

Chapter Text

Carolina sat by Wash’s side in the infirmary. He looked awful. His face was pale, making the many freckles stand out. There were dark circles under his eyes. His expression was pained. He kept tossing and turning and muttering incoherently. She reached out and gently brushed her hand through his hair. It had become a common thing among their group. 

Aizawa was sitting in a chair on the other side. He was watching Wash with concern. 

Neither of them had said anything since Wash collapsed. Carolina hated to admit that she was scared. She didn’t know what happened. One second Nedzu mentioned the Director’s experiments in creating people, the next Wash was curling in on himself, muttering under his breath. 

Recovery Girl had told them to bring Wash to the infirmary. There was nothing Carolina could do for him right now, not until he woke up. She refused to leave his side until then. Wash was like a little brother to her, she needed to keep him safe. She had already failed, she had to do better now. 

“Carolina,” Aizawa said, startling her out of her thoughts.

She turned away from Wash to look at Aizawa. He was resting his chin in his hands. 

“Do you know who Epsilon and Allison are?”

“I…” Carolina struggled to find the words. She had to tell him, even though she didn’t want to. If she didn’t, Aizawa would just ask Wash and she didn’t want Wash going through whatever this was again. “I don’t know who Epsilon is, but Allison is…my mother.”

“Did something happen to her?”

“She, uh, she was a hero, back when we lived in America. There was…an accident, where she lost control of her quirk and almost died,” Carolina brought her legs up to her chest, and she wrapped her arms around them. “She didn’t die but she wouldn’t wake up. She still hasn’t woken up. It’s been…it’s been years.”

“Christ, kid,” Aizawa dragged a hand down his face. “You shouldn’t have to deal with that on top of everything else you’ve gone through.”

“It’s just, ever since mom’s accident, dad’s been obsessed with finding a way to save her. I thought, maybe, joining the project, he would pay attention to me again. Sorry, that sounds really stupid,” Carolina sniffed quietly. Damn it. Why was she crying? 

She heard the sound of a chair scraping against the floor and quiet footsteps coming over to her. 

“Hey,” Aizawa was crouching in front of her. One hand rested on his leg, while his other hovered just over her arm. Carolina pressed her hands over face. Aizawa placed his hand gently on her arm. It was the kindest touch she’d gotten from an adult since her mom’s accident. She sobbed into her hands. She didn’t pull away when Aizawa wrapped his arm around her. He pulled her into a soft hug, and Carolina buried her face in his scarf. 

“It’s not stupid to want attention,” he said. “Especially not from someone you love, and I’m sorry that the person who was supposed to take care of you hurt you instead.”

Carolina grabbed fistfuls of Aizawa’s shirt. He placed a hand on the back of her head. 

“We’re going to help you, that’s a promise,” he whispered. 

Carolina nodded against his shoulder. She pulled away in order to wipe the tears off her face. 

“Sorry,” she muttered. 

“How many times am I going to have to tell you kids not to apologize for stuff like this?”

“A lot, probably.”

“In all seriousness, you can come to any of us if you need anything.”

“Thanks,” Carolina sat up. She turned away from him to focus back on Wash. He wasn’t thrashing around in his sleep anymore, but he still looked like he was in pain. She didn’t know if she was relieved that he wasn’t mumbling anymore. She reached out and grabbed his hand. She wasn’t going to let anything like this happen again. She turned her back on her team, her  family, before. This time. This time, she was going to protect them, no matter what. 

The door to the infirmary opened, and Carolina carefully lifted her head to see who was coming in. 

Kayama and Yamada hesitated at the entrance, both of them were staring at Wash. Carolina glared at them. She refused to let them see her vulnerable. Why were they even here? Wasn’t it enough that Aizawa was keeping an eye on Wash?

“How’s he doing?” Kayama asked.

“Could be worse, I think,” Aizawa said as he stood up. “Did the meeting end?”

“Yeah, we wanted to check on you guys before actually getting ready for the day,” Yamada made his way over to Aizawa, where he bumped his shoulder against Aizawa’s.

“We also figured you’d want to know what happened after you left,” Kayama stole Aizawa’s empty seat across from Carolina.

Aizawa grunted.

“You, Power Loader, and Cementoss are gonna be in charge of setting up the dorm. Nedzu thinks we can probably get everything set up in a week or two.”

“Why do I have to set it up?” Aizawa groaned.

“Because you don’t have a homeroom class to teach,” Yamada said.

“I have other classes.”

“You found the kids,” Kayama pointed out.

“What does that have to do with this?”

“Carolina, would it make you more comfortable if you knew Shota had a hand in setting up the dorm?” 

“Don’t drag her into this.”

“I cannot believe my own husband has adopted a child without even asking me,” Yamada gasped.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Carolina couldn’t stop herself from giggling at Aizawa’s misfortune. It reminded her of North and York endlessly teasing Wash. 

“Ha! We got a smile!” Yamada shouted.

“There we go,” Kayama cooed.

“You are both insufferable,” Aizawa groaned.

Carolina pressed her free hand to her mouth in an attempt to stifle her giggles, but it was futile. Her giggles became a full blown laugh the more Kayama and Yamada poked fun at Aizawa. 

Carolina couldn’t remember the last time someone outside of York had made her laugh like this. It felt…good. She was able to let go of her fear and stress for a few minutes while Yamada teased Aizawa about being grumpy. Carolina let herself smile. She squeezed Wash’s hand encouragingly. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, if anything. Maybe she had wanted to share some of the comfort she felt with him. If anyone deserved that, it was Wash. She went back to listening to the adults in the room bicker like children, when she felt a tiny squeeze from Wash’s hand. 

Immediately, Carolina stood up and leaned closer. She watched as Wash’s eyes flutter open. He shut them quickly and groaned quietly. 

“Washington?” She whispered. She didn’t want to attract everyone else’s attention. Wash probably wouldn’t want that much attention either. 

“Mmm, boss?” He mumbled. He sounded really out of it. 

“Yeah, it’s me. How are you feeling?” She ignored the silence that had settled in the room, right now, she just needed to focus on Wash. 

“My head hurts.”

“Do you need anything? I can get you something-” Carolina’s rambling was cut off when Wash squeezed her hand again. 

“Don’t leave. Please don’t leave me alone,” he whimpered. 

“I-I won’t. I’m not going anywhere, David, I promise.”

Wash practically curled up into a ball, still clinging to her hand. Carolina rested her other hand on the side of his head. She wanted to know what had happened, but that was a conversation for another time. Maybe, she could just keep this a secret. She wouldn’t tell the others unless Wash was ready. 

“We need to get to class,” Kayama whispered. “But, let us know if you need anything, okay hun?” 

“Yeah, you can count on us,” Yamada cheered quietly. 

Carolina gave them both a small nod. She was kind of grateful to them. They had done everything in their power to make her comfortable when they first met her, and they had both gone out of their way to make her laugh. 

“I apparently have to go check out the old dorm to figure out what we need to do to make sure you kids have somewhere to stay soon,” Aizawa said. “Will you be okay on your own?”

“Yeah, I think we’ll be okay. I can call you if I need anything,” Carolina responded. 

With a slight nod, Aizawa followed his coworkers out the door. Carolina settled into her chair, and glanced at Wash. He looked like he had fallen asleep. He looked far more peaceful this time around, curled around Carolina’s hand. 

“Oh Wash, what happened to you?” she whispered, running her hand through his hair again. 

Chapter Text

2 weeks. It had taken just over 2 weeks to set up the whole dorm for 10 kids, between teaching and hero work. Shota was so done with constantly moving furniture and trying to make sure all the electronics and electricity worked properly. Shota was pretty sure this was hell. Thankfully, Ishiyama and Maijima had taken over setting up during the afternoon so Shota was able to keep the kids out of trouble. 

He was exhausted. Even with the staff knowing about them, Shota was the only one they felt remotely comfortable letting into their hideout, which meant, it was still entirely his job to look after them. 

The good part about seeing them everyday was that Shota could keep an eye on Wash. Carolina may have promised him that she would let him know if anything happened to the youngest boy, but that didn’t mean Shota was content to just ignore the incident. He had a feeling he knew what happened but he was hoping it was wrong. 

“Hey, Sho,” Hizashi called, startling Shota out of his thoughts. 

“Hmm?” 

“You gonna bring the kids to the dorm this afternoon?”

“Probably.”

“Are you going to need any help?”

Shota sighed. “Hizashi, you have work this afternoon.”

“It’s fine, I can help you if you need it.”

“I think I’ll be fine, I don’t want you to get in trouble for missing work.”

“You just don’t want to spook them.”

“Hmmm,” Shota hummed. He refused to admit that that was exactly what he was thinking. Carolina and Wash may be more comfortable with the rest of the staff, but the rest of them hadn’t interacted with the staff at all. On top of that, bringing them to a new place, they’re probably going to be on edge and throwing new people in will only make it worse.

“Ha! I knew it!” Hizashi cheered, tossing his arm around Shota’s shoulders.

“Fine, you’re right. I don’t want them to get overwhelmed by everything.”

“Aww, how considerate of you! You sure do care about those kids, don’t you?”

“Shut up,” Shota said as he buried his face in his scarf in a vain attempt to hide the blush that was starting to appear on his face. 

“Yknow, if you need help, Nemuri might be free this afternoon. Carolina seemed to like her,” Hizashi suggested. 

That wasn’t a bad idea, Shota had to admit. It might be easier to help the kids adjust if they got more used to meeting some of the various staff members. He knew Wyoming and Florida would be the hardest to convince. Wyoming was naturally distrusting. He was suspicious of everything Shota did. The black haired boy was always carrying a weapon of some sort, and he never turned his back to Shota. Florida on the other hand had yet to show his true colors to Shota. His fake cheer was ever present, always covering up his real emotions. Shota could only guess that this was how those two coped with their trauma. He could only hope they would be willing to give Nemuri a chance. And well, worse comes to worst, Shota could ask Nemuri to take the more trusting members of the group first, and he could bring the remainder with him. 

“I’ll ask her,” Shota said. He just needed to find her sometime during the day. 

Shota got his chance to talk to Nemuri during their lunch break. She was complaining loudly about her class and the antics they were getting up to when Shota entered the staff room. 

“Oh! Shota!” Nemuri waved as he entered. “A little birdie told me you might want my help this afternoon.” She gave him a terrifying smile. He was pretty sure that was the smile the students saw in their nightmares. Fortunately (or unfortunately if you think about it) Shota had known her long enough that her antics didn’t faze him anymore. 

“How much did Hizashi tell you?” Shota asked curiously. 

“He told me that the dorms were set up and that he didn’t have time to help you herd the children today,” Nemuri draped herself over Shota’s shoulders. 

“Just don’t do this ,” he gestured to her entire being, “around them.”

“Did you just gesture to all of me?”

“Yes.”

“How rude! I know when to tone it down. I’ll make sure to change before we leave.”

“Good, I don’t need you scaring them before they even get to UA.”

“You’ve been spending a lot of time around them, tell me about them. I only met Carolina and little Wash briefly. What do I need to know to avoid making them anxious?” Nemuri was all business now. 

“Hmm,” Shota paused to think for a moment. “Carolina is insanely protective of the rest of them, so long as you don’t threaten them, you should be fine. She has a relatively positive view of you and Hizashi. Wash is a naturally anxious person, so you might just have to be patient with him. York is far too perceptive for his and our own good, I wouldn’t recommend lying to him at all, he’ll figure it out. 

“So long as you don’t do anything that hurts the others, North will probably be alright with you. CT is willing to give us a chance, but I’m starting to realize that she’s better at hiding her emotions than some of the others. Maine is a gentle giant, so long as you’re nice to him, Wash, and CT, he won’t do anything. 

“South…she’s got a temper, that’s for damn sure. Just be careful with her, I don’t know what sets her off. Tex doesn’t seem to be the anxious type, so I wouldn’t worry too much about her. Wyoming and Florida will be the biggest issues for you. Wyoming still doesn’t trust me, so I doubt he’ll be willing to give you the time of day. Florida acts carefree but he’s a damn good liar. Try to be careful with those two.”

Nemuri nodded as she listened intently. 

“So, I more or less just have to be patient with them.”

“Just don’t baby them. I’m pretty sure South might start a fight if you treat her like glass.”

“Got it. When were you planning on going?”

“As soon as all the students leave. I don’t want to risk anyone asking questions.”

“Alright, let’s meet here after classes end, sound good?” Nemuri asked. 

“Sounds good. I appreciate the help, Nemuri,” Shota gave her a small, genuine smile. 

Nemuri returned his smile. She moved from Shota’s desk and headed back to her own. Shota ate his lunch listening to the shouts and jabs from his coworkers. Nemuri started bullying Hizashi at some point, while Snipe and Ectoplasm watched in amusement. At least the day was busy. If it had been slow, Shota would’ve gone crazy. 

When the students had finally left, Shota rushed to the teacher’s lounge where he could already see Nemuri waiting. She had changed already, her usual skin tight hero costume replaced with a black long sleeve shirt, a pair of jeans, and she had traded her mask for her regular glasses. 

Thank god.

“You are not showing up dressed like that, are you?” She groaned as soon as she saw him.

“Unlike you, my costume is practical, and they’re used to seeing me in it,” Shota fired back.

“Okay, but wouldn’t that just draw more attention to you and the kids?” 

Shota paused for a moment. She had a point. Sure, he had been dropping by without changing most afternoons, but he had been alone, and he had taken some of the more hidden routes to get there. With Nemuri, he would have to take a different route, one that might be a bit more obvious. 

“Fine, I’ll stop by my apartment on the way over and change,” Shota sighed.

“Hizashi gave me a change of clothes for you before he left, here,” Nemuri handed him a bag. Peering in, Shota saw a baggy t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. 

“When did he get these?”

Nemuri shrugged. “No idea, now go change, I want to meet your children.”

“They are not my children,” Shota protested as he left the teacher’s lounge to change. He could hear Nemuri’s wild cackling from even as he made his way down the hallway.

By the time they make it to the safehouse, Shota is already exhausted. He had spent the entire walk to the safehouse answering Nemuri’s questions about the kids. He already knew this was going to go terribly. He knocked on the door, and waited. He felt Nemuri tense beside him as the door opened slightly. 

North poked his head out through the crack. Shota watched his eyes widen when he saw Nemuri. 

“Mr. Aizawa, I wasn’t expecting you to bring a…friend?” North said hesitantly. 

“This is Kayama, she’s here to help. I told you the dorms are set up now, didn’t I? I brought her along to make sure none of you got lost on the way over to UA,” Shota replied.

“Ah, right. That makes sense. Do you want to come in or…?” North trailed off, almost nervously. His eyes kept flicking over to Nemuri. He was more anxious about meeting her than Shota anticipated. 

“Why don’t we go inside so we can figure out who’s going with whom?” Nemuri suggested. “I promise, I don’t bite.”

North glanced at Shota uncertainly, before he stepped away from the door, granting the two teachers access inside. 

The blond teen slipped off towards the living room where most of the other kids were crammed in. He couldn’t see Tex anywhere, but he had a feeling she was lurking somewhere nearby. She had a tendency to do that. North said something to the others, but it was too quiet for Shota to make out. 

Almost immediately, the rest of the kids turned to look at Nemuri and himself. Nemuri smiled at them, but Shota could see the distrusting look on Wyoming’s face. Honestly, he shouldn’t even be surprised. 

“Hello, everyone,” Nemuri said softly. 

Wash popped up from his spot on the couch with a smile to rival even Hizashi’s. “Hi Ms. Kayama.”

Shota couldn’t stop the feeling of pride that blossomed in his chest. Wash was one of the most skittish and wary of them, and seeing him greet Nemuri enthusiastically was probably the best thing Shota had seen in these past weeks. 

“Pack your stuff, the dorms are ready,” Shota said. He was not going to get sappy now. 

“Are they now? And you brought a complete stranger here because…?” Wyoming crossed his arms and tilted his head questioningly. 

Yeah, Shota saw this coming. 

“I’m not a complete stranger! Wash and Carolina know me,” Nemuri defended herself. 

“Guys, she’s really cool, I promise,” Wash said. “She makes super good cookies.”

“Ooooh, I do love cookies, I should get her recipe!” Florida chirped, clapping his hands together. 

Shota wasn’t prepared for the chorus of “ NO!” that echoed from the entire group. 

“Aw, cmon, you guys never let me bake,” Florida pouted. 

“Uh, hey dickbag, do you remember the twelve different times you’ve tried to poison the shit you’ve given us?” South growled. “Twelve fucking times!”

“Thirteen, actually. Wash is just weirdly resistant to poison,” Florida hummed. 

“Wait what?” Wash screeched. 

“I’m surprised you never noticed!”

“WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?”

“That’s a loaded question,” North muttered. 

“Look, we can unpack…that later,” Shota really didn’t know how else to deal with that at the moment.  “We should get going as soon as possible.”

North nodded. He reached out to grab Wash and South. “We can finish packing right now.”

Shota watched as a majority of the group headed off towards the limited rooms in the safe house. 

“Oh, and Florida?” Shota called after him. Florida turned around to face him. “No more poisoning people.”

“Alrighty!” Florida bounced off after Wyoming. Shota wasn’t sure his point actually got across. Florida was a damn hard person to get a read on. 

“I’m so sorry about Wyoming and Florida,” Carolina said, standing up from the couch. “They can be a lot.”

“I can see that,” Nemuri muttered. The look she shot Shota was scathing and judgemental. He was well aware that he was getting into some deep shit trying to help these kids, thank you very much. He didn’t need that being pointed out. 

“I’m going to go make sure York doesn’t try to steal anything while he’s unsupervised,” Carolina gave Nemuri an apologetic shrug before she rushed off to grab what little she had. 

“Shit,” Shota muttered. 

“What’s up, Sho?” Nemuri asked. 

“I’m going to have to take these kids shopping for clothes.”

“Oh absolutely not. Leave that to me and Hizashi. You only wear black, don’t do that to those poor children.”

“Black is a good color, I see nothing wrong with Eraser’s wardrobe,” a familiar voice said from behind the two heroes. Both of them whipped around to see Tex leaning against the door, a smirk on her face. 

“Holy shit! Where did you come from?” Nemuri gasped, one hand on her sleeve, prepared for a fight. 

Shota took a deep breath to calm his nerves, letting his own quirk deactivate as he realized the only threat was the blonde woman in front of him. (And she is a threat, Shota knows. He remembers the files Church had on her. But she’s still a kid.) 

“Please, don’t do that,” Shota hissed. He pushed his bangs out of his face and closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, he saw Tex holding out her hand. Blinking, he noticed the black hair tie in the palm of her hand. 

“You either need to get a haircut, or pull it back. It’s obvious when you use your quirk.”

“Dang, she’s got your number,” Nemuri laughed, slowly dropping her guard. 

“You literally just swore, don’t censor yourself now,” Tex rolled her eyes. “And to answer your first question, I’ve been here the whole time.”

“So, are you all packed and ready to go, or are you just choosing to scare us?” Nemuri finally dropped her hands back to her sides. 

Tex held up a backpack, and shook it slightly. 

“All set,” she said. “Just waiting on the rest of the idiots.”

“Hey! I resent that!” York called, his own bag slung over his shoulder, Maine trailing behind him. He let out his own displeased rumble at Tex’s comment. 

“Not an idiot,” Maine grumbled. 

“Both of you are. The only one who isn’t a complete dumbass is CT.” 

“Well, fuck you too, Texas,” South sneered. North gently smacked her arm and shook his head. 

“Don’t start, South.”

“Personally, I don’t see what you’re all so offended about,” CT sauntered past the others, a satisfied smirk on her face. 

“Oh, come on! I’m not that dumb…am I?” Wash asked. 

“Ehh,” CT made a so-so motion with her hand. 

“I mean…” York sucked in a breath uncertainly. 

“We gonna talk about the time with uh, the car?” North said. 

“Which time?” Maine responded. 

“You mean the time he got pinned between a car and a building?” South piped up. 

“Yeah,” North nodded. “That time.”

“It’s not my fault cars hate me!” Wash shrieked. 

“What about the time you stabbed yourself with a knife?” CT asked. 

“That was an accident!”

“How about the time you fell out of a window?” York slung his arm around Wash’s shoulders. 

“Fuck off!”

“I think you guys are just proving my point,'' Tex said triumphantly. 

“Thank god Lina isn’t here to hear you say that,” York whispered. 

“Not here to hear what?” Carolina asked. 

“Nothing!” York said immediately. 

“Called you an idiot,” Tex said at the same time. 

Shota was pretty sure he saw Carolina’s eye twitch. 

“I don’t need to hear that from a stone cold bitch like you,” Carolina fired back. 

“If you’re looking for a fight, you’ll have to look somewhere else, it wouldn’t even be a challenge,” Tex shrugged. 

Carolina snarled and took a step towards Tex. York grabbed one of Carolina’s hands, and North grabbed her other. 

“I’m going to wipe the fucking floor with you.”

“You couldn’t even if you tried.”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Shota stepped between the two of them. 

“Hey, I’m not the one who started it,” Tex held her hands up in a mock surrender. 

“Yes, you did,” Shota glared. “And you know you did.”

Tex rolled her eyes, but backed off. Carolina pulled her hands away from York and North but stepped back as well. Backing down didn’t stop her from glowering at Tex. 

“If you’re done here,” Wyoming called, stepping into the room to join everyone else. “Could we get this over with? I’m quite ready to leave, thank you.”

“Oh, it wasn’t so bad!” Florida said. “I rather liked the cozy atmosphere.”

“I think cramped is a better word,” North muttered. 

“Are they always like this?” Nemuri whispered. 

Shota nodded. “They never stop.”

“Looks like we have our work cut out for us. Okay, kiddos! Let’s get going!”

The arguments stopped as 10 sets of eyes turned to face Nemuri. Some were far less trusting than others. Wyoming, CT, and York looked wary and uncertain. The fake smile on Florida’s face faded slightly. Maine glanced around the room anxiously. South glared at Nemuri, taking a slight step forward to place herself in front of North. North refused to take his eyes off of Nemuri, but he seemed less tense than some of the others. Tex simply tilted her head to the side and waited. Wash and Carolina both turned to Nemuri with rapt attention. Shota was glad that those two were at least okay with his friend. 

“Full offense, bitch, but I’m not going anywhere with you,” South snapped. She reached out and grabbed North’s arm, probably to keep him from going anywhere, Shota guessed. 

“You don’t have to come with me, you can go with Shota if you want,” Nemuri said, trying to calm the group down. 

“I can take half of you with me, but Nemuri won’t hurt you, I promise,” Shota reassured. 

“Like I said, we ,” South’s grip on North’s arm tightened. “Are not going anywhere with her.”

“South, it’s fine. If Mr. Aizawa trusts her, how bad can she be?” North whispered.

South let go of North’s arm to smack him upside the head. There was a loud smack , and North moved his hand to rub the back of his head. “What the hell was that for?”

“Seriously? You are a fucking idiot. This is why you need someone to keep your dumb ass out of trouble!”

“Right, and I’m supposed to believe that’s you? No offense, South, but last time I checked, I was the one keeping you out of trouble,” North rebuked. 

“Oh boy, here we go again,” Wash muttered, quickly moving away from the twins. 

South kicked North in the shin, and North placed his hand on South’s forehead and shoved her away from him. South let out an annoyed shout as she tried to throw a punch at her brother, but couldn’t reach.

“FUCK YOU!” She shouted.

“Really sucks being short, huh,” North smiled.

“Alright, enough,” Shota said, loud enough to get everyone’s attention. “South, North, Wyoming, Florida, and CT, you’ll come with me. Carolina, Wash, Tex, Maine, and York, you go with Nemuri. Deal?”

“Deal,” Carolina said before any of the others could start yelling again. 

“Finally,” Shota muttered. “Alright, let’s get going.”

Chapter Text

Maine wasn’t nervous. Definitely not. He was perfectly fine following this complete stranger who knew way more about him than he did about her. Completely, totally, fine.

… 

Okay, so maybe he was a little nervous. He wasn’t purposely trying to hide behind Wash, but the younger boy was so much more assertive in these situations. Sure, Maine could take control in a fight, but people? No way. Especially not after 4 years in the lab, with no contact to the outside world. He was a little (a lot) shy. At least he had managed to get used to Aizawa, but now he had to adjust to a new person. 

She was chatting away with Carolina, who looked so calm , which should help Maine relax, but instead, it just put him more on edge. At least he wasn’t alone in this situation. York had a scowl on his face, and he kept clenching and unclenching his fists as he glared at Kayama. 

God, Maine wished he could be as relaxed as Texas was. She had no idea who Kayama was, but she seemed so at ease. 

Maine focused on Kayama’s back, trying to see if she had any hidden motives. 

When Kayama looked over her shoulder, Maine tensed up. He refused to look away but god, he didn’t want to be making eye contact with her any longer than he had to. 

“Are you okay, big guy?” Kayama asked. 

“I’m fine,” Maine mumbled back. He’d already established that he wasn’t but he didn’t need her to know that. 

“You sure? You’ve been glaring at me for a while now.”

Maine startled a little bit. He hadn’t realized he’d been glaring. He wasn’t trying to. 

“Oh, don’t worry about it, that’s just his thinking face,” Wash stepped in front of Maine. Not that it really did much, considering Maine was over a foot taller than him, but he appreciated the effort. 

“Looks really angry for a ‘thinking face,’” Kayama said, glancing back at Maine before facing forwards again. 

“Again, he just does that. He’s probably just a little nervous about this whole situation.”

“He’s not the only one,” Tex called over her shoulder. “Lighten up a little York, I think she can feel you glaring.”

“Shut it,” York snapped. Maine watched him close his hand into a fist again. 

“York, c’mere,” Carolina called. York glanced between Kayama and Carolina quickly, before jogging to catch up with her. Maine looked away. He had no interest in watching those two flirt. 

But, with York off with Carolina, that just left Maine as the only nervous one. How could the others be so calm? He just wanted to curl up in a ball and hide. 

Maine jumped when he felt a small hand touch his arm. Looking down, he saw a pair of big, blue eyes staring at him curiously. Wash tilted his head to the side, asking a silent question.

“ How can I help?”

Maine shrugged. He really had no idea what could help right now. 

“We’re almost at UA,” Wash assured. “Once we’re there, we can find somewhere to hide out until the others show up if you think that would help. Or, we could go for a little spar!”

Maine chuckled. Leave it to Washington to read him like a book. Honestly, a spar didn’t sound that bad. Wash was fun to fight. He was quick and unpredictable. Maine loved a challenge and Wash was one of the biggest challenges in their group. For such a little guy, he was really hard to take down. (Maine was pretty sure Wash was the human equivalent of a cockroach.)

“I’ll take that as a yes, then,” Wash smiled. He patted Maine’s arm gently. For the remainder of the walk, Wash stuck to Maine’s side like glue, helping to keep Maine calm.

Once the giant gates of UA came into view, Maine’s tension returned fullforce. He stared up at the giant school with dawning horror. It was so much bigger and more intimidating in the daytime. The last time he had been here, he’d had more pressing things to worry about. At that time, Maine had been too worried about Wash and Connie to really take things in. But now all he could do was stare at the massive building. Despite the outside of the building looking so different from the lab, something about it put Maine on edge. The building was shaped like a massive H, with entirely glass windows. A shudder ran down Maine’s spine as he stared at the windows. Being outside made him feel like a lab rat that was about to be observed, he couldn’t imagine what being inside while it was crowded would feel like. 

But, instead of walking towards the front doors of the school, Kayama took a left turn and led them towards a smaller building off to the side. It was much simpler than the main building. It was a brick building with 5 floors. There were a bunch of windows that showed empty rooms and there were 2 sets of large wooden double doors. 

Maine couldn’t really believe that this is where they were going to be staying for the time being. 

“This seems a little excessive, doesn’t it?” York asked, staring up at the building. 

“Maybe, but Nedzu wanted to make sure it was secure and comfortable for you kids,” Kayama responded. She pulled a key card of some sort out of her pocket and placed it against a scanner. “From what it sounds like, a nice comfy environment will be a good thing.”

There was a soft beep, and Kayama pulled open one of the doors, and revealed a spacious living room, with several couches and chairs spread out in front of a large TV. Maine could see an equally large kitchen just a room over. 

“Hooooly shit,” York gasped. 

“Dayum,” Tex whistled. 

“Uh…when you said you’d give us a place to stay… this isn’t what I thought you meant, ” Wash screeched. 

Even Carolina seemed to be at a loss. 

This floor alone was bigger than most of their rooms combined. Not to mention the living room felt like, well, a living room, so unlike the crappy common room they had to share. That was more of a prison than anything else, even if theirs was the biggest and most comfortable out of everyone there, it was still a grim reminder of the way they were viewed by The Director and his goons. 

“The bedrooms are on the second floor to the fifth floor, so there’s plenty of rooms for you kids to choose from,” Kayama said. “There’s an elevator over there, and a staircase next to it. Oh! And I have keycards for all of you, courtesy of Nedzu. These will get you into this building and some of the training grounds, Shota knows more of the specifics than I do, so if you want to use any of them, ask him.” Kayama picked up several cards from the coffee table in the living room and handed them out. 

Maine gently took his, and held the small white and orange piece of plastic in his hand. Looking around, he noticed each of their cards was different. Wash’s card was gray and yellow, Texas’s had a streak of black on it, York’s had a tan streak on his, and Carolina’s had a blue? Green? Blueish-greenish? Streak on hers. 

“Why are they different colors?” Carolina asked, flipping her card in her hands. 

“That way you guys don’t lose track of who’s card is who’s. They’re all set up to let us know who unlocked which door.”

“So, you’ll know if I open the door to this building if I unlock it with this card?” Wash held up the card in his hand. 

“Exactly. It’s just to make sure you haven’t wandered off if we can’t find you in the dorm. I didn’t put this security measure in place, but I do think it’s a good idea,” Kayama said. 

“And how do you know all this? I didn’t think Aizawa was keeping anyone in the loop,” Carolina crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Kayama. 

“Nedzu gave all of us working here the details once security was all set up. It’s not just going to be me, Shota, or Hizashi coming to check on you. The rest of the staff will be helping too, so they need to be aware of this as well.”

“Makes sense,” Texas nodded thoughtfully. “If something goes wrong, and only one person actually knows how security works, everyone else is fucked.”

Great. Maine definitely did not need that right now. He was already anxious, Texas was not helping. He really didn’t want to think about things going wrong. There was already too much to be worried about, that was just too much. Maine wanted to feel safe . He was tired of being afraid. 

“You get it. It’s a safety measure. We just want to make sure nothing happens to you,” Kayama agreed. 

“And I’m guessing we’ll be discussing more safety measures once the others get here?” Carolina asked. 

“Yep. Shota wanted to wait about an hour before he left with the rest of your group. Just so no one can follow either group.” 

“Great,” York muttered. Maine watched him run a hand through his hair, and he let it fall over his eyes. “Is anyone gonna care if I go lay down for a while? I have a headache.”

“Wanna go claim a room?” Kayama asked. 

“Yeah. I’ll be on the second floor. Call me when everyone else gets here.” York walked away towards the elevator. 

“Is he okay?” Kayama looked at the rest of the group with concern. 

“Probably his eyes,” Maine said. He could understand where York was coming from. Even now, if he talks too much his throat bothers him. (You’d think with his quirk, there wouldn’t be any long term consequences, and yet, here he was.)

“That…can I ask what happened?”

“It was my fault,” Maine cut Carolina off before she could say anything. “Threw a…grenade at Texas and missed.”

“Right, I sort of knew that, but…how did that not kill him?”

“Luck,” Texas answered. “It destroyed the visor on his helmet though. He’s lucky he wasn’t completely blinded.”

“God, that’s awful.”

“I know,” Maine muttered. 

“Have you apologized yet?” 

“No.”

There was a whisper from Wash, and the other three quietly slipped out of the room. 

“Maine, come here,” Kayama sat down on one of the couches. Maine sat down next to her. He hunched over as he waited for the inevitable scolding. 

“Can I ask why you threw the grenade?”

“The Director…gave me and Wyoming live ammo. He wanted us to use it.”

“He didn’t give any to York?”

Maine shook his head. “He never liked York, probably wanted to find a way to indirectly get rid of him.”

“So, you threw a grenade?”

“Yes.”

“Do you regret it?”

“ Yes,” Maine whispered. “I didn’t want to hurt him.”

“Don’t tell me that, tell him. He deserves that at the very least,” Kayama placed a gentle hand on Maine’s arm, and gave him a reassuring smile.

Maine looked at the ground and shifted nervously on the couch. He stared at the ground uncertainly. 

“You should go now, before everyone else gets here.”

Maine sighed, but nodded. 

“Good. Now, get going!”

He made a displeased noise at Kayama’s urging. He didn’t want to talk to York about this right now. He didn’t think he’d be able to face Kayama if York decided to hate him. 

“It’ll be fine. Just go,” Kayama stood up and reached out to Maine. He reluctantly grabbed her hand and let her pull him up. She gently pushed him towards the stairs. Maine tried to plead with her silently, but she simply shooed him away. 

Sighing, Maine opted to climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator. At least this way was quieter. 

Every step up felt like he was walking closer to his death. York was scary when he got mad. The guy rarely ever got angry, but everyone knew that a pissed off York was a dangerous York. Maine had been on the receiving end of his punches before, and every time he regretted it. York had been 2 on the leaderboard for a very long time for a reason. 

Maine made it to the second floor and hesitantly stepped into the hallway. There were five rooms total. One of the doors was closed, and Maine could only guess that that was where York was. 

Taking a deep breath, Maine approached the closed door and knocked. He waited silently for any sort of acknowledgment. He waited for what felt like hours (it was probably only a couple of seconds) before the door opened, revealing a dark room, with York poking his head out. He looked up to make eye contact with Maine, and Maine felt himself shrink a little bit. 

“What’s up, big guy?” York asked in his usual easy tone, all signs of exhaustion gone. Probably hidden beneath a facade. 

“Um…” shit. Now Maine actually had to say something. He hadn’t thought about what he was going to say. He just came up here because Kayama told him he should. 

“Maine?” York asked again, stepping fully out of the doorway. 

“I’m…sorry,” Maine finally said. He dropped his head to stare at the floor. 

“What?”

“I said…sorry.”

“Yeah, I heard that, but for what?”

“Your eye.”

York’s entire demeanor changed in an instance. His posture stiffened and Maine could feel York glaring at him. 

“Seriously?”

“Yeah,” Maine muttered. “I really am sorry.”

“Okay, if you feel so bad about it, then why the fuck did you throw the damn grenade while I was on the floor?” York snapped. Maine cringed. 

“I…wasn’t trying to hit you. And I was angry.”

“You and Wyoming brought live ammo into a training exercise. Just cause we were getting our asses kicked didn’t give either of you the right to actually try to shoot her. Especially not when your own teammate was getting caught in the crossfire.”

“I know.”

“So why’d you do it, then?“

“The Director told us to…” Maine trailed off. He couldn’t look at York. He knew he’d fucked up back then, when the grenade had nearly killed York. 

“Of course he did. The bastard. Why?”

“I don’t know.”

Maine heard York sigh. That answer definitely wasn’t what he wanted to hear. 

He hesitated briefly. Not quite sure what to say. York stayed silent as well. This was going so much worse than Maine had hoped. 

“Jon, I’m so sorry,” Maine finally forced himself to say. He caught a glimpse of York jumping at the use of his real name. “I…I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“I know it was an accident, and I know that you really didn’t have a choice in the matter, but still. I don’t know if I’ll be able to forgive you for that specific incident but…well. You are my friend. Plus, if I did anything to you, I think Washington would try to kill me,” York said, punching Maine’s shoulder gently. 

Maine chuckled. He was right about that. Wash was a force to be reckoned with. 

“Not that he’d win that fight, but he’s determined,” York continued. 

“Give him a knife, I think he’d be somewhat successful,” Maine joked. 

“Ha, I'd like to see him try!” York laughed. 

It was good to see York giving a genuine smile. Smiles and laughs like that were so rare after everything. Maine couldn’t stop himself from cracking a smile in return. 

“Hey, Maine,” York said. “Thank you. For apologizing. It really means a lot.”

“You’re welcome,” Maine responded. “Do you want me to leave you alone for a little bit?”

“Yeah, that’d be great, thanks man.”

Maine nodded, and quickly went down the stairs. He saw Wash sitting on the couch with Carolina. Texas sat on the chair across from them, remote for the TV in hand. 

“Welcome back. I see you’re still in one piece,” she said, looking Maine up and down. 

“Mmhmm,” Maine grunted. He plopped down on one of the empty couches. 

“Surprising,” Carolina sneered. Maine couldn’t really blame her for that. He did permanently disable one of her boyfriends. 

He hadn’t been expecting Wash to smack Carolina’s arm. “Be nice! He apologized!”

“Ugh, fine. Whatever,” Carolina shifted so her back was to Wash, who just gave Maine an apologetic smile.

“Look are you guys gonna keep arguing or can I put on a fucking movie?” Texas snapped, waving the remote around angrily. 

“Just put it on,” Carolina snarled.

“Great. I’m putting on Kung-Fu Panda and none of you can stop me.”

Maine settled onto the other couch and got ready for the movie. At least until Aizawa and the rest of their group showed up. 

Chapter Text

North didn’t really know how to process the massive dorm that Mr. Aizawa had brought their group to. He felt…comfortable, for the first time in years. Maybe not safe, but comfortable. 

Walking in, he saw Maine, Carolina, Wash, and Tex sitting in the common room watching a movie. Ms. Kayama was in the kitchen putting stuff in the fridge, and York was, apparently, nowhere to be seen. 

That certainly made North anxious. He took a step closer to South on instinct. His sister didn’t even look over, she just bumped into him. Just to let him know she was still there. 

Mr. Aizawa stepped into the common room, and grabbed something off the table. He paused to look at the movie. 

“Sup?” Tex asked. 

“Finish the movie, and then we’ll talk about how things will work,” Mr. Aizawa responded. Walking back, he handed out small plastic cards to each of the group. The one in North’s hand was a dark purple with a green stripe through it. Looking down, he saw South’s was a light purple with a lighter green stripe through it. 

“Don’t lose those, and don’t swap them. I’ll explain why once everyone else is ready. Go pick a room and come back. And while you’re gone, someone find York.”

North peeled himself away from South with an apologetic smile and made his way behind the couch where Carolina was sitting. 

“Hey.”

She turned to face him, and North had the pleasure of watching her face light up with a smile. It was a small one, but still. North couldn’t stop himself from returning the smile. 

“Hey there,” Carolina said. 

“You enjoying yourself?”

There was a quiet scoff as she glared at the blonde woman lounging on the chair across from them. Tex gave a lazy wave before turning her attention back to the movie. 

“Yeah, should’ve expected that,” North chuckled. He heard Wash groan from his spot next to Carolina. North could practically hear the eye roll. 

“Can you guys not flirt while I’m right here?” Wash asked. 

“We’re not flirting,” Carolina snapped. 

“I was just saying hello,” North said with a chuckle. He put his hands up in a mock surrender. “Speaking of, where’s York?”

“Upstairs,” Carolina said. “He wasn’t feeling great so he wanted to get a little bit of rest before everyone else showed up.”

“Do you want me to go get him?” 

“No, let him rest a little longer, he hasn’t let himself relax at all.”

North gently ran his fingers through her hair, absentmindedly playing with a piece. “Sounds like someone else I know.”

Carolina just rolled her eyes and settled back into her original position, which gave North easier access to her hair. He couldn’t help the soft smile that spread over his face as he messed with it. 

“Oh my god,” Wash groaned. He got up and curled up next to Maine. 

North moved around the couch to the spot Wash had just vacated. He tried to focus on the movie, but every now and then, he would glance over Carolina’s head to see where Ms. Kayama and Mr. Aizawa were. Both of them were sitting in the dining room, talking quietly. No matter how many times he looked, they were still there. 

North had always been good at catching small details, seeing little things that most people wouldn’t. He had never been sure whether that came from his quirk or not. He could see the subtle looks the heroes were giving them. The furrow of Mr. Aizawa’s eyebrows as he glanced at the back of Wash’s head. The sudden tenseness in Ms. Kayama’s body as she watched Tex. All of it was setting North on edge. He had no idea why, but he really didn’t like it. (York always made fun of him for being able to catch suspicious stuff but never being able to figure out what was going on.)

Carolina flicked his arm, drawing his attention away from the heroes. 

“I can practically hear you worrying,” she whispered. “If you panic, Wash, Maine, and South will freak out too. Leave being overly suspicious to the rest of us, okay?” 

“I just…don’t want anything happening to any of you,” North admitted quietly. He dropped his head onto Carolina's head. Her hair smelled like cinnamon, and it was so soft. Just being near her was a comfort. North was still nervous, this whole situation scared him. He didn’t think he’d be able to feel safe or comfortable until everything was over. They wouldn’t be able to relax until the Director was either in jail or dead. (Preferably dead, but North wasn’t going to say that out loud.)

“ Nothing will happen to any of us, I’ll make sure of it,” Carolina promised. 

“I know you will.”

North let his eyes close for a moment, just giving himself time to listen to everything around him. Kung Fu Panda was still playing in the background, North thought it might be coming to an end. South was talking loudly with Wash, while CT chatted easily with Tex. North heard Florida and Maine laughing at something Wyoming said. 

The moment of peace was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. 

“Seriously? You guys are cuddling and I wasn’t invited? I’m offended!” York‘s smooth voice came from right behind the couch. North opened his eyes and turned to face his boyfriend. He felt Carolina shift beside him. 

York had his usual smirk on his face, but the spark of mischief in his eye was missing. He looked…tired. 

“We’ll make it up to you later, how does that sound,” Carolina offered. 

York seemed to consider it for a second before nodding. “That seems like a fair deal.” He curled up in the corner of the couch next to North. 

When the credits for the movie ended, North heard the sound of a chair scraping against the floor. Without bothering to look, North knew it was Mr. Aizawa. 

“Looks like everyone is here,” Mr. Aizawa said, as he stepped into the living room. 

“So, you gonna tell us what these things do or what?” South asked, holding the card up. 

“Those will give you access to certain facilities at UA, as well as letting us know who goes where. You’ll have complete access to the main building itself, and limited access to the training grounds.”

“Wait, what?” CT said. “Why limited access?”

“If you want to use the training grounds, you’ll need to have either myself or another member of the staff with you in order to supervise.” 

“Oh come on!” South shouted. “That’s bullshit!”

“You cannot be serious,” Wyoming snapped. 

“I am serious. I’m not letting you kids go off and start fighting each other without some form of supervision. Accidents happen all the time in sparring matches, especially when quirks are involved,” Mr. Aizawa glanced at York. “I don’t want you kids getting injured because no one was around to keep things from getting out of control.”

“We’ve sparred without any sort of supervision in the past,” Florida chirped. “I don’t see why we need any now.”

“How about you think of it as us adults just worrying too much?” Ms. Kayama said kindly.  

“Guess there’s a first time for everything,” York shrugged. North glanced at York briefly, and could see the cold edge in his eye. He’d known that York hadn’t had the best life even before getting dragged into the project, this just confirmed North’s concerns about York’s childhood.

“Cool, great, adult supervision, let’s move on,” Tex interrupted. 

“Right,” Mr. Aizawa hesitated for a second. 

“If you want to leave campus, you’ll need to take a member of the staff with you. I don’t want any of you wandering around on your own. And, if something happens, you see someone or something that seems suspicious or you feel like you’re in danger, let me know immediately . Understood?”

There was a chorus of ‘ yes’ from the group. 

“Good. Now, there’s one more thing I have for you,” Mr. Aizawa left the room and came back a few seconds later with a large bag. “Nedzu got laptops for all of you.”

“Oh god,” Wash muttered. “Please tell me it’s not for the reason I think it is.”

“He wants to make sure that while you’re here, you still manage to get an education,” Mr. Aizawa continued. 

“God fucking dammit,” Wash groaned. 

“Ugh, I thought we escaped shitty classes,” CT groaned. 

“You guys aren’t the ones who had to learn calculus in like a month!” Wash’s voice cracked as he screeched. 

“You can do calculus?” Ms. Kayama asked. 

“Yeah! And I fucking hate it!”

“We all can…to a certain extent,” Carolina said. “Some of us are better than others.”

“Literally, just say my name,” Tex said. “I’m well aware I suck at math. I’m much better at punching shit.”

“Well, that’s good to know. I guess we can figure out what we need to teach you some other time,” Aizawa placed the bag on the table. “For now though, I’m going to get started on dinner.”

As Mr. Aizawa and Ms. Kayama North let himself settle back onto the couch in an attempt to calm his nerves. He needed time to process what he had been told. 

Everything Mr. Aizawa had said made North’s unease grow. They all knew that the Director would be sending other members of the project to hunt them down, but hearing Mr. Aizawa warn them about going anywhere alone scared the shit out of him. 

Looking around, North could see the nervous expressions on the other’s faces. Wash was biting his lip, gloved hands fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Maine refused to make eye contact with anyone, instead focusing on the ground in front of him. South was glaring into the kitchen, jaw clenched tightly. Wyoming’s face was completely blank as he stared straight ahead, eyes glazed over. Florida’s smile was more forced than usual. CT looked annoyed. Her eyes kept flicking from Tex and York to the kitchen. For once, Tex wasn’t perfectly calm. She was tense and had a glare to rival South’s. Carolina had her hands in her lap, both clenched into tight fists as she stared absently at them. And York looked deep in thought, like he was trying to figure out a way to fix all of this. 

North forced himself to take a deep breath. Sure, he was scared, but so was everyone else. (Well, almost everyone. Jury was still out on Tex.) The best thing North could do right now was stay calm and at least try to help whenever he could. 

He placed one hand on Carolina’s arm and his other on York’s. Both of them startled and turned to face him. North gave them a reassuring smile. 

Things didn’t look good right now, but North would make sure that, no matter what happened, his family would stay safe. He’d make sure of it. 

“Come on, I wanna see what the rooms look like,” he said, pulling Carolina and York up, and dragging them towards the stairs. “Anyone else coming?” He’d worry about himself later. Right now, he wanted the others to have a chance to calm down. It was the least he could do. 

Chapter Text

South honestly couldn’t remember the last time she had laid down in a bed this comfortable. She was pretty sure she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She didn’t even know she had been that tired. Which made the fact that she was currently awake in the middle of the night for no reason so strange. As far as she could tell, there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. The room looked the exact same as when she had left it before going to sleep. The window was shut tight and locked, none of her stuff had been moved, and the door was still closed. 

None of this made her unease fade. Something was wrong but she had no idea what. At least, she didn’t, until she heard a small, unbelievably quiet knock on her door. 

If she had been anywhere else, South would’ve been ready for a fight. But here, knowing exactly who was in this building, she had a feeling she knew exactly who was standing outside her door at ass o’clock in the morning(?). 

Slipping out of her bed, South made her way to the door. She considered turning on the light, but decided against it. She didn’t feel like blinding herself right now. Without much hesitation, she opened the door to see her twin standing there. His usually tall form hunched over in a way that she saw very rarely these days. He had his arms wrapped around his body. 

She reached out and grabbed his arm to drag him into her room. She was surprised when she felt him shaking. North had always been her pillar, he was always calm and composed, and there for her when she needed someone. Even during the worst days in that hell hole, he would put her first. Even when she tried to push him away with insults and threats, he never stopped watching her back. 

South realized that she regretted how she treated him. For almost 3 years she treated her own twin, her other half, like shit, when all he wanted to do was help her. 

She gently shoved North onto her bed so she could sit next to him. He’d been almost silent the whole time except for his shaky breathing. 

“So,” South prompted. “You wanna tell me why you came to my room at…whatever the fuck time it is?”

North curled in on himself further, an impressive feat if you asked South. 

“I…” his voice was barely above a whisper. “Had a nightmare.”

“Must’ve been pretty bad for you to come to me instead of going to York or Carolina.”

“It was about you,” he whispered, dropping his head into his hands. “I…I thought you died.”

He dragged his hands through his hair and pulled his legs up to his chest. 

Oh. That would do it. She’d had plenty of dreams in the early days that something happened to North and she would always find some excuse to check on him. She never told him the truth about why she wanted to see him. 

“Well, I’m not, so you don’t need to freak out,” she tried to sound casual. 

“Easier said than done,” North tightened his grip on his hair. “What if-what if I do lose you? Or York or Carolina? Wash? Any of the others?”

“Hey, North, you need to calm down.” South grasped his wrists carefully in an attempt to pull his hands out of his hair. 

“Calm down? How?! We’re being hunted down by the people who used us as experiments! They-they tortured us! And now they’re going to be looking for us!” North sobbed. South could just barely make out tears falling down his face in the dark. Without thinking, South let go of North’s wrists and wrapped her arms around him. She hugged him as tightly as she could without hurting him. She placed her hand on the back of his head, mirroring the way he would comfort her. 

North sobbed silently into her shoulder. South was going to kill every single person still associated with the Director with her bare hands. North had never shown her how badly this had affected him. She tightened her grip slightly. No one, South decided, would get to lay their hands on her brother. Never again. And if they did, there would be hell to pay, she’d make sure of it. 

“Let them come,” she finally managed to growl. “I’ll rip them to fucking shreds before they can do anything to any of us.”

North let out a watery, broken laugh. He wrapped his arms around her back and took a shuddering breath. 

“I guess I don’t have anything to worry about then.”

“Hell no! I’ll take down anyone who tries to fuck with us!”

“I shouldn’t even be surprised anymore,” North muttered. South could practically hear the smile in his voice. It was still small and fragile but it was an improvement. 

“The hell’s that supposed to mean?” South gasped with mock anger. 

North said nothing, but South heard the quiet chuckle. 

“You are such a dick, I hope you know that,” South pulled away to smack North’s arm playfully. 

“Takes one to know one,” he said with a smile. 

South rolled her eyes and shoved him gently. North swatted back at her. Soon it became a slapping match, both of them laughing the whole time. 

South pushed North backwards, who flopped onto her pillow gracelessly. His eyes slipped closed briefly as he caught his breath. 

“Thank you, Milla,” he whispered. 

“Why are you thanking me?” South asked.

“I half figured you wouldn’t care,” North admitted. 

And oh, if that wasn’t just a slap to the face. South opened and closed her mouth like a fish for a few seconds. She wasn’t proud of her actions, but she hadn’t realized just how badly it had affected North. 

“Of course I care, idiot! I’m just…not great at showing it.”

“I’m glad,” he muttered. South waited a few minutes until North’s breathing evened out, and she was convinced he was asleep. 

“I know I wasn’t there for you when you needed it, but I won’t let anything else happen to you, I swear,” she whispered. “Now, it’s my turn to keep you safe, Aleks.”

South curled up next to North and got ready to go back to sleep. She would keep this whole thing between them. South closed her eyes, and drifted off, comforted by the presence of her brother for the first time in years.

Chapter Text

York wasn’t a morning person. He was fully willing to admit that. He barely functioned before 10 am. Maybe a little earlier if he got his hands on coffee. It always made for an interesting sight when he was forced to wake up early, especially since the Director decided that  their whole group needed to be ready to do shit by 6 in the goddamn morning. 

When they’d recruited Aizawa to help them, York had thought he’d be free of early mornings. He thought he would get the chance to sleep in. 

…So why the fuck was he awake, dressed in UA’s gym uniform, at 6 in the goddamn morning. 

“C’mon, York, wakey wakey,” Tex said, giving him a not so no gentle shove. 

York stumbled, barely managing to catch himself from landing face first in the dirt. Aizawa was bringing them to the training grounds for the first time. They had been begging to go for days. York knew every single one of them was getting restless, himself included. He just wished they weren’t going this early. 

“‘M awake,” he mumbled. He was not. At least he wasn’t alone in his exhaustion. 

South was barely awake, and North was practically dragging her along. Maine looked like a zombie as he staggered along next to CT, who was way too chipper. Wash kept yawning and rubbing his eyes in an attempt to wake up more. York couldn’t help but think about how young Wash looked when he was tired. And, oh. That was never a good path to go down. York curled his hands into fists. He had to physically stop himself from gritting his teeth, cause if he did that, then the others would definitely notice. Goddamnit. Now York was tired and pissed off. 

“You sure don’t look awake,” Tex smirked. 

“Can’t you go bother someone else?” He asked. 

Aizawa opened the door to a building near the main building. He said something that York didn’t quite process, but considering Carolina walked in without hesitation, it couldn’t be that bad. 

“Nah, you’re the most fun to bug when you’re like this,” Tex continued. 

“I regret being friends with you.”

Tex just laughed at him. 

“Alright you big baby, let’s go catch up. Carolina will get pissy if she thinks we’re up to something.”

“You’re always up to something, you crafty bitch,” York mumbled. He picked up the pace to catch up with everyone else. 

“I heard that!” Tex called after him. 

Aizawa was standing in the doorway, waiting for York and Tex. Once they stepped in, Aizawa shut the door behind them. 

“Here’s the training grounds. I want to see what you kids can do today,” he said. 

“Did we have to be up so early though?” South groaned. 

“This was the only time I was available, since students are going to be wandering around throughout the day, and I do have to patrol tonight. I didn’t really have another choice,” Aizawa said with a slight shrug.

“Oh, it’s not that early, South,” North said. 

“Fuckin…morning people,” Wash mumbled, barely coherent. York had to agree with that statement. 

“Come on, people, wake up,” Carolina demanded, and oof, if that didn’t send a shock of adrenaline through York’s system. She was using her if you don’t listen, I’ll beat you senseless voice. Normally, he found that kind of hot, but that was when it wasn’t being directed at him. 

York straightened up, suddenly much more awake than he was a few minutes ago. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wash, Maine and South do the same thing. 

“We have shit to do, and we’re going to do it, now,” Carolina continued. 

“Yes, ma’am,” Maine muttered. 

“Alright, if you’re all ready, let’s get going,” Aizawa brought everyone’s attention back to him. He led them through the building, past two different locker rooms, through a door that brought them outside. There were several different areas clearly meant for different types of training. 

There were several arenas, and York wasn’t sure what the difference between any of them were. 

“Normally, I’d have you go through a quirk apprehension test, but I doubt that would be all that helpful. Instead, I figured a few sparring matches would be more your style,” Aizawa said, walking towards one of the arenas. 

“Hell yes,” South shouted, clearly far more awake than she had been before. 

“Bollocks,” Wyoming hissed. 

York didn’t bother to hide his laugh at Wyoming’s reaction. The older boy turned to glare at him. 

“Are we allowed to pick our sparring partners?” York asked. Suddenly, he was feeling a little vindictive. Just a little. 

“I don’t see why not, so long as you listen when I tell you to either stop and to stay in control. Got it?”

“Gotcha. I’m kinda raring to go,” York couldn’t stop himself from bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. Maybe this was a little mean. Maybe. 

Carolina gave York a suspicious look, and the most he could do was just shrug at her. 

“Alright, well, feel free to pick your partners then. We’ll do one match at a time.”

Almost immediately, York made his way over to Wyoming. 

“Hey, Wyoming, let’s pair up,” he suggested, focusing intently on the black haired boy. He felt Wyoming’s mind go blank as his quirk took effect, and Wyoming gave a slight nod. 

Without waiting for Wyoming to snap out of it, he grabbed his arm and dragged him into the center of the ring. 

“Oh for the love of-! No! I do not want to spar with you!” Wyoming snapped, as York released his control. 

“Too bad, everyone else is paired up, you’re stuck with me, Reggie,” York smirked.

Wyoming whipped around to find that York had actually been telling the truth.

York was a little curious about the other matches, especially since some of the groups looked like they would be really interesting. 

(He was worried when he saw Carolina had made her way over to Tex. That wasn’t going to go well, at all. Talk about a grudge match.)

“Right, you two ready?” Aizawa asked. 

“ Absolutely not!” Wyoming shouted. 

“Sure am!” York called over Wyoming. 

“I hate you. So much.”

“The feeling is mutual. Now suck it up and get ready, I’d like to do something .”

“Uuuuggghhhhh, fine! Fine! Just start the match, Eraser,” Wyoming groaned as he brought his hands up to guard. 

York shifted his right leg back and rolled his shoulders before bringing his hands up. 

“Begin,” Aizawa called. 

Without missing a beat, York lunged forward. He threw a punch aimed right at Wyoming’s face. Wyoming blocked it and attempted to retaliate with his own strike, but York stepped to the side and slammed his elbow across his temple. Wyoming stumbled, and York took the opportunity to swing his leg around, right into Wyoming’s side. He continued his barrage by bringing both of his hands down on the back of Wyoming’s head, only for the other boy to slip out of the way at the last second. York quickly brought one hand up to block the incoming punch. York could see the slight white glow in Wyoming’s eyes fade. 

One. 

Wyoming quickly moved to York’s left, and he cursed. Not good. If Wyoming managed to get into York’s blind spot, it would be really hard to recover. There was nothing York could do when he felt a fist connect with his jaw. 

York spun on his heel and swung out, praying that his fist would connect with something. 

“I’m not falling for that again,” Wyoming hissed. He had taken a few steps back, giving York the opportunity to situate himself. He spotted the same fading glow again. 

Two. 

“Just stay still,” York reached out for Wyoming’s mind again. The effect was almost immediate. Wyoming suddenly stopped, eyes glazed over and body relaxing ever so slightly. 

York took his opportunity to get right up in Wyoming’s face. He slid one leg behind Wyoming’s leg, and swept. At the same time he slammed his elbow against his throat, knocking him onto the ground. York quickly dropped down in an attempt to bring his knee down on Wyoming’s chest, only for his opponent to roll out of the way at the last second. 

Three. 

Instead of standing up, Wyoming only managed to push himself onto his knees with a pained gasp. York could see him shaking and knew the fight was over. 

“Alright, that’s enough,” Aizawa called. 

York made his way over to his teammate on the ground and held out a hand for him to grab. 

Wyoming took it shakily, and York hauled him up. 

“You both okay?” Aizawa asked. 

“I’m good. Wyoming may have overdid it though,” York said, glancing at his sparring partner. 

Wyoming looked paler than usual, his breathing was shaky and York was pretty sure he was going to either throw up or pass out and he didn’t really want to deal with either of those options. 

Carefully grabbing Wyoming’s arm, York slung it over his shoulder to support him. 

“I-I’m fine,” Wyoming mumbled as he slumped against York. “Just…just a little dizzy.”

“What happened? I didn’t see you get hit that hard,” Aizawa asked. 

“Quirk,” Wyoming managed. 

York tightened his grip on Wyoming’s wrist and focused. Dim gold light briefly surrounded them, as York did his best to at least help Wyoming feel less like shit. 

“Do you need anything?” 

“Just…need to sit down for a minute, would rather not black out, thank you.”

“Alright, take it easy,” Aizawa said gently. 

York half dragged Wyoming over to the nearest bench, where Florida immediately started hovering. 

“Yknow,” York said. “I really don’t think you had to go back in time at all during that fight. I wasn’t going to hit you that hard.”

“Force of habit,” he admitted, leaning against Florida. 

It was always so weird when those two got touchy, since neither of them particularly enjoyed showing emotions around anyone. The only time York ever saw them like this was whenever Wyoming was still a little out of it from overusing either of his quirks. 

“You should probably try to spread out how often you do that,” Florida suggested. He had thrown his arm around Wyoming and had pulled the other boy against him. 

York really hoped this wasn’t what he, Carolina, and North looked like all the time. 

“You gonna be good, man?” York finally asked. He didn’t really want to sit here and watch those two do their thing. 

“I’ll be fine, I’m starting to feel better already,” Wyoming promised. “I appreciate your help, mate.”

“No problem, dude.” York gave Wyoming’s shoulder a gentle pat. He made his way over to North and Wash who were giving Carolina and Tex concerned looks. 

“They’re going to kill each other,” North muttered. 

“Oh yeah, definitely,” Wash agreed. 

“I’m pretty sure Tex’s original plan was going to be sparring with me but Carolina got to her first.”

“Oof, trust me, you don’t really wanna fight her, she hurts,” York kept his tone casual, even as the memory of Tex throwing him around like a football made him cringe. 

Wash snorted and glanced over at Tex, expression very carefully kept blank. 

“Yeah, I can only imagine.”

York watched as Carolina practically stormed into the ring, Tex following casually behind her. 

“I feel like we shouldn’t let this happen,” North said nervously. 

York had to agree but…

“You wanna tell Carolina that? She’s not gonna take no for an answer.”

“I know that, but this just won’t go well.”

“You both ready?” Aizawa asked. 

“I think it’s a little late to stop it now,” Wash pointed out. Carolina and Tex both shifted into a fighting stance. 

“I’ll be on standby,” York sighed. He really didn’t want to watch Carolina get hurt. Not again. And not by Tex. 

“Begin,” Aizawa called. 

In an instant, Tex vanished. At the same time Carolina split into two. 

Carolina and her duplicate began to circle the ring in opposite directions, waiting for Tex to make a move. York caught sight of movement behind the duplicate, and he knew Carolina had seen it too. In a second, Carolina closed the distance between herself and Tex, and attacked with a flurry of blows, none of which York could really make out. The duplicate joined in the barrage, and suddenly, the fight was a blur of blue and red. 

It almost looked like Carolina had the upper hand. York couldn’t express how badly he wanted that to be true, but he knew that wasn’t the case. 

As soon as Carolina backed off to take a breath, York watched as her duplicate’s arm was grabbed and twisted behind its back. The duplicate was forced onto its knees and was thrown towards Carolina. 

Carolina gracefully dodged out of the way as the duplicate went flying. It hit the ground hard, and dissipated. York was glad it hadn’t hit Carolina. 

Carolina snarled and rushed forwards towards where she thought Tex was. She spun around with a powerful kick, only for it to miss completely. Carolina screamed in frustration as she whirled around to try to find Tex. 

“Nice try, Carolina,” Tex said. “But you can’t beat me.”

Carolina was sent stumbling forwards as something connected with her back. Another powerful hit sent her flying. She crashed into the ground and rolled, barely staying within the ring. 

York clenched his hands into fists and took a deep breath. Aizawa wouldn’t let this fight get out of hand. This wouldn’t be like the last few times Tex and Carolina fought. Carolina would be fine. 

York felt a gentle hand on his arm, and he turned to see North giving him a soft look. 

“She’ll be okay, she’s tough,” North reassured. York leaned against the taller boy and nodded. 

“You’re right , she’s got this,” York tried to convince himself that was true. Turning back to the fight, he saw Carolina forcing herself onto her feet. Her red hair had fallen out of her usual ponytail. She was covered in scrapes, and York could see a few bruises already starting to form. She had dirt smeared across her face and clothes. There was a desperate, wild look in her eyes as she frantically searched for her opponent. Before Carolina could make any other moves, Tex reappeared right in front of her. With a burst of speed, Carolina lunged. Instead of trying to move out of the way, Tex caught her fist and forced Carolina backwards. 

She let out a sharp gasp as Tex continued to bend her wrist. 

“That’s enough,” Aizawa called, but York knew it was pointless at this point. Neither of them were listening. 

Carolina flailed desperately. York hated it. He hated seeing her like this. 

There was a cold, hard look in Tex’s eyes as she grabbed Carolina’s throat and picked her up. 

“ TEX!” Aizawa shouted, hair rising above his head. He grabbed his scarf and moved towards the two women. 

York rushed in after him. He knew this fight wouldn’t go well, but he didn’t do anything to stop it. 

Tex whirled around, and threw Carolina at Aizawa, who caught her with a startled grunt. Carolina coughed as she was given the chance to breathe again. 

“Tex, calm down,” York said, forcing his voice to remain steady. He desperately tried to latch on to Tex’s mind. He felt the click and saw Tex’s stance relax. 

He let out a sigh of relief. At least he wouldn’t have to try to stop the walking juggernaut. 

He sometimes forgot just how strong Tex was. 

“What the hell were you thinking?” Aizawa snapped. “I told you to stop, and you didn’t! You could have seriously hurt Carolina!”

“Yeah, uh, she’s not listening,” York panted. “Sorry, that one’s on me.”

Aizawa glanced over at him from his position on the ground. He was still holding Carolina. North, CT, and Wash were hovering behind Aizawa, concern written plainly on their faces. 

(North looked scared shitless and before York could even consider going to comfort his partner, South was by his side, ducking under North’s arm so he could wrap it around her shoulders.)

York released the death grip he had on Tex’s mind and swallowed nervously. He wasn’t scared of Tex, but he knew that if she snapped, he wouldn’t be able to stop her. 

Tex shook her head and blinked. Brown eyes widened in confusion as she looked around. She froze when she saw Carolina panting heavily on the ground. 

“Shit, you okay, kid?” She asked. All traces of the ruthless fighter were gone, leaving behind the same girl that had saved York’s life. 

“Get…get the fuck away from me,” Carolina rasped. 

“And here I thought Washington’s unchecked aggression was the most concerning,” Wyoming muttered from his position on the bench. Florida had, at some point, placed his head on top of Wyoming’s. 

“Not the time,” Maine growled. 

With everything calming down, York finally made his way over to Aizawa and Carolina. He crouched down beside them and carefully placed his hand on Carolina’s cheek. For the second time that morning, York was enveloped in a soft gold light, as he focused on healing as many of Carolina’s injuries as he could. 

He felt, rather than saw, cuts and scrapes slowly start stitching themselves back together, as bruises began to fade. Sweat dripped down his face as he concentrated. He jumped when he felt a small hand make contact with exposed forearm. He turned his head to see Wash kneeling next to him, one glove placed haphazardly to his right. 

Wash gave him an anxious smile, and York could feel his hand shaking on his arm. York gave a grateful nod, and turned his attention back to Carolina. With Wash acting as a battery, York was able to work a little more efficiently. The light was brighter, and Carolina’s injuries healed much quicker than they would’ve if he had tried to do this on his own. 

He slowly removed his hand once most of her injuries had faded. Almost immediately, Wash removed his hand and York could hear him struggling to put his glove back on. 

“Better?” He asked. 

Carolina nodded. He heard Aizawa let out a heavy sigh, as he released the grip he had on her. She pulled away from the hero and shakily stood up. North reached out to steady her, but she smacked his hand away. Without saying another word, Carolina stormed off. 

“Okay, who’s the unlucky SOB that gets to go after her?” CT asked. 

“Hell no, that’s not my problem,” South took a few steps backwards, hands raised in surrender. 

“I’ve already had my ass handed to me today, I’m perfectly fine right here,” Wyoming called. 

“We should give her some space,” North countered. “She’s just going to get angrier if we chase her.”

“I’ll ask Hizashi to keep an eye on her,” Aizawa stood up. “And after that, Tex, you and I are going to have a talk.”

York had never seen Tex look uncomfortable or nervous, but now? Now she looked terrified. 

Aizawa walked away from the group and pulled his phone out of one of the many pockets his hero costume had. Tex nervously followed after him. 

York sighed and dropped his head. He really should’ve tried to stop them earlier. God, what a shitshow. 

He heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and when he looked up, he saw Wyoming standing over him, one hand extended towards him in a reversal from earlier. 

York reached out and grabbed Wyoming’s hand, and allowed the older boy to haul him up. York stumbled as dark spots danced across his vision. 

Wyoming grunted as York ended up leaning against him in an attempt to regain his balance. 

He blinked desperately to clear his vision, as he was practically dragged over to the nearest bench. Once he could see again, he saw Maine steadying Wash, who had his hands on his knees. York really hoped Wash didn’t puke, cause if he did, then York was going to puke too. 

He definitely overdid it. Bouncing between using both of his quirks to the extent that he did was rough. Especially healing. He probably pushed Wash a little bit too hard as well. The kid looked like death warmed over. 

“Here,” Wyoming handed him a bottle of water. 

York nodded gratefully, and took small sips. 

“Don’t pass out, I’m certainly not qualified to handle that. It sounds like Eraser is asking another hero to come keep an eye on us, while he presumably goes to lecture Texas.”

“Makes sense,” York muttered. He really hoped Aizawa didn’t take it out on her too harshly. 

(York had to actively remind himself that Aizawa wasn’t going to psychologically or physically torture her as a punishment for fucking up. But god, was that hard to remember.) 

York glanced around the room to watch the rest of his family. Maine and CT were fussing over Wash. North was glancing anxiously between York and the direction Carolina had gone, while South stuck to him like glue. And Florida was keeping his eyes on Aizawa and Tex. 

York closed his eyes with a groan. Suddenly, he was so much more exhausted than he had been when he woke up. 

Chapter Text

Tex sat at a desk in Eraser’s empty classroom. She refused to make eye contact with the man sitting across from her. The walk over had been silent, and Tex felt more and more anxious the longer the silence went on. She had never been concerned about a little lecture before. She’d never cared before. The Director’s words had meant nothing to her. She had always been able to ignore him, especially since his ire was never turned towards her. But now? Now she just felt shitty. She hadn’t realized what she was doing until York had taken control. 

Thank god for that, she thought bitterly. 

Eraser cleared his throat and Tex finally looked up at him. He was sitting on his desk, staring down at her. His expression was guarded. 

Tex suddenly wished she had York or Wash’s ability to read people. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking at all. 

“What the hell happened back there?” He asked. 

“I…” Tex faltered. “I don’t know.”

If only Carolina could see her now. She wasn’t perfect, no matter what the Director had tried to tell everyone. 

“You could have seriously hurt, or even killed Carolina if no one had jumped in to stop you,” Eraser continued. 

“I know.”

He sighed, and ran a hand down his face. 

“So why did you do it?”

“I just…I was angry. And fed up with Carolina’s one sided rivalry. She always finds something to get pissed off about and then blames me for it. She blames me for York’s eye, she blames me for being the better fighter, she even blames me for getting more attention from the Director than her. I didn’t ask for that. I didn’t ask for any of this!” Tex shouted, slamming her hands against the desk. There was a loud 'crack' but she ignored it. “I didn’t care about being the best! I didn’t want that bastard's attention! I never asked to made! I’m not even a person, I’m just a…a shadow! A cheap imitation of another person. I look like her, I sound like her, I fucking act like her, but I’m not! It’s not my fucking fault that the Director treated me like I was special.”

Tex’s chest heaved as she panted. She hadn’t realized how badly that had been weighing on her. She had managed to ignore the building rage for the past year and a half, but she finally hit her breaking point. It had gotten so much worse since CT had given her those files. Since she found out the truth. She had known she wasn’t a real person, but finding out that she was just a mimic of someone else stung so much more. 

 She was sick and tired of feeling like she didn’t belong. She was tired of being isolated. Now that the rage was fading, Tex realized how much everything hurt. 

“Tex,” Eraser said softly. “Everything that man did, to both you and Carolina, wasn’t okay. You have every right to be angry about what he did to you, but you can’t take that out on Carolina. I’m not saying what she did was acceptable, because it’s not, and I’ll make sure to talk to her about that later, but she’s a victim as well. You all are.”

Tex clenched her fists tightly and glared at the wall behind Eraser. He was right. She knew he was right, but that didn’t make her feel any better. She just felt…empty. Numb. 

“You’re a tough kid, probably one of the toughest I’ve met and I teach kids who want to be heroes.”

Tex gave a humorless snort. Yeah, like she had any other choice but to be tough. 

“But, you shouldn’t have to be tough all the time.”

She slowly looked over at him, eyes wide. 

“No one can be strong all the time. And if that was the base expectation, then I am so sorry you had to go through that. You’re human , just like the rest of us.”

He thought she was…human? 

“You aren’t a shadow, or an imitation of someone else. You’re your own person.”

Tex’s breathing hitched and something wet and warm slid down her cheek. She brought a shaky hand up to her face. She hesitantly touched her cheek and pulled her hand away. Her fingers were wet. It took her frazzled brain several seconds longer than it should have to realize that those were tears. She was…crying. 

“You’re human, regardless of your origins, and if anyone says otherwise, then they clearly haven’t gotten to know you. I know I haven’t known you for very long, but even I can tell that much.”

Tex sat frozen, as tears streamed down her face. Eraser called her human. He knew the truth and still insisted on it. Something in her shattered, and for the first time since the Director had forced her onto Alpha Team, Tex sobbed. 

She hasn’t realized just how badly she needed that reassurance. She had thought she could deal with this on her own, that she didn’t need anyone else’s support.

Tex had no idea how to react when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. Shakily, Tex wrapped her arms around the Eraser, and placed her face against his shoulder. 

She stayed there for what felt like hours. By the time she pulled away, her tears had long since dried up. She was exhausted. 

“Sorry,” she muttered. 

“Don’t apologize, seems like that was a long time coming,” Eraser replied.

“Apparently,” Tex rubbed her face, trying to get rid of the remaining tears. 

Update: she fucking hated crying. 

“Feeling any better?”

“I…yeah, actually.”

“Good,” Eraser stood up. “I’m going to get some water, you want any?”

“I can come with you, yknow.”

Tex stood up as well. She refused to sit around and sulk. 

“Fine, suit yourself,” Eraser said with a roll of his eyes. 

“I will, thanks.”

“Tex,” Eraser called as she stepped out of the room. “I meant what I said. All of it.”

Tex turned to face him, a genuine smile on her face.

“I know.”

Tex paused for a minute. She knew that she wasn’t Allison. She never would be. But she deserved an identity outside of ‘Texas’ or ‘Beta.’ 

Her own identity. 

“By the way, what do you think of the name Alli?” 

Aizawa returned the smile. “It fits.”

She wasn’t Allison. She never would be. She was her own person, separate from the original. But, Allison was still a part of who she was. 

“Alli it is then.”

Yeah. Tex liked the sound of that.

Chapter Text

Carolina wanted to scream. She wanted to break something. 

She lost to Texas again. How? How? It wasn’t fair! No matter how hard she tried, no matter how much she trained, she couldn’t win! 

Why? Why?

She had worked so hard for a man who didn’t care, but it didn’t matter. Nothing she did mattered. 

She couldn’t impress her father. She couldn’t protect her family. She couldn’t beat Texas. She was a failure. 

Carolina had reached her breaking point. With a scream, she pulled back her hand to punch the nearest object. She didn’t care what it was, she just needed to hit something. 

Except, someone caught her wrist before she could throw the punch. 

“Hey, let’s not attack the brick wall,” a familiar voice said. 

Carolina ripped her hand away as she turned to glare at the man behind her. 

Standing there, hands held out in front of him, was Yamada. 

“What do you want?” Carolina snarled. 

“Shota didn’t want you to be alone,” he said. 

“What, he worried I’m going to go back to the project?” 

Why should Aizawa care if she’s alone? She’s always going to be second best. She’s never going to be anyone’s priority. She obviously doesn’t matter. 

“No! Of course that’s not what he’s worried about. He wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Oh, I’m great!” She growled. “I’m just fucking amazing!”

Yamada didn’t even flinch.

“You know it’s okay to not be okay, right?”

“ Bullshit .”

“It’s true! And I know for a fact that Shota has told you that before.”

Carolina scoffed. She knew that wasn’t true. 

(She wanted so badly to believe him.)

“Alright look, let’s take a walk, yeah?” Yamada offered. 

“Fine, whatever.”

Yamada smiled and began walking towards the outskirts of campus, and Carolina followed. 

“So, what happened? I thought you guys were just training,” Yamada asked. 

Carolina glared at the ground as she walked. 

“We were. I just happened to prove to everyone that I’m a fucking failure.”

She was pathetic. She was supposed to be a leader, but it was obvious she didn’t deserve that title. 

“I seriously doubt that, but why don’t you walk me through what happened?”

“Texas happened. I lost to her, again. Nothing I do is ever good enough. And she just acts like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. I’m supposed to be the best, but no matter how hard I try, Texas beats me. And she makes it look effortless! How am I supposed to beat someone like that?” Carolina snarled. 

Yamada watched her carefully. 

“You aren’t,” he finally said. 

Carolina whipped around to face him. Rage burned deep in her core as she processed his words. 

“ What?” 

“There’s always going to be someone better than you. That doesn’t make you a failure.”

“Then what am I? If I’m not a failure, then what?!”

“A kid.”

Carolina blinked. 

“Huh?”

“You’re a child, Carolina. You shouldn’t have to be perfect. You’re allowed to make mistakes, everyone does. If the only person who can beat you is Texas, then I’d say you’re already pretty amazing,” Yamada placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. 

“I have to be better. If I’m not…I won’t be able to protect the rest of them. I’ve already failed my team once, I can’t…” Carolina trailed off. She couldn’t lose them. She couldn’t let them get hurt. She couldn’t lose anyone else. Please, not again. 

“Kiddo, you’re 16. You shouldn’t have to be leading anything, especially not in that kind of environment. You should be in high school, having fun with your friends, not the victim of a cruel, immoral, and unethical experiment. This shouldn’t have been your responsibility. You shouldn’t have the weight of the world on your shoulders. It especially shouldn’t have been put there by your own father.”

Carolina turned away. She stared at the wall surrounding UA. 

“I did everything he wanted,” she muttered. “So…why did he treat her like she was so special? Everything was her fault!”

“Who’s fault?” Yamada asked.

“Texas! Every single thing that’s gone wrong has been because of her! ” Carolina shouted. 

Yamada tilted his head to the side. 

“I don’t think that’s true.”

“Of course it is! After she showed up, everything went to shit! If she hadn’t shown up, I wouldn’t have been a disappointment! My father would’ve paid attention to me! And York wouldn’t-!” Carolina’s breathing hitched as she thought about the accident. “York wouldn’t be partially blind.”

“Carolina,” Yamada said softly. “None of that was Texas’ fault. That was all the Director’s fault. You shouldn’t have been forced to fight for your own father’s attention.”

“But…” Carolina struggled to find the words. How could she blame her dad when he was all she had left?

“I know it’s hard, he’s your dad, but that doesn’t make his actions okay. A parent is responsible for taking care of their children. He didn’t do that.”

Carolina slowly turned to face Yamada. She knew, deep down, that what her dad was doing wasn’t right. She just didn’t want to admit it. She didn’t want to push him away when her family was falling apart. 

“It’s not fair,” she muttered, a little childishly. 

“No, it’s not,” Yamada agreed. “None of this is, and I wish it had never happened to you, but Texas is a victim too. You should give her a chance.”

“I doubt she’ll give me one.”

“You never know until you try.”

Carolina huffed. Damn him and his optimism. She would try , but if Texas pulled any more shit, then she was done. 

“Fine. You win.”

Yamada smiled at her, and gently ruffled her hair. 

“You’re a good kid, Carolina.”

Carolina couldn’t stop the small smile from forming. There was something about Yamada that made her feel like she didn’t have to be the best. She was willing to give this a shot, for him. 

“Now, you wanna head back to the training grounds?” Yamada asked. 

“Yeah, I do. I have to make sure the rest of the idiots haven’t killed each other.”

Yamada laughed. 

“Let’s go then.”

The walk back was much more relaxed. Carolina didn’t feel like she had to be on guard. She could let someone else take the lead. Just this once. 

As they passed by the main building, the door opened, and Aizawa and Texas stepped out. Both of them looked exhausted, but there was something about Texas that Carolina hadn’t seen before. She looked…happy? 

Yamada gave Carolina a gentle nudge. 

Oh. She was doing this now. 

She could do this. She could do this. 

“Texas,” Carolina called. 

The blonde girl turned to look at her with a suspicious look. 

“What do you want?” She asked. 

Carolina closed her eyes and forced herself to take a deep breath. Swallowing her pride, she stuck her hand out to her. 

“Truce?” She asked. She felt like she had just eaten glass, but she had told Yamada she would try. 

Texas raised an eyebrow but reached out to grab her hand nonetheless. 

“No more pointless rivalry?”

“No more. And if I start being a bitch again, I’m sure you’ll knock me down a few pegs.”

“Oh, I guarantee it.”

Carolina rolled her eyes. Of course she would. She could always count on Texas to solve her problems with violence. 

“Oh, by the way,” Texas said after a few seconds. “You do know you can call me Tex right? Or, better yet, you could call me Alli.”

Carolina smiled. “I guess you can call me Caroline if you really want.”

“I think we’ve got a deal then.”

“Sounds like it. It’ll be nice having someone to help keep the rest of the idiots in check.”

Alli laughed, and Carolina couldn’t help but feel that maybe she had been wrong about her this whole time. 

“You two done? I need to make sure Nemuri didn’t let the others burn anything down,” Aizawa asked flatly. 

“Oh don’t worry,” Alli countered. “If they did anything stupid…”

“We’ll kick their fucking asses.”

Chapter Text

Florida was always a big fan of some early morning exercise. It was such a nice and refreshing way to start the day. And a nice friendly spar was just as fun. 

It was a little unfortunate that sparring had been put on hold until Eraser came back, but there wasn’t much he could do. He was still looking forward to his match against North. 

Florida pushed his bangs out of his face as he wiped the sweat off his face. He hopped on his feet lightly as he continued to hit the punching bag in front of him. Maybe he could go for another run after this. 

He could see South and Maine doing their own workouts in his peripherals. At least they were having fun!

Connie was hovering over Wash who still looked a little pale, and North was making sure York wasn’t going to pass out. Wouldn’t be the first time he’s knocked himself out with his quirks. 

Not that the rest of their little group was any better. Florida could admit that. They all had a tendency to push well past their limits. Probably not the healthiest thing in the world, but it certainly made them all stronger for it!

Physically at least. Mentally, well, Florida knew some of them had been crumbling under the expectations. 

“Butch,” Reggie called from behind him. 

Florida stopped hitting the punching bag to face his partner. He looked much better! There was way more color in his face and he seemed much steadier on his feet. 

“What can I do for you, Reg?” Florida chirped. 

“Give the poor bag rest, you’ve been going at it for quite a while.”

“Have I? I didn’t realize!” 

Reggie sighed, “show me your hand.”

Without a second thought, Florida held out one of his hands. Reggie carefully grabbed his wrist and flipped it over. He carefully ran his thumb across his knuckles. Florida hadn’t even noticed how badly he had skinned them. 

“Butch…we’ve been over this. You need to take better care of yourself.”

“I didn’t even notice! It’s a good thing I have you looking out for me,” Florida said brightly. 

He really did love Reggie. He was always keeping an eye on him, even in some of their worst situations. He had his back no matter what. 

“Well, we both know you won’t do it yourself. Just, pay a little more attention next time? I’d rather not see you get hurt,” Reggie tucked a strand of hair behind Florida’s ear. 

“I’ll do my best, I promise.” 

Reggie sighed. He gently led Florida away from the center of the arena. 

“There should be a first aid kit somewhere around here,” Reggie muttered, scanning the area. 

“I guess we can’t ask York at the moment, can we?” Florida’s gaze slid over to York. 

He must be feeling better, since he was finally up on his feet. Still, it would be really mean to ask him to use his quirk again. 

“No, I don’t think we can. Unless you want to drag his unconscious body to Recovery Girl’s office,” Reggie responded. And, after a brief pause, added, “or face Carolina’s wrath.”

“Neither of those sound like pleasant options.”

“Aha!” Reggie exclaimed. He quickly made his way over to one of the benches, and reached underneath. He pulled out a large white plastic box and brought it over to Florida. 

Florida plopped down on the ground and patted the spot next to him. Reggie sat down and opened the box. He pulled out a roll of bandages. 

“Hand,” he said, holding out one of his own. 

Florida held out his hand as Reggie started to carefully wrap the bandages around his knuckles. Once he was done with that, he reached out for Florida’s other hand. 

“Not too tight, is it?” 

“Nope! Feels good!” Florida said, opening and closing his hands. 

Reggie gave him a small smile that made Florida feel all warm and fuzzy inside. If Florida could keep him smiling, he’d do pretty much anything, cost be damned. 

Reggie had started to pack the first aid kit back up when the door opened. Florida turned to see who it was but Reggie ignored them. 

“It’s Eraserhead, Present Mic, Texas, and Carolina,” he said. “It appears the heroes have kept their word, at least for now.”

“Well that’s good!” 

Reggie gave a quiet ‘hm’ as the small group made their way farther in. Florida knew Reggie didn’t trust these heroes, and he really couldn’t blame him. Really, who on earth would willingly pick up a bunch of children without asking any questions and then willingly offer to help without even knowing the full story? And even if they did know the story, they really had no stake in this. Honestly, any sane person would have just left them along after making sure Washington and CT wouldn’t die. But, there wasn’t much Florida could do about it now. All he could do was wait for the heroes to show their true colors, and at that point, it would be up to Reggie and himself to deal with it. 

Florida made sure to give Eraserhead and Present Mic a big smile as they made their way over to Midnight. He could see Carolina and Texas join up with the rest of the group, but he wasn’t particularly interested in that. He turned his attention back to the three heroes. 

“I assume everything went well,” Midnight said. 

“Yeah, I think Carolina and Alli managed to work some stuff out, without killing each other,” Eraserhead replied, gaze locked on Carolina and Texas. 

“Alli?” Reggie whispered. “Who the bloody hell is that?”

“Texas, perhaps?” Florida whispered back. “I didn’t know that was her name.”

“Hmm, maybe. She’s never been particularly open about herself. Not sure why she would give that information out to Eraserhead though.”

“They seem to be getting along a little better, that’s for sure,” Midnight said cheerfully. 

“That’s the goal!” Present Mic shouted. 

Eraserhead smacked his arm. “Too loud.”

“Ah, sorry Sho,” Present Mic rubbed the back of his head nervously. 

Didn’t seem like they would get any useful information by listening to the heroes. 

“We should head over to the rest of the group,” Reggie muttered. “Can’t have our dear heroes thinking we’re suspicious, can we?”

With a nod, Florida stood up and stretched. Reggie stood up beside him and the two of them made their way over to the others. 

“Oh so you guys finally decided to join us, huh?” Texas asked sarcastically. 

“Aw, you were waiting for us? How sweet!” Florida smiled. 

“I wanted to make sure nothing happened while Alli and I were…busy,” Carolina responded. 

“Yeah, ‘busy’,” South sneered. “Last I checked, you were the one who threw a temper tantrum over losing a fight.”

Carolina grit her teeth but didn’t rise to South’s bait. Florida had to admit, he was impressed. 

“I don’t think she wants to hear that from the person who’s quirk is a glorified tantrum,” Wash said. 

South whirled around with a snarl. She reached out and grabbed Wash by the collar of his shirt and dragged him forward. Wash had to stand on his toes just to be eye to eye with South. 

“You wanna say that again, you little shit?”

“Sure. Your quirk is the equivalent of a child throwing a tantrum.”

“You stupid fucking-!” South shouted, drawing her free arm back and closing her hand into a tight fist. 

“Alright, that’s enough,” North stepped up behind South and grabbed her arm. “Please don’t kill each other when Aizawa is standing right there.”

Florida could see Eraserhead and the others giving them concerned looks. 

South ripped her arm away from North and practically threw Wash onto the ground. He grunted as he hit the ground but didn’t say another word. Florida caught the vicious glare Wash sent South as soon as she turned away. CT hauled Wash up to his feet and brushed some of the dirt off of him. He gently tried to smack her hand away with a tiny whine. Aww, what a cute little kid he was. 

“So, what’s the plan now?” York asked, placing one arm on Carolina’s shoulder. 

“Eh, seems like Aizawa is debating letting any more sparring matches happen. I think he’s worried about someone else losing control again,” Texas answered. 

“Maybe if we promise not to go overboard he’ll let us keep going,” Maine suggested. 

“We’re gonna have to head out soon,” CT pointed out. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to be around when the gremlins show up.”

“CT, we’re the same age as them,” York said, sounding very done. 

“Also, I’m pretty sure you and Wash both count as gremlins,” Florida supplied cheerfully. 

“Okay, I don’t need this from you,” CT crossed her arms and pouted. 

“Or,” North interrupted, still keeping a gentle grip on South’s wrist. “We just go ask.”

Florida thought North’s suggestion was a reasonable one. So, without waiting for anyone else to say something, he silently made his way over to see Eraserhead. 

“What’s up, kiddo?” Present Mic asked as soon as he saw him. 

“Well, we were wondering if we could get in a few more sparring matches before we have to leave.”

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” Eraserhead replied, eyes locked on the rest of the group. 

“Oh, come now! It won’t be that bad!” 

So long as Washington and South don’t spar. Florida wasn’t going to say that outloud. 

“Florida, you really can’t say that after Alli tried to strangle Carolina.”

So, Alli was Texas’ name. That was good to know. 

“Carolina is fine!” Florida said chipperly. 

The glare he got from Eraserhead would have made a normal person pee their pants. Florida was not a normal person. Florida had already faced down much worse. 

“That’s not the point I’m trying to make. I don’t want you kids to hurt each other.”

“Hmm…what about a team match? We can watch each other’s backs then.”

Eraserhead, Midnight, and Present Mic exchanged a look. Eraserhead was clearly still extremely hesistant but eventually, he gave in. 

“Fine, one more match. 3 on 3, seem fair?”

“Yep!”

Chapter Text

Wash stood between Florida and Maine as he stared down Connie and the twins. He saw North say something to South and Connie but he wasn’t listening. He had his eyes locked onto South. 

“We have a plan?” Maine asked quietly. 

“Someone needs to keep North distracted and away from the main fight. Don’t want him getting the shield up. Pressure him enough up close and he’ll start to drown,” Wash whispered back. “He’s a sniper for a reason.”

“Leave that to me!” Florida smiled. 

“Maine, think you can take Connie?”

Maine glanced at the small brown haired girl across the ring. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet. 

“Got it.”

“Okay. Try not to let her out of your sight, she’ll take us all out if she gets the jump on us. I’ll take South out. If I can piss her off enough, she probably won't try to defend North.”

Wash was going to wreck her for the shit she pulled earlier. South may be bigger and stronger than him but he knew how she fought. He knew how to counter her. He just had to be faster and smarter than her. 

(The knife he had hidden under his shirt was a comfort. He knew Connie had a few hidden on her person too.)

Aizawa glanced between the two groups. Wash could see the worry clearly on his face. He didn’t want to let them do this. Wash couldn’t blame him. Not when he planned on doing his absolute best to beat South into fucking ground. 

“Ready?” Aizawa asked. 

Both teams nodded. 

“Okay. Begin!”

Almost immediately, Maine and South charged forward. South swung her fist in an attempt to hit him, but Maine grabbed her arm and tossed her towards Wash. Florida sprinted past Maine towards North and Connie. As soon as he closed the distance, North dropped to one knee and slammed his fist into the ground. There was an explosion of dust that forced Wash to cover his eyes and mouth. He coughed as the dust cleared. 

Well shit. North stood, perfectly safe, inside his shield, with Connie right next to him. Wash heard South groan as she stood up from the ground. 

Now was his chance. Without waiting for another second, Wash rushed her. Sure, fighting South head on was the equivalent of a death wish, but Wash didn’t have any other choice in this situation. He had no cover, and this was supposed to be an unarmed match. 

(The knife was extra protection. A just in case. He wasn’t going to stab her…probably.)

South was on her feet before Wash managed to throw the first punch. His fist connected with stomach just as she clocked him on the side of his head. She didn’t budge. Wash stumbled. 

Should’ve seen that one coming. She was taller than him by a decent amount. 

“Cocky fucker, aren’t you?” South sneered. 

Wash snarled at her. 

“Seriously, Wash? What makes you think you can beat me? You haven’t managed it yet.”

Wash bared his teeth at her with a growl. His hands shook as he closed them into tight fists. The sounds of fighting nearby faded away as he stared at South. He could hear his heart pounding as he lunged for her. He was going to take her down for everything she had put him through. 

Distantly, he heard someone let out a startled shout, but he couldn’t tell who it was. 

Wash aimed another punch at her stomach and when she moved to grab his arm, he threw a low kick to her shin as hard as he could. He darted around her side and slammed his fist into her ribs. He brought up a knee to the side of her leg, and brought his foot down on the back of her leg. She was forced down on her knee, giving Wash the chance to bring his hand down on the back of her neck. 

(He was really glad he’d watched York try that move.)

South reached out behind her in an attempt to grab Wash’s leg, but he took a quick step back before she could. She took the opportunity to stand up. 

Shit. South surged forward and slammed her fist into Wash’s nose. He stumbled back again, one hand coming up to grab his nose. When he pulled his hand away, he saw blood coating his glove. 

With another snarl, Wash closed the distance between them and punched her across the face. Her head snapped to the side. 

South growled and grabbed Wash by his hair. 

Fuck. He knew what was coming before South even moved. 

She forced his head down and brought her knee up to his face. Spots danced in his vision as she threw him down onto the ground. His head connected with the ground with a loud crack . His vision went black for a second. His ears rang and he gasped when he felt a weight land on his chest. Blinking desperately, he could make out South straddling him. She raised her fist but froze. She was staring at something behind them. Wash slipped one hand behind his back and wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his knife. 

The weight in his chest lifted as South stood up and sprinted away from him. 

“ North!” She shouted. 

Wash struggled to his knees and drew the knife. His vision blurred as he desperately tried to focus on South. He flipped the knife over in his hand and raised his arm. 

(He needed to give the knife back to Connie at some point. He’d stolen it from her after he saw her use knives for the first time. She was a little annoyed when he started mimicking her form perfectly without any actual training the first time.)

Before he could throw the knife, he felt it get ripped out of his grip. He made a frustrated noise as he stumbled to his feet. The ground swayed beneath him and Wash desperately wished he had something to grab before he fell on his ass. Someone grabbed his shoulder to steady him. 

Wash sniffed angrily and swiped a hand under his nose again. There was more blood on his glove. It took him a few seconds to remember when that had happened, which was…unsettling, to say the least. 

“Wash,” A voice called from behind him. It took him another couple of seconds to place the voice as Aizawa. 

“‘M fine,” Wash mumbled angrily. He could still see South. At least…he thought it was South. She was really blurry but there weren’t any blondes with hair down to their shoulders other than South. 

“That’s not what…okay, clearly you’re not fine.”

Wash blinked in confusion when Aizawa stepped in front of him. 

“How hard did you hit your head?”

“Been hit harder. ‘M fine,” he insisted again. 

Aizawa carefully grabbed Wash’s shoulders again and led him over to a bench. Maybe “led” is a bit of an overstatement. It was closer to “dragged” considering Wash was barely able to walk in a straight line. 

“Jesus Christ,” someone (was it York?) said. “You guys are gonna be the death of me.”

Another person was dropped onto the bench next to Wash. He thought it was North.

“Idiots, both of you,” York mumbled angrily as he came into view. Wash was starting to think that maybe, he was not fine. Now that he wasn’t intensely focusing on South, the dull ache in his head had progressively gotten worse to the point where, now, it was almost unbearable. 

“Wash, I’m just gonna clear up the concussion, k?”

Wash stared at him blankly as York lifted a hand up and brought it close to his face. 

“That means I’m gonna have to touch you, buddy.”

Wash stayed still. He could trust York. He knew he could trust him. Even through the fog in his head, he knew that whatever York planned to do, he would be okay. York wouldn’t hurt him. 

A gentle hand rested on the side of his head, and Wash flinched instinctively. 

“I know bud, just give me a few seconds.”

Wash closed his eyes and gave a shaky nod. He regretted that immediately when the pain in his head got worse. 

Except…it started to fade quickly right after that. He no longer felt like the room was spinning around him. He opened his eyes, and couldn’t help the sigh of relief. He could finally make out voices around him clearly. He slumped forward, exhausted. 

“Feeling any better?” York asked. 

“Mmm,” Wash hummed. “I’m just tired now.”

“Sorry bout that.”

“At least I can see straight.”

“Good. You might wanna do something about the blood on your face.”

Wash stood up carefully. He hadn’t thought about it until York had mentioned it, but he was suddenly acutely aware of the blood. Gross. 

“And as for you,” York said, attention turned away from Wash. “God, I can’t even yell at you for being stupid, you look miserable.”

Wash glanced over and confirmed that it was in fact North that had been plopped next to him. York was right, he looked awful. He definitely overdid it with his quirks. Again.

“Yell at me later, please,” North mumbled, barely above a whisper. 

“Absolute fucking idiot,” York continued. He placed his hands on the sides of North’s face and gave his forehead a quick kiss. 

Gross. 

“Think you can handle this for a little bit?”

North nodded. Yeah, that was a lie. North just didn’t want York to feel bad about not being able to help him. 

Wash decided now was his best chance to slip away. He quickly made his way to the nearest bathroom. 

Looking in the mirror, Wash’s eyes widened in shock. There was way more blood smeared on his face and his shirt than he had realized. He turned on the faucet and saw the blood coating his right glove. That explained the cold, sticky feeling. He peeled the glove off with a scowl. 

Ugh. He’d probably need new gloves, blood was so fucking hard to clean out of clothing and fabric in general. Not to mention, those gloves were old. He’d had them for a long time. He was surprised they weren’t falling apart. 

He took off his other glove and placed them both on the side of the sink. He grabbed some paper towels and placed them under the water. He started wiping the blood off his face, hissing whenever he touched his nose. He couldn’t tell if it was broken or not, but knowing South, there was a decent chance that it was. Because, fucking ow. 

Wash heard the door open, and he saw Aizawa enter the bathroom from the mirror. 

“You’re looking better,” he said. 

Wash hummed in agreement. He tossed the bloody paper towel in the trash and grabbed another one. Jesus, there was a lot of blood on his face. 

“You gonna tell me what the hell happened back there?”

Wash blinked. His eyes slid over to Aizawa’s in the mirror. 

“You mean, with South?”

“Yes.”

“Pretty sure she kicked my ass. If the concussion was anything to go by.”

“I meant the knife.”

Wash let his hand drop back onto the edge of the sink. 

“I acted without thinking,” Wash said. Not technically a lie, but also not true. 

“Washington. Don’t lie to me.”

Wash glared at Aizawa’s reflection. He tightened his grip on the sink. 

Don’t yell. Don’t yell. Don’t yell. He thought desperately. He wasn’t sure if he was directing that at Aizawa or himself. 

“I got angry.”

“That’s not an excuse,” Aizawa sighed in frustration. “I’m not here to yell at you, I just want an explanation.”

“I already told you. I got angry. She was going to get what was coming.”

Wash tried not to think about South saving his life when they escaped. How she carried him out without complaint. His memories were fragmented and hard to piece together, but he knew that if she hadn’t been around, he wouldn’t have made it out. 

But, one good act doesn’t erase 3 years of torment. 3 years of putting up with her shit with no chance to retaliate. 

“She deserved it.” He glared harder at the mirror, fists tightening even more. 

(He thought about the kid who had bullied him nonstop when he was younger, and how he had finally gotten sick of it by 3rd grade. He remembered the loud crunch of the mirror as he slammed the kid’s face into it.)

“Whether you think she deserved it or not doesn’t matter. You went too far.” Aizawa’s reflection held Wash’s gaze. 

Wash didn’t say a word. He just grit his teeth. He didn’t care what Aizawa thought. He didn’t. 

“There’s a difference between self defense and a sparring match.”

“Not with South.”

“Wash…” 

Wash could tell Aizawa’s patience was running thin. Good. Maybe he would leave him alone. Let him deal with this by himself. 

“Look at me,” Aizawa said. 

Wash stared at the reflection for another second before turning around to face him for the first time. 

“You’re allowed to be angry, but you can’t let it control you. You need to have more control.”

Wash flexed his bare hands anxiously. His gloves were still resting on the edge of the sink. 

“Look, I’ll make a deal with you. Whenever you get angry at any of the others, come talk to me, and we’ll find a way to work through it. Without using a knife.”

“Fine,” Wash finally said. 

He’d made the decision to trust Aizawa before this, so he needed to stick to it. 

“Thank you. If I give this back to you, will you promise not to use it on anyone?” Aizawa held the knife in his hand. 

“I won’t use it on the others,” Wash promised. 

Aizawa carefully handed the knife over. Wash slipped it back into place. 

“You should also go see Recovery Girl,” Aizawa suggested. 

Wash looked at his reflection again and cringed. With the blood gone, Wash’s face was a mess of black and blue, mostly around his nose. 

“Now?”

“Yes, now.”

“But…” Wash glanced at his reflection again. 

“If you go now, you can avoid any students before they show up.”

“Fine,” Wash sighed. He reached out to turn the water off and grabbed his gloves. The right one was still cold and sticky. He really didn’t want to put it back on. The anger from earlier came back with a vengeance. He angrily threw the gloves in the trash. He needed new ones anyway. It didn’t matter. It didn’t matter. 

“I’ll buy you a new pair of gloves, so long as you let Recovery Girl take a look at you.”

“This feels like bribery.”

“It is.”

“Yeah, okay. I’m going.” Wash glanced at Aizawa briefly, before dropping his gaze to the floor. “Can you come with me? Just…to erase my quirk.”

He felt like such a fucking kid. That was a stupid thing to ask. 

“Sure,” Aizawa said. 

Wash let out a quiet sigh, “Thanks.”

“No problem. Now come on, let’s go.”

Chapter Text

Connie bounced lightly on her feet as she waited with Kayama for Tex, Carolina, and South. She wasn’t sure how Kayama had managed it, but she had convinced all the girls to go out shopping with her. Not that Connie had a problem with it. She was kind of excited for the chance to go outside again, even if it was under strict supervision. 

Sure, she didn’t mind the clothes that Aizawa had brought them, but there was something so much more fun about going out with other people and trying on stupid stuff. Plus, it was a damn shame that South only owned one tank top. Her biceps were way too impressive to be hidden by sleeves. 

“This is so stupid,” South grumbled as she walked into the room. 

Right. That was the one problem. 

“Do we have to go with Carolina and Texas?”

South did not get along with Tex or Carolina. 

“Would you rather go with York?” Connie replied. 

“Fuck no! But I don’t want to spend more time with those two than I have to.”

“They’re not that bad, you just have to give them a chance.”

“Ugh, Seriously?”

“Cmon, South. We gotta stick together, right?

“Ugh, fine. I’ll be less of a bitch, but that’s all you’re getting from me.”

“I’ll take it,” Connie said smugly. 

South rolled her eyes but said nothing. Connie knew she had won that. People could say what they wanted about South, but Connie knew she was trying. She could see it in the way she interacted with North lately. The way she would soften whenever he was around. 

She could also see it in the way she interacted with Maine. The two of them had seemed like unlikely friends at first, but they got along surprisingly well. Connie couldn’t help but smile whenever she saw Maine’s face light up when South talked to him. The poor guy had so much social anxiety he had a hard time starting conversations, but South never made fun of him for that. 

(And, well, Connie didn’t really want to think about the way South’s smile made her feel. She wasn’t really prepared for that.)

Connie’s point was that South was trying, and Connie just wanted her to get closer to the rest of their group. 

Tex and Carolina showed up a few minutes later, arguing about something. 

For a split second, Connie was terrified that they were going to fight again. At least, until she heard Tex say, frustrated, “How is York getting his hand stuck in a vending machine ‘adorable?’ I think that just makes him an idiot!”

“He’s my idiot,” Carolina fired back. 

“You can keep him. I think the only other person in the world qualified to handle his dumb ass is North.”

“You overestimate my brother,” South chimed in. “He’s gotten his hand stuck in a vending machine too.”

“What?” Tex and Carolina both asked. 

“Uh, yeah. Did…did you guys not see him do that?”

“When was this?” Carolina asked. 

“Like, 3 days ago!”

Connie couldn’t stop herself from giggling. Leave it to North and York to do the exact same stupid thing. 

Carolina laughed. 

God, Connie couldn’t remember the last time she had actually heard her laugh genuinely like that. Even Tex chuckled quietly. 

Maybe they could get through today without any fights breaking out. 

“Okay,” Kayama finally said, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Are we all ready to go?”

“Yep,” Connie said, popping the p. 

“Alright, let’s get going.”

“Hey, can we get some hair dye while we’re out?” South asked. 

“I second that,” Carolina said. 

Connie could see the red had begun to fade from her hair, showing the blonde roots. And the purple that used to be in South’s was long gone. 

“Yeah, of course! Is there anything else you kids want to get while we’re out?”

“Ooh, how about some snacks?” Connie suggested. 

“Oh I like that idea,” South agreed. 

“So, clothes, hair dye, and snacks? Easy enough. Let’s get going!” Kayama gently ushered them out of the dorm. She led them to a car just outside. 

“Shotgun!” Carolina shouted. 

“Shotgun! Fuck!” Tex yelled a split second too late. 

South snorted and crawled into the backseat. With a sigh, Connie climbed into the middle, and Tex got it beside her. 

The only good thing about the middle seat is that Connie could lean against South without it being suspicious. 

She was warm, and comforting to be around. She caught Tex’s eye who just gave her a knowing smirk. Connie wanted to smack her. How dare she acknowledge Connie’s definitely not romantic feelings for one of her closest friends. 

The ride to the mall was fun. Kayama put on music and they all had fun singing and making fun of each other. Mostly Carolina. She was good at so many things but singing was not one of them. 

“So, clothes first or dye?” Kayama asked. 

“Dye will be quicker,” Carolina said. 

“Okay, follow me.”

Kayama led them through the mall and into a small convenience store. South and Carolina both started looking for dye. While they were doing that, Connie found herself in the makeup section. She wasn’t really the type to wear any, but it could be fun. She wasn’t the best with it, not that anyone really cared. 

“So,” Tex began, sliding up beside her. “South, huh?”

“Not a word.” Connie didn’t bother turning to face her. She held the shitty convenience store eyeshadow and pretended to look at it. 

“I’m not judging. Honestly, I think you two would be cute together.”

“Shush.”

“No no, hear me out. You’re one of the only people who she isn’t actively hostile towards, and I’m pretty sure that means she really likes you.”

“She isn’t hostile towards Maine either.”

“Okay, but do you know how hard it is to be mean to him? The big guy just looks so sad if you yell at him.”

“I’ve watched Maine shove a guy’s head through a wall because he tried to take Maine’s pudding cup,” Connie deadpanned. She vividly remembered the way Maine had grabbed Missouri and shoved him into the wall so hard that it cracked. Poor Missouri. He kind of had it coming, but still. 

“He’s a gentle giant who wouldn’t hurt a soul,” Tex said with a smirk. 

Connie rolled her eyes and grabbed a different thing of eyeshadow. It was a light purple that reminded her of South. 

“Girl, you are a lost cause.” Tex patted her arm gently. 

(Gently for Tex at least. There was definitely going to be a bruise there later.)

“At least I’m not as bad as North was.”

Tex blinked in confusion. Connie could see Carolina and South still looking at boxes of dye. 

“You missed the earlier days of him pining. It was bad.”

“Seriously? I can’t see North doing that at all.”

“There was a solid 6 months where he was super subdued and depressed whenever he was around Carolina and York. It was physically painful to watch. Thank god Carolina figured out what was going on, otherwise I’m pretty sure South would have told York and Carolina for him.”

“Wow. I can’t see North as anything but calm and collected.”

Connie laughed. “North isn’t nearly as calm as you’d think. He has his moments.”

“Like punching Wyoming in the face,” Tex snickered. 

“What? Seriously? When did he do that?” 

“The day after Aizawa found us. Wyoming had it coming.”

“Sounds about right.”

Connie grabbed a stick of lipstick out of curiosity. It was a pretty brown, and the side said “cinnamon.” 

“I didn’t take you for a makeup person,” South’s voice came from behind her. 

She turned around to see South holding a box of purple dye. 

“I’m really not. I was just looking,” Connie scrambled to put the eyeshadow and lipstick back. 

“I think you should get them. I bet they’d look good on you.”

Connie felt her face start to heat up. She quickly turned away and pretended to look at some of the makeup brushes. 

“You think?” 

Well fuck. Tex was right. She was a lost cause. She had fallen hard for South Dakota. 

“Yeah! You should totally give it a try!”

She picked up the makeup again. Her eyes slid over to Tex who gave her another knowing look. 

“Alright, why not.” Connie shrugged. 

She could see Carolina waiting near the register with Kayama. 

“You got everything?” South asked. 

“Uh, yeah! Yeah, I’m good. We should check out,” Connie replied quickly. 

She shouldn’t be this much of a mess. South was one of her closest friends, and she didn’t want to ruin this. 

Checking out was quick, Kayama paid for everything. Then, she led them to a clothing store. Connie hadn’t been paying attention to the name. Instead, she kept her eyes on their surroundings. She was constantly scanning the crowd, doing her best to make sure she didn’t miss anything suspicious. 

She hadn’t survived the project by trusting her surroundings. She survived by watching her back and staying on her toes. It didn’t matter that this was supposed to be a fun day, she wouldn’t let herself or the others get blindsided. If there was anyone who wanted to hurt them, Connie would catch them. 

Stepping into the store, Connie was a little surprised to see all the hero merch. Sure, in theory she knew that they were popular, but she hadn’t realized that people actually made merchandise of them. There was a lot of stuff for a buff guy in red, yellow, and blue spandex, with messy blond hair. His bangs stuck up almost in a V shape. Connie could see a bunch of kids looking at the merch. She felt like she should recognize him, but she couldn’t quite figure out who he was. Not that she really cared. Heroes had never meant much to her. Before this, before Aizawa, heroes had done nothing but ignore her, not a single one had ever helped her. She turned away from the line of merchandise to see Carolina looking at a light blue, short sleeved crop top. 

Connie could see Tex and South nearby, talking quietly to each other about something. She could see the tension in South’s shoulders slowly start to fade the longer they chatted. Tex held something up for South to see, and she nodded enthusiastically. 

“Looks like those two are finally getting along,” Carolina said from Connie’s left. 

“Here’s hoping,” she said, eyes never leaving South’s back. 

“Have a little faith. Alli isn’t actually that hard to get along with,” Carolina admitted. 

“It’s not Tex I’m worried about.”

“I think…” Carolina trailed off, eyes sliding over to the two of them. “Maybe, I was too harsh with South.”

South’s boisterous laugh caught Connie’s attention, followed by Tex’s quiet chuckle. 

“We couldn’t trust each other before this. We were out for ourselves but, here and now? We have to try, y’know?” Connie whispered. 

“I know. I agree. No more competition. We’re an actual team now.”

“We’re family.”

Carolina smiled. “Yeah, we are. And I’m pretty sure I have you to thank for that.”

Connie shuffled, slightly flustered. “It’s Tex you should thank, not me. She’s the one who did all the hard work.”

“Don’t sell yourself short.”

“Low blow, Carolina. Low. Blow.” Connie crossed her arms with a huff. 

“That wasn’t- I didn’t mean-,” Carolina fumbled. 

“Oh relax, I’m messing with you,” she said with a laugh. She stepped over to the nearest clothing rack. “But still, all I did was give Tex the option, if she hadn’t acted…”

“We wouldn’t be here,” Carolina finished. She looked through some of the shirts, frown on her face. 

“Right. So, thank Tex, not me.” Connie picked up a gray tank top with the words ‘sun’s out, guns out’ on it. “Hey, think I should get this for South?”

Carolina turned to look at her curiously, and burst out laughing. 

“Absolutely.”

Connie smiled, and draped the shirt over her arm. Looking through more shirts, she found a brown, knitted sweater. She looked through the pile until she found one that was slightly too big. 

Perfect. Just the right amount of comfy. She’d need to get something a little more practical but this would be perfect for the days they didn’t need to do anything. 

She grabbed a few other shirts that she liked before moving on. She also grabbed a couple pairs of jeans, some shorts, and a few pairs of stretch pants. 

She hefted the pile of clothes into her arms and walked over to South and Tex. 

“Look, I’m just saying, a leather jacket would be badass!” South said enthusiastically. 

“Okay okay, fine! Jesus, how does North put up with you? You are so pushy,” Tex replied. 

“First of all, fuck you. Second of all, take the damn jacket.”

Tex grabbed a black leather jacket from where it hung. 

“Okay, that’s it, that’s all I’m getting,” Tex said, draping it over her arm with the rest of her clothes. 

“Yeah, I think I’m pretty much done too,” South agreed. 

“Did you guys get anything fun?” Connie asked. 

“A leather jacket, apparently,” Tex huffed. 

“Meh, not really. Just clothes,” South shrugged. 

“Well, if you three are done.” Carolina sauntered over. “Should we check out?”

Connie nodded, “I’m good to go.”

“Me too,” Tex said. 

“Same,” South replied. 

The group made their way over to the register, where Kayama was waiting. 

“All done?” She didn’t wait for an answer before getting in line. She paid for their clothes, and they each took their bags. 

“So, last thing on the list is snacks,” Kayama said.

“Oh hell yeah!” South cheered. 

Kayama smiled at them. “Alrighty then, let’s get going.”

It was a quick walk to the grocery store, where Kayama brought them to the snack aisle. Carolina immediately started looking around. 

Connie chuckled quietly. No matter how much she tried to hide it, she knew Carolina snacked all the time. Her metabolism was ridiculous. 

Looking around, Connie wasn’t really sure what she wanted. She spotted Pocky on one of the higher shelves and reached for it. Standing on her toes, she tried to grab it. 

“God fucking- what the fuck?” Connie grumbled. She couldn’t reach the damn box. 

“Need a hand?” South mocked. 

“No,” she huffed. “I can reach it.”

She could not. Damn her short genes. It was so unfair. Why the fuck was the box so high up in the first place?

South snickered quietly. Connie’s face flushed again and she quickly averted her eyes. She looked at some of the lower shelves, just to avoid South. 

A weight was plopped on top of her head, and Connie whipped around to see South leaning on her, arms resting on her head. 

“You sure you don’t need help?” She asked again smugly. 

“Ugh, fine. I can’t reach it,” Connie admitted bitterly. 

South pushed off of her and reached up for a few boxes. “You are tiny . How can you not reach those?”

“Shut up. Not all of us can be over 5’5.”

“That’s not even that tall. You, Wash, and Texas are the only ones under it.”

“Yeah, well. Your family obviously got tall genes.”

“North is almost a full foot taller than me, how does that make me tall?”

“Because…shut up,” Connie pouted. 

South barked out another laugh. She handed Connie the boxes of Pocky. She placed the Pocky in the cart that Kayama had grabbed. It was already filled with various types of chips, gummies, chocolate, and crackers. 

“Looks like Carolina’s been busy,” South quipped. 

“How do you know it was just Carolina? Could’ve been Tex too,” Connie pointed out. 

“Because Texas is in the middle of a staring contest with some crepes over there.” South pointed towards the end of the aisle where Tex was in fact staring at a wall of crepes. 

“She’s probably never had one…” Connie muttered. The only time Tex had been outside the lab was when the Director sent them out to do his dirty work. And as much as they might have wanted to run, escape hadn’t been an option. 

“Huh?” South turned to give her a confused look. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Connie waved her off. That wasn’t her story to tell. That was Tex’s when she was good and ready. 

South raised her eyebrow. “Seriously? You’re really just gonna brush me off like that?”

“I’m not brushing you off, it’s just not my place to say.” 

“This have something to do with those files some of us still haven’t seen?”

Connie paused. Those files had vital information on them, and sharing them with Aizawa and the rest of UA’s staff had been necessary in order to guarantee protection. But sharing them with the others? That felt cruel. 

(She thought about Wash and Carolina coming back from UA after Aizawa shared the files with the other heroes, the haunted look in Wash’s eyes and the fear written clearly on Carolina’s face. They both refused to talk about it.)

“South…” Connie sighed. “I’m not the person you should ask.”

“And why not?” South crossed her arms impatiently. 

“Because, it affects me significantly less than it affects some of the others.”

“Like who?”

“Look, you really want to find out? Talk to Tex when we get back, okay?”

South let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine. But she better have answers.”

“She does.”

South huffed but backed down. Connie wished she could just tell her the truth. She would tell South everything if it was up to her. But it wasn’t. She wouldn’t be the one at the center of everything. It was Tex. It was always Tex. And Connie had no right to put her in the spotlight without her permission. Tex had a say in this. 

“I’m sorry, South,” Connie said. She didn’t want to keep any more secrets. But secrets were how she survived. Secrets kept her alive. 

“It’s fine. I trust you,” South replied. 

You shouldn’t. 

“I trust you too.”

I want to. 

Trust was a hard thing to give. It was easier to just push people away and hold her cards close to her chest. It’s why she became CT in the first place. It let her push people away the more she dug. Because then, if something happened to her, no one else would be caught in the crossfire. Secrets and lies have become so much of who she was, it was hard to tell the truth. 

(South deserved someone better. Someone who could be honest with her. Who didn’t hide from the truth. Someone who wouldn’t turn her back on the only people she had just to help someone she barely knew.)

“Enough of that shit, this is supposed to be fun!” South suddenly said, snapping Connie out of her spiral. 

“Yeah. You’re right.”

She would try to open up again. Little by little. Learn how to show her cards again. For now…

“Yknow, I think it’s time for me to go back to Connie.”

One step at a time. 

“I always thought Connie suited you better.”

Chapter Text

When Kayama had taken the girls out shopping, Maine hadn’t given it any thought. And then York and Florida had practically begged Aizawa to take them out too. He hadn’t expected the man to actually agree to it. 

So, here he was, outside a mall, with York and Florida, while Aizawa kept an eye on them. 

North, Wyoming, and Wash had gone with Yamada and would rejoin them in a little while. 

Aizawa hadn’t wanted their whole group to go together, he thought it would be too suspicious. Maine couldn’t help but agree. There were way too many of them to go in one big group, but splitting up didn’t ease his nerves at all. 

He couldn’t shake this bad feeling. He felt like they were being watched, but no matter how much he looked around, he couldn’t find anyone. 

He wanted to chalk it up to anxiety. The fear that they were going to get caught just by being outside. 

It really didn’t help that Florida and York seemed to think this whole thing was a joke. They were goofing off, acting like nothing was wrong. He hated it. He hated feeling like this. He would have preferred to be here with Wash or CT. 

He heard York shift the bags in his hands as he nudged Maine’s shoulder. 

“Alright, what’s wrong, big guy?” York asked. 

“Just a little anxious,” Maine rumbled. 

A little didn’t even begin to describe it. 

“You want me to tell Aizawa we’re ready to head back?”

“But…” Maine hesitated. He didn’t want to force York and Florida to go back to UA if they wanted to stay out. That wasn’t fair. This was the first time they had been out in such a long time. He didn’t want to ruin this. 

“Oh, don’t you worry about it!” Florida chirped. “Just let us know!”

“Seriously man. Don’t worry about it.”

Maine bit his lip nervously. “If you’re sure.”

York glanced at Florida who gave a bright smile. 

“Come on, let’s go get Aizawa.”

York took a step towards the scuffy hero, just a few steps away. 

BOOM !

An explosion echoed throughout the street. A massive cloud of dust obscured Maine’s vision. 

He inhaled sharply and regretted it as he started coughing. There was another deafening BOOM that rocked the ground. Maine stumbled. His ears rang and it was impossible to hear over the sound of confused and terrified screaming. People crashed into him in their desperation to escape. 

Panic clawed its way up Maine’s throat as he whipped around to try to find the others. 

“Florida? York?” He called experimentally. He coughed again as he inhaled more dust. 

Shouldn’t it have cleared up by now? A powerful gust of wind buffeted Maine and stirred up more dust. 

“Guys?” He coughed. It was impossible to see, like a storm had swallowed him up in the middle of the day. The cloud of dust blocked the sun and enveloped everything around him. 

He could barely hear anything over the rushing of the wind, and the pounding of his own heart. 

Maine tensed as he heard the sound of uneven footsteps coming towards him. He curled his hands into fists and got on guard. If these fuckers wanted a fight, he would give them one. 

Fuck this. Fuck whoever was doing this. Maine was going to take them the fuck out and find his friends and Aizawa and then get out of here. 

He glared at the ever swirling dust storm, waiting for whoever was out there to show themselves. 

A tense few seconds passed where Maine stayed silent, watching everything around him, waiting for some sign of movement. He caught sight of something in his peripherals and immediately swung his fist down towards it. There was a startled shout from the person he very nearly clocked. 

Maine squinted through the dust to see a boy who couldn’t be any older than Wash. He had bright orange hair that seemed to move like fire. His eyes were the same orange and they regarded Maine with curiosity that sent a shiver down his spine. He was wearing a simple white, long sleeve shirt, and black pants. 

Something about him set Maine on edge. 

“Sorry. You okay?” He asked. 

The boy cocked his head to the side, face still blank. 

“I am fine. Your concern is appreciated, but unnecessary,” he replied smoothly, yet almost completely monotone. 

Maine grunted. Every instinct in his body was telling him to run, to get away from this kid before anything else happened. But, Maine had never been good at running from a fight. He stayed still, and he waited. He kept his eyes glued on the kid in front of him, who had his hands held behind his back, spine ramrod straight. 

“Perhaps, you would be able to assist me? I am looking for someone,” his voice sent another shiver down Maine’s spine. Everything about this just felt wrong. 

“No,” he replied. He was going to shove the kid out of the way and then get the hell out of this storm. 

“Well, that is a shame. I was hoping that you would be willing to cooperate but, it seems that is not the case. Come along, Maine, the Director has been looking for you.”

Maine’s entire body froze, and something in his mind seemed to snap. 

There was this feeling, whenever York used his quirk, like you were floating, not quite able to fully piece together what was happening until York let go. It was a fuzzy feeling but never painful. 

This, however, felt like someone had grabbed Maine by the back of his neck and dragged him to the ground. Everything around him was crystal clear, but his head burned. He tried to move his hand to grasp it but he couldn’t move. He couldn’t move. Staring with wide eyed horror, Maine realized that he could see and hear everything around him, but he had no control. The boy in front of him gave him a cool smile. 

“I do apologize for this, had you helped, it wouldn’t have come to this.”

He turned and began walking away, the opposite direction Maine knew Aizawa and the others were. And then, his body moved. Maine tried to stop, tried to pull himself back, to turn around, something, anything . But he kept following the child. 

He was trapped.

The boy brought him down an empty alley, where he could make out three figures. 

All three of them had the shitty, default dark gray armor the Director had forced them to wear. The closest one had AL stamped on the arm plate. 

Alabama glanced over towards them and sighed. 

“Guess Price was right, you got the job done.”

He made his way over towards them, and made a show of looking Maine up and down. In his desperation, Maine tried to grab him. But nothing happened. His body refused to move without the kid’s command. 

“Alright, Sigma, time to really prove your keep. Price wants Washington back too, think you can grab him?” Alabama looked at the kid who stood just in front of Maine. 

“I am unable to control both subject Maine and Washington, however, I do have an idea that may allow us to use Maine’s current state to our advantage,” Sigma replied coolly. 

No . No no no no. 

Not Wash.  

Maine struggled harder within the confines of his own mind. He pounded against Sigma’s control relentlessly, and yet. 

“K, whatcha got?” 

“As you know, subjects Maine and Washington are fairly close. We can use subject Maine as a lure in order to bring subject Washington to us. I believe he will cooperate should we make the appropriate threats.”

“And what threats are those?” A new voice said from behind Alabama. Maine vaguely recognized it as Virginia. 

Virginia poked her head around her teammate’s shoulder. 

Maine continued to struggle futilely as Sigma continued to speak. 

“Subject Washington is well known for being loyal to those he cares for. Should we use subject Maine as a bargaining chip, subject Washington will be more inclined to come with us.”

Maine tried to scream. To lash out. To do something besides stand here and let them talk about dragging Wash back into hell. 

“Hmm, makes sense. Washington is pretty easy to manipulate,” she said. 

No he’s not. Maine thought. 

Wash would see through their plan easily. And maybe, he would choose to get help. Maybe he would be willing to sacrifice Maine and save himself. 

(He knew that wasn’t going to happen. Wash wouldn’t just abandon him.)

“Yo, Missi!” Alabama called. “We’re moving, keep us quiet, yeah?”

Mississippi hopped off her perch and smiled. She snapped her fingers and the area surrounding them turned a dull gray, the only splash of color was Sigma. 

“V, once we’re out of here, you can settle the dust storm over there. We’re gonna need you to kick up another one when we find Washington.”

“Okay, so, why exactly did we only grab Maine? I saw York and Florida over there too,” Virginia asked. 

“You really want to try to grapple with either of them, be my guest. We only managed to get Maine because Sigma’s in control,” Alabama snapped. 

“Ok, next question, how do you even know where Washington is? He might not even be nearby.”

“I’ve been keeping track of him!” Mississippi said cheerfully. “He’s actually pretty close. There’s just one problem.”

“And what problem would that be?” Sigma asked with a tilt of his head. 

“Wyoming is with him. And North Dakota. Virginia’s dust storm is gonna be mostly worthless.”

Yes. Good. Eat shit. Wyoming wouldn’t let anyone sneak up on him, and North wouldn’t just let them take Wash without putting up one hell of a fight. 

“I see. Perhaps you could find a way to silence them while subject Virginia causes a distraction of her own,” Sigma turned his cold gaze towards Virginia. 

“I can try,” Mississippi said with a shrug. 

“Hey, Sigma? Do me a fucking favor and never refer to me as ‘subject’ again, you hear me?” Virginia snarled, venom dripping from her every word. 

“Ah, my apologies. I will refrain from doing so from now on.”

Maine wanted to crush the little fucker’s head with his bare hand. He tried to reach out and grab Sigma, but his body stubbornly remained still. 

(He wanted to scream. To curse. But he couldn’t do any of that. No matter how hard he tried.)

“Well, let’s get going. Don’t want to waste anymore time on these worthless fuck ups any more than we have to,” Alabama sneered. 

Virginia began to lead the way through the alleyway and Mississippi and Sigma followed. Maine was forced to follow. Alabama stayed back long enough to whisper to Maine as he passed. 

“How’s it feel to fall so far from grace? Top 10 my ass. You’re a disappointment. I don’t know why the Director wants you back so bad, but he’s going to realize real quick that you’ve long since been replaced.”

Maine growled silently. As soon as he was out of this situation, he was going to beat the smirk off of Alabama’s face. 

Alabama scoffed at his lack of reaction. 

“Sigma’s got you on a tight leash, huh? Come along, dog .”

Virginia stopped just short of the exit and Maine could see Wash, face hidden beneath the hood of his sweatshirt, talking quietly to Wyoming. North was standing a little farther away next to Yamada. 

Maine clawed at the barrier Sigma had shoved him behind. The fear and desperation had drowned out the anger. He needed to warn Wash. Needed to make sure he didn’t get caught up in all this. But he couldn’t do anything. No matter how hard he struggled, Sigma’s grip never faltered. 

Virginia raised her hands and slowly, the wind began to stir up. The dirt on the ground began to gather and then, the small gust turned into a full blown storm. Dust and dirt whipped around violently cutting off Maine’s view of Wash. 

Mississippi surged forward into the storm, and out of sight. A small gray bubble appeared where Wyoming had been, cutting him off from the rest of the group. 

Maine’s body jerked forward as Sigma forced him into the open. Wash stumbled out of the dust storm, coughing violently. His eyes widened as he caught sight of Maine. Sigma forced him to turn back into the alley. 

He heard quiet footsteps behind him and a shout of “Maine!” as Wash followed. 

Stop. Stay back. 

He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to watch his brother get captured. He scratched and clawed at the barrier. He screamed into the void of his own mind. Rage and fear fueled him as he tried to push through Sigma’s control. 

“Maine, what happened? You shouldn’t be here alone,” Wash scolded quietly. 

“From what I can tell, you shouldn’t be here either,” Alabama said, cutting Wash’s escape off. He pulled off his glove and pulled the hood down. 

Wash whirled around to face him, only for Alabama’s hand to wrap around his throat. 

“What the fuck-!” Wash gasped. Alabama shoved him against the wall and covered his mouth with his free hand. 

“Shut up. You’re coming with us, Price wants some info from you.”

Wash snarled. His knee connected with the side of Alabama’s leg, and he released his grip on Wash’s throat with a grunt. 

Wash grabbed Alabama’s helmet and ripped it off. Without waiting for another second, he cracked it against his head. 

Red hair fell into his face as Alabama growled viciously. He disappeared briefly, only to reappear on Wash’s other side with a kick to his ribs. 

Wash stumbled into the wall but brought his hands up just in time to block a punch aimed at his face. He threw a low kick that connected with Alabama’s knee. There was a sickening crunch as he collapsed to the ground with a scream. Wash immediately launched himself at him, slamming his fists against Alabama’s face repeatedly. He brought his hand down onto his throat and pulled out his knife. Wash held it above Alabama’s face as he glared down at him. Alabama wheezed as he pawed at Wash’s hand. 

Maine stood frozen throughout the entire thing. Body unresponsive even as he struggled as hard as he could. 

“That is enough, Washington,” Sigma interrupted calmly. 

Wash turned his head sharply, teeth bared and a small growl building in the back of his throat. 

“Sigma,” he snarled. 

“You know my name? Interesting, I do not believe we’ve had the meeting before this.”

“Fuck off.” The knife moved closer to Alabama’s face. 

“Unfortunately, I am unable to do that, and if you continue to harm Alabama in this manner, I will be forced to use more extreme measures.”

“Stop me then,” Wash challenged. 

Don’t. 

Sigma simply smiled. “I believe Maine here will be more than enough to stop you.”

No! 

Maine’s arm slowly lifted from where it had been resting by his side and he watched in horror as Wash’s body froze. He could hear Wash’s breathing hitch as he was forced to drop the knife and get off of Alabama. 

“Unfortunately, Maine’s quirk does not allow for complete control over a person, but this will be enough.”

Maine could hear Wash’s panicked breaths as he glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. 

“Maine?” He sounded so small, and scared. 

I’m so sorry, David. I’m so sorry. 

“Subject Maine is currently under my control. And if you do not want anything…regrettable to happen to him, then you will return to the Mother of Inventions Laboratory with us. Should you refuse or attempt to put up any more of a fight, well, I will not be to blame for the consequences that befall your friend,” Sigma said calmly. There wasn’t a hint of regret or sympathy in his voice. Just the cold, calculating, monotone that Maine had been forced to endure this whole time. 

Wash’s eyes widened as he looked at Maine. Horror dawned on his face as he seemed to realize what Sigma was saying. 

The threat made Maine’s blood run cold. He had known they were going to use him to get to Wash, but seeing the fear in his eyes made everything so much worse. 

He wanted so badly to reach out to Wash and give him the chance to fight their way out of here. 

“So, Washington, what will you do? Will you come with us? Or will you forsake Maine?”

Wash shook with either barely contained fury or fear. 

“I…” he locked eyes with Maine, and Maine wished he could give him some kind of sign that he could hear him. “I’ll go. I’ll go back to Project Freelancer.”

Chapter Text

Shota sat on the couch of the dorm at UA, head in his hands. His hands shook as he stared at the floor. 

They were gone. Maine and Washington had disappeared. No one had been able to see where they went because of the villain attack. Shota tightened his grip on his hair and let out a shaky breath. 

Not only that, but Wyoming had been hurt in the second attack. 

(Shota knew Hizashi blamed himself for what happened, even though Shota didn’t blame him.)

This was a mess. The kids were a mess. Alli and South had gone completely out of control, they refused to listen and were constantly at everyone’s throats, including his. Carolina had reverted back to being hostile, she refused to even talk to him. Florida’s fake smiles were even more forced than usual as he attempted to keep his feelings under wraps. York still tried to stay civil, but Shota could see the bags under his eyes, and the way his shoulders slumped with exhaustion. CT barely left her room, and when she did, she ignored everybody else. And North. God. Shota hated seeing North like this. He had basically shut down. He wouldn’t talk to anyone, he wouldn’t eat unless someone made him, he just stayed in his room, staring blankly ahead. 

Shota had tried talking to North but every time he tried, Carolina would storm into his room without fail and glare at Shota until he left. 

He needed to find Wash and Maine. He wouldn’t let them down this time. Shota slowly dropped his hands and sat up. He wouldn’t just abandon them. He had made a promise and he would be damned if he broke it now. 

“Well, you look like shit.” 

Relief hit Shota like a truck. He let out a quiet sigh as he turned to see Wyoming leaning against the wall. He was wearing a slightly too large white shirt and baggy sweatpants. 

“How are you feeling?” Shota asked. 

“Like I got stabbed,” Wyoming responded. He unsteadily made his way over to one of the unoccupied couches, and Shota was on his feet in a second. He hovered by his side until he managed to sit down. 

“I don’t need you hovering over me, thank you,” Wyoming panted. 

“Don’t push yourself, okay? I’ll call Recovery Girl,” Shota reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

“I’d rather you don’t.”

“Wyoming, you’re still hurt, she can help.”

“I don’t particularly give a shit whether she can help or not. I will talk to York after this if that would make you feel better, but that’s not what I’m here for.”

Shota blinked. Wyoming had never sought him out willingly. He had kept his distance and watched Shota like a hawk, never interacting with him more than necessary. This had to be important. 

“So long as you promise to go to either York or Recovery Girl after this,” Shota urged. 

“Yes, fine, Jesus Christ,” Wyoming huffed. He leaned his head against the back of the couch and subtly wrapped one arm around his side. Shota grit his teeth. 

(He couldn’t shake the image of rushing to find Hizashi and seeing Wyoming laying on the ground in a pool of his own blood, a jagged piece of metal sticking out of his side.)

Wyoming sucked in a sharp breath before sitting up again. 

“I know what happened the other day.”

Shota froze. Wyoming dropped a bombshell like it as the most casual thing in the world. He knew. He knew. He could help. If he told Shota what he knew then maybe…maybe Shota would be able to save them. 

“Talk to me,” he pleaded. 

“On one condition. I tell you, you let me help,” Wyoming met Shota’s gaze. There was a steely look in his eyes. 

“Absolutely not, it’s too dangerous.” 

He wasn’t risking anyone else. If something happened to Wyoming, then he would completely lose the trust of everyone else, especially Florida. 

“I’m not here to negotiate. If you want this information, you will let me help, otherwise I’ll do this on my own.”

“What? No, that’s insane. You’ll get yourself hurt!”

“If you want to abandon Washington and Maine, be my guest. I’m sure dear Carolina will be oh so pleased with your decision to leave them to rot,” Wyoming spat harshly. Malice dripped from his every word and eyes held nothing but contempt. He was angry. But Shota couldn’t tell who he was angry with. 

“I’m not abandoning them,” Shota said. “But I won’t endanger the rest of you, either.”

“We are already in danger. I’d rather do something about it than sit around twiddling my thumbs like some useless pile of shit. I am offering you my assistance. I have far more information than you will ever have, and all I ask in return is that you allow me to help.”

Shota pinched the bridge of his nose. This was such a stupid plan. He couldn’t afford anything else happening to these kids. 

But…

What would happen to Wash or Maine if he just waited? Would they be forced to endure more experiments? Or would they just be killed?

Shota dropped his hand, and with deep breath, met Wyoming’s eyes once again. 

“Deal.”

Wyoming’s disapproving glare slowly morphed into a victorious smirk. 

“Glad we worked that out, mate. So, first things first, there were four people working together.”

“Four?” Shota couldn’t hide the surprise in his voice. “Police estimated two.”

“They were wrong. The group that attacked us probably only wanted to have one person identified, but my quirk posed a problem. Because I was there, another member of their team was forced out in the open.”

“Because you could see through the storm.”

“Exactly. If your whole plan revolves around cutting off line of sight, what do you do if someone can still see through it?”

“You find another way to isolate them,” Shota’s eyes widened. 

“I could see through the storm, which meant I would be able to react to an attack. They were forced to show another one of their cards,” Wyoming leaned forward on the couch. “I couldn’t see their faces but I recognized most of the quirks. The people that targeted us were members of the project.”

Shota slammed his hands on the table as he stood up. 

“ What?”

“Virginia, Mississippi, and Alabama. Those three have always been bitter that they got kicked off the board. They probably jumped at the chance to get a little revenge,” Wyoming said coolly. 

“How do you know for sure it was them?” Shota asked with barely controlled rage. 

“As I said before, their quirks. Virginia can whip insanely powerful winds, Mississippi can create a bubble of silence, and Alabama can teleport. Although, I’m fairly certain he should only be able to teleport himself.”

“You said there were four people, but you only named three.”

“I don’t know who the last person was, but I saw them. And well, I saw Maine too. Something seemed off about him though.”

“What do you mean?” 

“He was just standing there while Washington and Alabama fought. And he actually used his quirk to stop Wash once Alabama started losing.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen Maine use either of his quirks,” Shota muttered. 

“That’s because he doesn’t need to do anything for one and he hates the other. Overpower is very strong, but Maine doesn’t like taking away a person’s control.”

“So, Maine used Overpower on Wash?”

“From what I could tell. Things got a little fuzzy around there but, I do distinctly recall watching Alabama grab Wash and the whole group vanishing.”

Shota ran his hands through his hair as he paced around. “Okay. So, we have three, maybe four, people still working for the Director, who specifically targeted Maine and Wash, kidnapped them, and disappeared. But why?”

“Information, probably,” Wyoming’s eyes never left Shota’s form. “Maybe an incentive to convince us to go back. Or a threat.”

“What kind of information would he want from-,” Shota cut himself off. His eyes widened in realization. 

He thought about the staff meeting, and watching Wash collapse after he mentioned Epsilon. 

Wash had information. Information that, if given to the right people, could get everyone involved in the project into a lot of trouble. The Director wanted to make sure there weren’t any loose ends, and Wash was one of them. 

“Shit,” Shota hissed. 

Shit shit shit shit. 

Shota needed a plan, and he needed one now. 

“I have a feeling I know where they went,” Wyoming’s voice caught Shota off guard. 

“Where?” 

“Hmm, see if I tell you, then how do I know you’ll uphold your end of the deal?”

“Wyoming, is this really the fucking time?” Shota snapped. He didn’t have time for this. 

“If you don’t want my help, fine, be my guest. See how well that goes for you.”

Shota forced himself to take a breath. He had made a deal and he was going to follow through. 

“Once I figure out a plan, I’ll bring you with me,” Shota hissed through gritted teeth. “Okay?”

Wyoming slowly stood up. He stepped around the table so he was directly opposite of Shota. He placed his hands on the table as a smirk slid onto his face. 

“They most likely brought them to Mother of Invention Labs. I more or less have the entire place memorized. The Director never kept a very tight leash on Butch or I, so we had many opportunities to gather intel on our own. Not that he could have stopped us if he had tried. The Counselor didn’t even bother keeping track of us unless he needed something done.”

“Why would you…?”

“I was known as ‘the hunter’ for a reason, and it wasn’t because of my quirk. I always get my man.”

Shota furrowed his brows as Wyoming’s words sunk in. The words ‘ startling efficiency’ popped into his head for a brief moment. 

“You-,” he hesitated. 

Wyoming didn’t respond. He simply stood up and began making his way towards the elevator. 

“If you don’t give me something to work with soon, I will deal with this myself.”

“Give me three days,” Shota called. 

Wyoming stilled, hand inches away from the button to call the elevator. 

“You get two,” he called back without turning around. He pressed the button, and Shota waited to make sure he didn’t need any help. When Wyoming stepped into the elevator, Shota could see the determined look in his eyes. They burned with an intensity Shota had never seen from him. He would follow through with this deal. He had to. 

The doors slid closed and Shota was left alone with his thoughts again. Except this time, he didn’t feel hopeless or lost. He had shit to do.

He moved quickly, grabbing his computer from his bag and sitting down on the couch again. 

He opened a new tab and typed in ‘ Mother of Invention Labs.’ Almost immediately, results popped up, showing pictures of a large building covered in windows. In one, an older man with black hair and glasses stood proudly in front of the door. Beside him was a man with dark skin and short black hair. 

There was a link to an article attached to the image. The title read ‘ Dr. Leonard Church opens quirk development lab in Musutafu, Japan.’ 

Shota clicked the article. 

“The world's leading scientist in quirk study has recently opened a lab in hopes of making greater discoveries in regards to helping those who are quirkless. For many years, Dr. Church spent much of his time working in the United States, however, he recently relocated to Japan, and when asked about his decision to do this, he said, ‘I believe there will be more opportunities for me to learn how to change the world here. I will do my absolute best to produce positive results.’”

Shota closed the article with a snarl. He was a lying bastard. How dare he even pretend to care about the world when he’s willing to experiment on children who can’t even fight back. At least he knew one thing, Leonard Church was here, and if he could find where the lab was, then maybe he’d be able to figure out a plan. 

Wyoming had given him two days to figure something out, he needed to work fast. Shota quickly got up and slipped outside as quietly as he could. He didn’t want to draw too much attention to himself. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he called one of the first people in his contacts. 

“Hey, Nemuri, I need a favor,” he said. 

“ Shota? Oh my god, are you okay? I’ve been so worried about you, ” she said. “ How’s Hizashi holding up? ”

“He’s…not doing great,” Shota muttered. “But, I don’t want to worry him anymore than he already is.”

“ Oh no. Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”

Shota winced slightly. “Because this is a terrible, half assed plan and I need your help with this.”

“ What do you need me to do?” She asked seriously. 

“We’re going to find Wash and Maine. And I definitely won’t be able to do it on my own.”

“ Shota, you can’t be serious! I know you’re worried about them, I am too! But we can’t just rush into this! What if they get hurt? Or the police get involved? Then we’ll be in trouble and the kids will be exposed,” Nemuri shouted, voice strained with barely contained panic. 

“I know, I know, and logically, you’re right. We’re heroes, we can’t do whatever we want but…” Shota turned to face the dorm where the kids were waiting miserably. 

“ But we can’t just sit back and wait for someone else to do it,” Nemuri sighed on the other end of the line. “Why are you so insistent on doing this now, though?”

“This was the only way to make sure Wyoming wouldn’t run off alone.”

“ So, you’re trying to protect him?”

“I’m trying to protect all of them, Nemuri,” Shota stressed. “And this was the best option I could think of.”

“Oh, Shota…” Nemuri muttered. “ Okay, I’ll help. Are you going to tell Hizashi about this?” 

Shota tightened his grip on his phone. “Yeah. I need to.”

“Alright. You go talk to Hizashi about this, I’m going to let Nedzu know about this, I’m sure he’ll cover for us.”

“Okay. I’m going to hang up and check on the kids. I can let you know what the plan is once I figure everything out.”

“You don’t have a plan yet, do you?” Shota could practically hear the eye roll. 

“I’m working on it,” Shota insisted.

“I’m just busting you. I trust you, Sho. Now go check on your husband and kids, I’m sure you’re worried sick about them,” Nemuri said softly. There was a quiet ‘ click ’ as she hung up. 

Shota slumped against the wall and closed his eyes briefly. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again. He couldn’t give up yet. He still had work to do. He unlocked his phone again and pulled up Hizashi’s contact info. 

(He couldn’t help but smile at the picture of his husband smiling brightly at the camera, hair pulled up into a bun and a pair of regular glasses on his face.)

Taking a deep breath, he pressed call. Shota tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Hizashi to pick up. 

On the third ring, Hizashi’s exhausted voice came through the phone, “Hey, babe.”

“Hey,” Shota said softly. “How are you doing?”

“Shota, you shouldn’t be worrying about me. Focus on the kids.”

“‘Zashi, you’ve been beating yourself up about what happened for the past few days, I’m allowed to be worried.”

“That’s…” Hizashi sighed quietly. “I’ll be okay. Is something wrong?” 

“No, nothing is wrong, but I do want your help with something,” Shota looked around, making sure none of the kids were listening. 

“Sho?” Hizashi said curiously.

“I’m working on a plan to rescue Wash and Maine.”

“WHAT?!” Hizashi shouted. Shota had to pull his phone away from his ear. 

“Before you start screeching, hear me out. I made a deal with Wyoming to help him find them.”

“WHY WOULD YOU AGREE TO THAT?!” 

Shota winced as he brought one hand up to his ear. “I wasn’t given much of a choice. He was going to go whether I agreed to help him or not. I figured working with him would be better than working against him.”

“What if we get caught?” Hizashi asked after a brief pause.

“Is it really us you’re worried about?”

“...No. No, it’s not. Shota, they tried so hard to escape, I don’t want anyone else getting hurt because we screwed up again.”

“We won’t screw up this time,” Shota promised. 

“How do you know?” 

“Because I refuse to lose them again. I promised I would keep them safe, and I’ll be damned if I don’t follow through.”

Hizashi let out a quiet breath on the other end of the line. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re surprisingly good at giving pep talks?”

“No one will ever believe you,” Shota smiled. 

“Fine, you’ve convinced me. Count me in.”

“Thank you. Do you want to come spend the night here? Just so you aren’t alone tonight.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll be there soon.”

“See you then. Love you, Hizashi.”

“Love you too, Shota,” Hizashi said softly before hanging up. 

This was going to work. It had to. Shota would make sure of it. He placed his phone back in his pocket. He turned around and headed back towards the door, only to be cut off by CT. She stood in front of the door with her arms crossed and one leg placed on the doorframe. 

“Carolina’s going to be pissed at you if you go behind her back with this,” she said.

“She’s already pissed at me,” he pointed out. 

“ More pissed then.”

“Seems like she’s not the only one.” Shota shrugged. He knew he would have to work towards earning Carolina’s trust back. She had every single right to be angry. He wouldn’t blame her if she never forgave him for this. But that wasn’t going to stop him from trying.

“It’s not you they’re angry at,” CT pushed herself off the wall. “They’re scared, Aizawa.”

“And what about you?” he asked. 

“Of course I’m scared, but I’ve already been through hell and back. I refuse to leave my best friends trapped in that lab. We can help. You, Kayama, Yamada, and Wyoming won’t be enough.”

“I’m not risking your lives anymore than I already have,” Shota said sternly. 

“They know you’re helping us now, we’re in danger anyways. It’s only a matter of time before the project comes looking for us. I don’t want to wait for them to come to us. If we want our freedom, we need to take the fight to them. We could save Wash and Maine, take down Project Freelancer, and help Alpha all in one go. We won’t get a better chance than this,” she insisted. “I don’t want to sit back and watch the first adult to give a shit about me get himself killed because he was too stubborn to accept some help.”

Shota finally took a moment to look at CT. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet anxiously, one hand was messing with the hem of her brown sweater, while the other rested on the knife holster on her thigh. There was a slightly wild look in her eyes as she pleaded with him. Her normally controlled emotions bled into her body language. She was well and truly desperate. 

Shota couldn’t—wouldn’t— leave her behind. He wouldn’t leave any of them behind. They had every right to be a part of this fight, and he wasn’t going to take that away from them. 

“Okay. Let’s come up with a plan.”

The look of relief on CT’s face was enough to convince him that he had made the right call.

They had three objectives, and only one shot at this. 

Shota was going to help these kids take down the Director.

Chapter Text

York was tired. He didn’t want to talk to Aizawa, but the man insisted that he needed to talk to the whole group. York seriously considered ignoring him and just going back to his room to lay down. He had been running himself ragged for the past week trying to look after everyone. He had no idea how North was able to do this, but York was pretty sure he’d need to confront his boyfriend about his self-sacrificing tendencies at a later time. 

For now, York rubbed his eyes tiredly. Aizawa and Yamada were downstairs. He had seen Carolina go down earlier. With a long, drawn out sigh, he knocked quietly on North’s door. If Aizawa wanted to talk to all of them, that meant he needed to find a way to motivate North to get up. He was surprised when the door opened to reveal North, looking significantly better than he had before. He still looked exhausted, but color had returned to his face. He had changed his clothes and had a slightly strained smile on his face when he saw York. 

“Uh…hey,” York said. Smooth. 

“Hey,” North replied softly. 

“You doing okay? We’ve been worried about you,” York kept his voice low. 

“I’m…feeling a bit better, I think. Not good, but a little better.”

York reached out and gently placed his hand on North’s face. He softly ran his thumb across North’s cheek. 

North delicately placed his hand over York’s and closed his eyes as he leaned into his hand. 

“How about you?” North asked. “You look tired, Jon.”

“Someone had to keep this shitshow from collapsing.”

“I’m sure you did a great job, but you should take a break,” North urged. 

York sighed. “I would…if Aizawa didn’t want all of us in the living room. He has something big he wants to talk about, I guess.”

Blue eyes met brown as North searched York’s face for something. 

“Will you be okay?”

“I’ll be fine. We should head down soon, I don’t want to leave Carolina alone for too long.”

North nodded. He leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to York’s lips. 

“Thank you for looking after me.”

“I’ve got your back, man,” York said. He leaned forward and placed his head on North’s shoulder. North placed a hand on the back of his head and wrapped the other hand around his back. 

Just a second. York was going to stay here for just a second. He was so tired. Ever since Maine and Wash disappeared, he had been trying to keep everyone together. This is what he did. He stepped up when Carolina couldn’t. But this was so much more than he could handle. This week had been hell. One of the worst weeks of his life, right up there with the first week after the training accident. 

North tightened his grip slightly and York took a shuddering breath. He wouldn’t fall apart now. Couldn’t fall apart now. He would have time for that later. He took a deep breath and pulled away. 

“Come on, we should head downstairs.”

North nodded and they both made their way to the first floor. 

Everyone else was sitting in the living room, crowded around the coffee table. York made his way over to Carolina and placed his hand on her back. She turned to face him, a harsh glare on her face until she realized it was him. Her eyes softened as she leaned against him. North came up on Carolina’s other side. 

York placed his chin on Carolina’s head, as North threw an arm around her shoulders. 

“So, what’s going on?” He whispered. 

“I don’t know. Eraserhead wouldn’t tell us anything until you got here,” Carolina hissed. 

Oof. That definitely wasn’t a great sign. Aizawa was definitely fucked. York wouldn’t be surprised if Carolina was planning a way to kill him in his sleep. Or maybe she would just kill him. 

“That’s everyone,” Aizawa finally said. 

“You gonna tell us what the fuck you want?” South snapped. 

“I understand you are all angry, but I think you’ll like Aizawa’s plan!” Nedzu said from his spot on the couch. 

“Angry is an understatement,” Tex snarled. York was worried she was going to break the arm of the chair with how hard she was gripping it. 

“I know. And you have every right to be, but I’m going to fix this, I promise,” Aizawa said. 

York was honestly unimpressed. Whatever Aizawa had up his sleeve, he wasn’t expecting anything. 

“ We,” he glanced around at everyone in the room. “Are going to bring Washington and Maine home.”

York choked. “ We’re what?”

Aizawa leveled him with a serious look. “Do you seriously think three people can break into a lab and effectively take down and arrest the necessary people with no backup?”

“Tex and I broke in alone,” York countered. 

Why was he even arguing? He should be happy that Aizawa wanted their help. And yet…

“But you don’t want us to go alone,” Kayama pointed out. 

York looked away from her. She was right, but that didn’t start anxiety from curling around York’s chest. 

Fuck. Keep it together. 

His breath hitched. Carolina shifted so she could look at him. 

He gave her a quick smile. She had enough to worry about. He could handle this for a little longer. 

“I’m asking you kids to help because we don’t have the necessary information to get in without either getting caught ourselves or putting Wash and Maine in danger.”

“Here,” Wyoming said, tossing a rolled up piece of paper to Aizawa. 

“Wyoming, what are you doing?” Carolina snapped. 

“I don’t particularly care what you say here, Caroline. I’m going with them whether you like it or not. I’m sure you’ll be able to find a way to tell the two of them why you didn’t want to rescue them, that will certainly go well.”

“What brought this on? Loyalty has never been your thing,” North said coldly. York felt him stiffen beside him. 

“Ugh, I have no idea. I’m going soft apparently, but I actually want to help Eraser. I’m sure I’m not the only one.”

Aizawa unfurled the paper and spread it over the table. York recognized it as a blueprint of MOI Labs. It showed both the upper levels and the lower levels. 

(York couldn’t suppress the shudder that ran down his spine as he looked at the basement levels. He saw where his room used to be and had to shove down the urge to vomit.)

“Where the fuck did you get that?” Carolina snarled, pulling away from York and North. She slammed her hands on the table and stared Wyoming down.

“Where do you think? CT got it for me,” Wyoming shrugged. 

“Dude!” CT threw her hands up in frustration. “That is such a dick move!”

“What in the hell made you think doing this was a good idea? It’s because of him that we’re in this situation in the first place!” Carolina’s voice rose with every word as she threw her arm to the side to gesture to Aizawa.

“It’s because of Aizawa I’m not dead!” CT snapped. “You’re getting angry at the wrong people! You want to be angry? Be angry at the Director, at the counselor, everyone involved in the shitty fucking project!”

CT whirled around to glare at everyone. “Aizawa has done nothing but try to protect us, but obviously none of you can get that through your thick fucking skulls! So get your heads out of your asses and focus on the problem at hand. I don’t want to leave my best friends in the clutches of that psychopath any longer than I have to!”

Aizawa stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I promised we’d get them back from the Director, and I meant it.”

“It’s not the Director you should be worried about,” Florida piped up. “It’s the counselor.” 

Aizawa glanced at Florida, eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

“Sure, the Director was in charge of the actual science side of things, but Price was supposed to be our therapist or something. He’s got more information on us than anyone else, and he knows how to leverage it,” Florida continued with a small shrug. 

“That’s…good to know,” Yamada said quietly. 

York bit the inside of his cheek nervously. CT was right. They shouldn’t be angry at Aizawa or Yamada or Kayama. They had been helping. 

“I’m in,” York finally said. “You’re gonna need someone to open the doors, and unless they’ve completely changed the security system, I can get you in.”

He wasn’t going to sit back and let anyone fuck with his family. Not again. He knew how to break in. He did it once, he could do it again. 

“York?” North whispered, shock evident in his voice. 

“If York’s in, I’m in,” Tex said suddenly. “I’m gonna blow that place to hell this time.”

Carolina grit her teeth as she glanced around the room. Almost everyone had agreed to this. Finally, she directed her attention back to the heroes in front of them. 

“If you don’t follow through on your promise, just know that I will make you pay,” she threatened. 

“Well…” North began. “Count me in.”

“I’m not letting you fuckers go without me,” South said loudly. 

York smiled as he caught Nedzu’s eyes. There was a determined glint in his eyes. 

“Okay,” Aizawa said with a sigh. “Now, we need a plan. How do we get in?”

“Like I said, leave that to me. I know how to bypass the security system,” York stepped forward. He looked down at the blueprint on the table. The lab itself was massive, four floors above ground where researchers and scientists worked throughout the day, and five floors underground, where the significantly less legal experiments took place. 

“There’s a back door we’re gonna want to enter through. You can’t actually get to the basement from the main entrance, probably extra insurance so no random person without the proper clearance stumbles into a top secret underground laboratory with a bunch of highly confidential information.”

“We’re definitely going to need a distraction,” CT said thoughtfully. “We have to draw the guards away so York has time to break in.”

“Or we simply take them out,” Wyoming suggested. 

“Absolutely not,” Aizawa said sternly. 

“It would certainly make things easier, but fine. I can at least be the lookout. I’ll follow you all in once I know I’m not going to be shot or stabbed in the back. Can’t exactly watch my own back and yours at the same time, and I don’t think you want me to watch my own.”

York raised an eyebrow. “Okay, seriously Reg, what is up with you? You’re acting really fucking weird.”

“Oh shut up. I want Washington and Maine back as much as you all do. Plus, I want some revenge and I can’t get that if I get stabbed in the back.”

York snorted. Yeah, that tracked. Wyoming was a vengeful bastard. He probably wanted to take Mississippi and Virginia down for attacking him. 

“Wow, character development,” South muttered. North covered his mouth with his hand to stifle a laugh. 

“Fine, you can handle finding your way through that lab while avoiding detection on your own. I’m sure that will go well,” Wyoming snapped, face twisted with growing anger. 

“Come on now, Reggie,” Florida placed his hand on Wyoming’s arm. They shared a look that York couldn’t even begin to decipher. 

Wyoming sighed, and the neutral, condescending look slid back into place. 

“Alright, fine, you win.”

“Thank you, love,” Florida said, gently patting Wyoming’s face. 

York scrunched his face up in mild discomfort. Was now really the time for this? Couldn’t those two flirt on their own time?

“Moving back on topic,” CT interrupted. “We shouldn’t all go in at the same time or from the same spot. There’s a few vent shafts that lead down to the basement that I can sneak in through.”

“Oh! I can join! I know the vent systems very well,” Florida smiled darkly. 

“We still need a distraction,” Carolina stepped beside York, gently nudging his shoulder with her own. York smiled softly at the determination in Carolina’s eyes. This was the Carolina he had fallen in love with. The firecracker of a woman who could take charge of a situation like it was the easiest thing in the world. Her green eyes burned as she focused intently. She was beautiful.  

“What kind of distraction are we looking for?” North asked, coming up on Carolina’s other side. 

Carolina looked up and made eye contact with Yamada. “Something big and loud.”

“Leave that to me,” Yamada said proudly. 

“Count me in too,” South responded. 

“We should have more than two people outside, in case something goes wrong,” Aizawa suggested. 

“What, did you think I would be inside? Fuck that. I will be keeping watch from outside , thank you,” Wyoming said stiffly.

“Are you sure?” Aizawa asked tensely. 

“Trust me, I think we can handle it,” South smirked. She rolled her shoulders and stood up straight, confidence oozing from her stance. 

“Okay, just be careful, got it?” 

“We will be,” Yamada replied.

“So, the rest of you will be going inside, then?” Nedzu asked. The usual cheer had disappeared from his tone. 

“I think that would be for the best, the more of us that are in there, the easier it will be to keep each other safe,” Kayama said, looking around at the group. 

“We’re probably going to have to split up once we’re in there anyways,” Carolina glared at the table. 

“Nemuri and I will each go with one group, and once South, Wyoming, and Hizashi are done outside, they can join us,” Aizawa suggested.

“So, our main goals are getting Wash and Maine and taking the Director down, right?” North asked.

“And saving Alpha,” Tex spoke up, her voice quiet and shaking with what York could only assume was rage. 

“Who the fuck is Alpha?” South asked. 

York looked at Tex. She was staring at the ground, eyes covered by her blonde hair. Her body was tense and her hands shook. She slowly lifted her head and looked at York, and then CT. 

York gave her a reassuring smile. If Tex wanted to get Alpha out, everyone else would need to be in on it. 

“He’s…someone important to me,” Tex finally said. 

“You want me to take this?” York asked. 

Tex nodded. York could see South’s confused glare as she glanced between Tex, CT, and himself. 

“The Director was doing some other experiments on top of the shit he was doing to us. The bastard was fucking around with creating artificial humans. The worst part is, he succeeded,” York paused, eyes locked on Tex. She could stop him at any point. But she didn’t. 

“He managed to create the person he called ‘Alpha’, who I’m pretty sure is supposed to be based off of himself, pretty arrogant if you ask me. He even found a way to share some of his memories with him. But, when Alpha was made, he created another person. The Director called her ‘Beta.’ He figured out that Alpha could essentially fragment himself, so he tortured him. Repeatedly, until Alpha had basically given up every piece of his personality.”

“I’m not leaving Alpha behind. Not again. I failed to save him once, I’m not doing it again,” Tex hissed. 

“Here’s my question, who is Beta?” Wyoming asked, his eyes trained on Tex. He already knew the answer, York could tell. He wanted Tex to say it. 

“I am.”

“ What the fuck? ” South shouted, slamming her hands on the table. “Are you fucking kidding me? You knew about this for months and you didn’t think to tell any of us?”

“South-,” North reached out towards her, but she slapped his hand away.

“No! I want to hear what they have to say about this!”

“South, calm down,” Carolina said. “I’m sure they had a very good reason for not saying anything.”

“Oh shut up! You knew about this too! You and Washington got to see what Connie dug up, so you don’t get to tell me to calm down!” South snarled. 

“I didn’t know about this either,” Carolina snapped back. “I missed this because Wash-” she cut herself off. 

“Wash what?” 

“Alli, are any of the…the fragments called Epsilon?” 

Tex blinked, rage turned to shock, then confusion.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Because Wash muttered something about Epsilon when we sat in on the staff meeting. And…he mentioned my mother.”

“What? That…oh fuck!” Tex ran a hand through her hair.

Oh fuck indeed. 

York grit his teeth as he thought about Epsilon’s file. His quirk combined with Wash’s second quirk was a disastrous combination. He saw the wide eyed look CT was giving him. Things were starting to fall into place. Why Wash was in recovery after he was found screaming in the hall that led to where the Director kept Alpha and the others hidden. Why he seemed so on edge, so out of it even after they had brought him somewhere safe. 

Wash had Epsilon’s, and by extension Alpha’s and some of the Director’s, memories. 

“Fucking hell, Wash,” York muttered. 

“Would you care to share with the class or are we supposed to guess?” Florida asked.

“Epsilon’s quirk gives him the ability to transfer his memories to someone else,” Aizawa said. 

“Combine that with the walking amplifier…” CT trailed off. 

“ Shit, ” North hissed. 

“You didn’t think to mention any of this to the rest of us?” South snapped. 

“I didn’t know. Wash never told me what happened,” Carolina insisted. 

“ You can’t just keep shit like this from us!” South’s voice echoed throughout the room. “We had every fucking right to know this!”

“You’re right,” CT said quietly. “We should have told you, all of you. But we didn’t. And that’s not okay. I’m sorry.”

“You can’t just-! Ugh! Fine! No more secrets, though! I don’t want to be left in the dark about this shit!” South’s face turned a brilliant red as she stumbled over her words. 

“No more secrets, I promise,” CT grabbed South’s hand. “We can go through everything we learned once we bring Wash and Maine home, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” South muttered. 

Aizawa coughed, drawing everyone’s attention back to him. 

“One more thing, and then we can end this meeting. We’re going tomorrow night. So, make sure you’re ready.”

York closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened them again to see determination on everyone else’s faces. 

So, this was it. This was their chance to finally end it. York wasn’t going to let anything get in his way. 

Tomorrow night. Project Freelancer was going to burn.

Chapter Text

Wyoming crouched carefully in the tree he had perched himself in. He clutched the strap of his rifle slightly tighter as he scanned the area around him. He had a clear view of MOI labs. The lab was the same shitty, four story building. Windows covered most of the visible surface area. Wyoming scoffed as he caught sight of a few guards mulling about inside. It was too late at night for anyone else to be in there. 

He closed his eyes for a split second, and when he opened them again, the world had shifted from vivid colors to dull grays. He could clearly see where everyone inside was. White silhouettes outlined the security guards hidden inside. 

Slowly letting his eyes drift down, he could see the basement floors where all of the Director’s illegal experiments took place. He could see most of the other Freelancers, only about 20 of them left at this point, gathered in the training room. 

He could make out one figure practically towering over all of them. 

“There you are,” he muttered. The towering figure’s silhouette shifted from white to blue as Wyoming focused on him. 

One down. One to go. 

Finding Maine had been easy. Finding Washington would be much, much harder. Although, he had a pretty good idea as he spotted a smaller figure standing away from the group. Washington had always been uncomfortable in new groups, so Wyoming was fairly confident that was him. It wasn’t a guarantee, but worth keeping an eye on. The second silhouette shifted to blue. 

“ How are we looking out there, Wy?” York’s voice crackled over the comms. 

“Fairly isolated. A few night guards in the main lab, and the usual amount guarding the basement entrance. Looks like something big is happening in the training room though, there’s a lot of people in there. Maine and most likely Washington included,” Wyoming said.

“ Shit, ” Eraser hissed. “ If they’re both in there, getting them out is going to be a lot harder. ”

“ Nah, leave this to us, ” South said confidently. 

“ Or we can leave it to York. All we have to do is wait for him to set an alarm off,” CT joked.

“ Okay, rude, ” York huffed. “ I’m not going to set the alarm off.”

“ That’s debatable, ” Carolina said.

“Seriously guys? Come on!”

“ Wait, what? I thought you said you were good at this!” Midnight yelled. 

“ I am! For the most part…”

“York, I love you, I really do, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you hack into something without setting off an alarm,” North said quietly.

“I don’t think we’ve seen him pick a lock without fucking up either, ” South snorted.

“I get anxious when people are pressuring me!”

Wyoming watched as the group inside began to split off and head to different rooms. His two targets both headed down to the bottom level. 

“Well, you better get your act together this time, whatever meeting they were having just ended. Our targets moved to the lowest floor. Good luck to you, York, I’m not sure how you’re getting through the security there,” Wyoming said quietly. He tracked the two as they made their way down a hallway that Wyoming knew led to the restricted area. 

“ You guys are gonna have to buy me time, ” York snapped. 

“ Yeah yeah, quit your bitching,” South said. Wyoming could practically hear the eye roll. 

“ Hey South, you ready?” Present Mic asked. Wyoming glanced over his shoulder, where he spotted the outlines of South and Present Mic sneaking up the back entrance.

“ Yeah, let’s fucking go!” South cheered. 

Without waiting for anything else to be said, South rushed out into the open, face hidden underneath a hood, she crashed into the nearest guard. They let out a startled shout as South pinned them. 

Present Mic let out a piercing scream that caught the other guard and sent him flying into the side of the building. 

Wyoming covered one ear with his hand. He flinched and tried to lean as far away from Present Mic as he could. He was loud and Wyoming was way too close. 

“Bloody hell,” he muttered. He had no idea how South was standing there like it was nothing. 

Security guards rushed out from the building, and Wyoming let his focus snap back into place. 

“Got more guards coming your way, try to draw them out front,” he instructed. 

“ BRING IT ON FUCKERS!” South screamed, and Wyoming cursed silently as the guard was thrown into the tree he had hidden himself in him. 

South charged forward again and grabbed the guard’s head and slammed it into the trunk of the tree. 

“South! Do you mind?” Wyoming hissed. 

“Suck it up, go find somewhere else to hide if you have a problem with it,” South snapped back. 

“You are a fucking nightmare.” Wyoming dropped from his perch with a grunt. He stepped backwards and crouched behind a large shrub. 

Present Mic and South drew the remaining guards towards the main entrance. Once the back was clear, York made his way to the panel that controlled the elevator. 

“ Okay so, good news, I can disable the elevator from here, bad news, that means we’re gonna need a different way in. Or we just drop down the elevator shaft… ” York paused for second. “ Please don’t push me down the elevator shaft, again. ”

“ Wha-again? ” Eraser asked. 

“ Yeah, uh, I got pushed down the last time Tex and I broke in. Don’t worry, I was fine. ”

“ I don’t think being severely concussed and having several fractured ribs counts as being fine, ” Texas countered. 

“ Eh, I was lucid enough to heal myself. ”

“ Yeah, after Carolina found you and woke you up. ”

“ I… ” Carolina faltered. Wyoming did not have enough time or energy to unpack that. 

“ Aha! Got it. Security cameras are down. CT and Florida, you guys are good to go in, ” York said. 

“ Good job! ” Butch chirped. Wyoming could see the two of them slip into the nearest vent. He watched them crawl through the vents until they stopped above what he knew was an exit. There was no one in the hallway. If they moved quickly, they’d be able to get down to the next level without any issues. 

“ We good to keep going? ” CT asked quietly. 

“Yes. This floor is almost completely empty, the lower floors are more populated. You’ll have to be more careful down there,” Wyoming said. His focus drifted downwards again, where Maine and Washington were standing in an isolated room. There were two other figures in there as well. Wyoming couldn’t identify the taller one, but the smaller figure seemed familiar. He tilted his head as he stared at them. 

Wait a minute…

Wyoming’s eyes widened as realization hit. 

That’s the little bastard from the attack. 

“I think I found something you’ll want to know.”

“ Wyoming? ” Eraser asked cautiously. 

“I found the person I couldn’t identify, and they’re with Maine, Washington, and someone else.”

“ Where are they? ” Midnight asked. 

“Lowest floor, restricted area, an isolated room at the end of the hallway.”

“ Okay. Let us know if they move, ” Eraser said. 

“ Elevator is disabled, ” York interrupted. “ Tex, can you pry the doors open?”

“ Yeah, leave it to me, ” Texas responded. 

Wyoming glanced to the side to check on South and Present Mic. 

South was cackling as she brutally knocked the nearest guard out. Present Mic’s screams had knocked several others out. The hero was clearly trying to avoid hitting South with his quirk, but with how close she was to him, some damage was inevitable. Not that she would notice. 

 Wyoming quickly checked back in on Butch and CT who had made it down another floor. So far, so good. 

Texas currently had both hands wrapped around the metal doors, an obvious dent from where she had punched it. She pulled one of the doors to the side. The metal creaked and bent under her grip. She leaned back and the door finally gave out. Texas moved to the other side and pulled the metal out of place, giving them enough room to drop down. Texas shook out her hands once she let go. 

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” A voice sneered from behind Wyoming. 

He didn’t jump but his entire body tensed up.

Shit. 

He hadn’t been watching his own back, he’d been too busy focusing on everything else. 

“You here with those friends of yours out front?” The guard asked. Her hand wrapped around Wyoming’s arm and dragged him to his feet. 

“Not at all,” he responded. The guard forced him to turn around. Wyoming kept his face blank as he stared at her. The world remained monochrome as he stared her down. 

“Wait…I know you,” she leaned forward. Wyoming stubbornly remained still. 

“Do you now?” He asked. His free hand slowly slid behind his back and wrapped around the pistol hidden beneath his coat. 

“Ugh, yeah. I’d recognize that creepy blank stare anywhere.” She took the rifle out of his hand roughly. 

“I can’t say I recognize you.” Wyoming clicked the safety off. 

“Maybe you would if you didn’t use that fucked up quirk of yours so much,” she scoffed. 

“Hmm, I’d say this ‘fucked up quirk of mine’ is rather useful, not that you would know.” 

“You fucking brat,” she snarled, grip on his arm tightening. Her grip on his rifle, however, loosened. Her funeral. 

Wyoming pulled the pistol out and squeezed the trigger. There was a loud bang, and blood splattered across his face and clothes. The woman’s body fell backwards with a dull thud. 

“If you had recognized me, you certainly would’ve been more careful,” he said coldly. He pulled the rifle out of her hand as he carefully put the pistol back. “A shame, really. You should’ve killed me when you had the chance.”

“ Wyoming, what was that? Are you okay? ” Eraser asked, concern clear in his voice. 

“Perfectly fine, don’t worry. One of the guards had got a little cocky, that’s all,” Wyoming swiped a thumb over his cheek, in a half hearted attempt to wipe the blood off. It wasn’t really worth it considering the amount coating his shirt. 

“ Do you need any help? ” 

“Unless you can dig a hole quickly, then no.”

“ Why would you need-? ” Eraser’s voice cut off. “ Wyoming, what did you do? ”

“Me or her, Eraser. What do you think I did?”

“ Shit! ”

“It was self defense,” he lied smoothly. “I panicked, that’s all.”

“ Right… ” Eraser said uncertainly. 

“Perhaps, we ought to focus on the task at hand. Less talking, more infiltrating.”

There was no point in getting into an argument about this. Wyoming quickly darted away from his previous hiding spot towards the front of the building. 

He was supposed to be backup, but it didn’t seem like he was needed. Present Mic and South had more or less wiped the floor with the guards. 

“Looks like we don’t have to worry about any more guards,” Wyoming said. “I’m surprised the alarm hasn’t gone off though.”

“ Yeah, you’re welcome, ” York snapped. “ I disabled that when I shut the cameras down. They’ll definitely notice soon, but I figured it could buy us enough time. ”

“ Wait…so we didn’t have to fight all these fucks? ” South panted. Wyoming could see her chest heaving as she stood over one of the unconscious guards. 

“ Oh, you still had to take those guys out. They definitely would’ve heard us breaking in otherwise. ”

“ You’re an asshole. ”

“ Focus, people, ” Carolina interrupted. “ Florida, CT, where are you? ” 

“ Infirmary, ” Butch replied quietly. 

“ Tex, can you meet us here? We found Alpha, ” CT whispered. 

“ You did?! ” Texas gasped. “ Hold on, I’m on my way! ”

“What are you two even doing in there?” Wyoming couldn’t stop himself from asking. 

“ We wanted to grab some of the documents in here, but it turns out, our timing was very good! ” Butch said. 

“ Are you actually in the room or are you still hidden? ” Midnight asked. 

“ Not yet, we’re just chilling for now. I’m not dropping down there yet, ” CT said. 

“ Don’t do anything reckless,” Eraser ordered.

“ I make no promises ,” Texas replied. 

Wyoming carefully stepped into the open, and approached Present Mic and South. 

Present Mic was hovering over South, badgering her about injuries. 

“Hey!” He said as soon as he caught sight of Wyoming. “Are you- holy shit !”

“Jesus!” South shouted. 

“What?” Wyoming asked, with a tilt of his head. 

“Did you get fucking stabbed again or something?” 

“ What? No! I’m perfectly fine.”

“So, that’s not your blood?” Present Mic asked cautiously. 

“No? I thought we established that.”

“I wasn’t listening,” South shrugged. 

“Of course you weren’t. I shouldn’t even be surprised,” he huffed. 

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay,” Present Mic said after a few seconds of hesitation. 

Wyoming nodded stiffly, still not used to people caring. Genuine emotions and honesty were things he knew he struggled with. He had no idea how to handle Present Mic. Every instinct in his body was telling him that, in the end, the heroes wouldn’t care. They would abandon them, and then their team would be forced to survive again. 

Despite all that, Eraser, Present Mic, and Midnight’s actions all pointed towards them caring. And honestly? Wyoming hated it. He hated not understanding why they acted like this. If they didn’t care, or were just going to leave them in the end, he would be able to deal with that. He understood betrayal and lies. This was out of his area of expertise. 

“Yes, well. It looks like everyone else is inside without issue, we should follow,” Wyoming coughed awkwardly. He let his gaze slide down again and his eyes widened. Maine’s hulking figure was stalking towards the small group standing near the hallway that led to the Director’s office. 

“Shit!” Wyoming hissed. “Whoever is heading towards the Director, watch your backs, Maine is headed your way, and by the way he’s moving, he seems hostile.”

“ What? ” Midnight asked. 

“What?” Present Mic echoed. 

“He definitely knows you’re there. Run, hide, I don’t particularly care, just get out of there!” Wyoming didn’t know where this was coming from, but goddamnit, he didn’t want any of them to get hurt. If Maine was their enemy, they couldn’t fight him half cocked. He was…oh god, he was worried. He was worried about the idiots down there because they were his…friends. His family. 

“ You guys go, I can hold him off for a while, ” North said. “ It’ll take him a long time to break through my shield .”

“You fucking idiot!” South shouted. She took off in a sprint towards the elevator. Wyoming followed behind, swinging his rifle over his shoulder. 

“North, don’t you dare,” he snapped. 

“ C’mon man, once I’m through this, we can just run, don’t be stupid, ” York scolded. Followed by a quiet, “ shit. ”

“ York, focus ,” Carolina muttered gently. 

“ I’m trying.”

“ Seriously you guys, once that door is open, go. I’ll be fine. I don’t want him to catch up before you can reach the Director, ” North urged. 

“ I’ll stay behind with you, ” York said. 

“ No, you need to go with Carolina. You know this, ” North muttered. 

“ We can’t just leave you behind! ”

“ North…will you really be okay? ” Carolina asked. 

“ Trust me, I’ll be okay. Sounds like backup is coming anyways, ” North insisted. 

“ I’ll stay with him. Don’t worry, I’ll keep him safe, ” Midnight reassured. 

Wyoming watched South launch herself down the shaft without hesitation. Wyoming followed suit. He grabbed the cable and slid down. His hands would hurt like hell later, but he couldn’t focus on that. 

“Hold on, you bloody idiot. Don’t you dare get yourself killed before we get there.”

Chapter Text

Tex tore through the halls towards the infirmary. Her footsteps matched the echo of her heartbeat. She was pretty sure her invisibility was rendered useless by the pounding of her feet against the floor. Without stopping, she crashed through the door to the infirmary. The door flew off its hinges and hit the wall with a deafening clang . Her shoulder burned but she ignored it as the scientists in the room startled and turned to face the doorway. 

“Wha-what?” One of them stuttered. 

“Where is he?” Tex snarled, taking a menacing step forward. Her boot slammed into the ground and the tiled floor cracked under it. 

“Who’s there?!” Another scientist yelled, hand wrapping around a scalpel. He waved it around carelessly in his panic. 

“Who do you think?” Tex asked lowly. She took another menacing step forward, tiles cracking under every step. 

“Wait! Waitwaitwait!” The first one screamed as he scrambled backwards. 

Tex let her form ripple into view. She glared at the scientists, jaw clenched tightly as she growled quietly. 

“ Answer me!”

“ Tex, ” CT said. “ He’s in the room to your left, don’t worry about the scientists.”

“ Yeah! Leave them to us! ” Florida said cheerfully. 

Without giving the cowering scientists a second glance, Tex stormed through the door. 

The room was devoid of color. The walls and floor were a depressing white. It was almost completely empty save for a single bed in the center of the room, where a young man sat silently. Messy black hair fell into his face and covered his eyes. The hospital gown hung loosely over his shoulders. 

He slowly lifted his head when the door opened, and he stared at Tex blankly. Lifeless green eyes met furious brown. 

Immediately, Tex softened. The tension in her body began to dissipate as she made her way over to the bed.

“Hey,” she said softly.

“Oh hey…” he muttered tiredly. “You’re the uh…the weird state lady.”

“Yeah, it’s me. Are you okay?”

“I’m just…I’m tired. I’m really tired.”

“I know. And you can rest soon, but we need to leave,” she urged. 

Alpha shifted uncomfortably. “I’m…I can’t. I need to- to stay here.”

“Why?” 

“I,” he paused. “I don’t remember.”

“That’s okay. You don’t need to remember right now, but it’s not safe here.”

Tex reached out and gently grasped his hand. Alpha blinked at her in confusion. Recognition flickered behind his eyes as he seemed to remember something. 

“Allison?” He asked.

Tex pressed her lips together in a thin line. She wanted to say no. She wanted to tell him that she wasn’t Allison, but…

This was Alpha. 

“Yeah, it’s me. I’m here, Leonard.”

He would understand. 

“Allison…” he reached out with his free hand and wrapped it around her shoulders. He buried his face in her neck. Tex pulled his shaking body closer to her. She placed her chin on the top of his head and carded her fingers through his hair. 

“I’m here. I’m not leaving you. Not this time,” she promised. 

“Where?” He asked softly.

“Somewhere safe.”

Alpha—Leonard— nodded. He carefully pulled away, his hand never leaving hers.

“Can you stand?” Tex asked.

Leonard nodded again, and slid off the bed. He swayed dangerously for a second before Tex steadied him. 

“Stay behind me, I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Leonard stepped back as Tex made her way out of the room. She saw the two scientists on the ground in pools of blood, with CT and Florida bustling around like this was normal. Tex waved to Leonard and stepped around the corpses. 

She watched Florida pick up a syringe filled with something. He tilted his head curiously, and then looked sadly at the bodies on the floor.

“Darn, I could’ve figured out what this did if they weren’t dead,” he pouted.

“Jesus, dude,” CT groaned. “That’s so fucked up.”

“Well it’s not my fault I don’t recognize which drug this is!”

“Just hold onto it for now,” CT sighed. 

“Okie dokie!”

Tex glanced over her shoulder to make sure Leonard was still following her. He barely acknowledged the scientists as he stumbled towards her. He didn’t seem to be registering much of anything outside of her. He hadn’t even noticed CT or Florida.

That was worrying. But Tex couldn’t do anything about it right now. She had to get him out first and foremost. Leonard was her priority. 

“Here we go, I got the documents,” CT said, holding up a large stack of papers. She looked around quickly and practically lunged for the nearest bag. She emptied it and shoved the documents inside. She slung the bag over her shoulder and turned around. Her eyes widened when she saw Tex and Leonard. 

“Great! Is Texas done? It sounds like Carolina’s group might be in some trouble,” Florida said, slipping the syringe into his pocket. 

“What’s going on with Carolina’s group?” Tex asked. 

“Oh! There you are! Reggie spotted Maine, and it sounds like North and Midnight are staying behind to fight him.”

Tex cursed under her breath. It wasn’t safe to take on Maine, not right now. She had to keep Leonard safe. But she couldn’t abandon North and the others either. 

“I’ll go deal with Maine, you guys have to promise me to keep Leonard safe,” she finally said. 

“Leonard?” Florida tilted his head in confusion. 

Leonard looked at Florida blankly. The spark in his eyes that Tex had seen before had faded, leaving behind the same lifeless gaze. 

“Alpha,” CT whispered. 

Florida’s confusion morphed into understanding as he looked Leonard over. 

“We’ll get him outside,” he assured. “Call us if you need any help.”

“I will.”

Tex turned to face Leonard and grabbed his hand again. 

“Stick with CT and Florida, I’ll meet up with you as soon as I can.”

“Wait…you’re leaving?” He said nervously. 

“Nah, just gotta help some friends out first. I promise, I’ll be back.”

Leonard squeezed her hand tightly, fear written clearly across his face. 

“Be safe?” His voice trembled subtly. 

“I will. Take care, nerd,” she used her free hand to gently flick his forehead. 

He startled slightly but a small smile slipped onto his face. 

CT stepped out into the hallway and motioned for Leonard and Florida to follow. The two of them followed her out, with Leonard throwing a nervous glance over his shoulder. 

Tex waited until their footsteps faded before slipping out herself. She let herself disappear as she ran quietly towards the stairs. She would’ve used the elevator, but York disabled it. Surprisingly. 

She had almost made it to the stairs when a knife whizzed by her face and embedded itself in the wall. Tex whirled around in shock to see a figure in all black standing behind her. They had a black hood and mask that covered most of their face. They wore a black tank top that exposed pale, freckled shoulders. She could see bruises in the shape of handprints covering their arms. They held a knife in one hand, and the other was clenched in a tight fist by their side. 

“Who are you?” Tex snapped. She pulled the knife out of the wall with a glare. 

(She knew they couldn’t see her face. She didn’t particularly care.)

The figure didn’t say anything, instead, they got into a crouch and flipped the knife around, clearly prepared for a fight. 

“Fine, if that’s what you want,” she snarled. 

Tex rushed forwards and swung her fist at their face. They dodged out of the way and slashed with the knife. Tex barely reacted as the knife sliced across her side. She brought her leg up and slammed it against their chest. There was a loud crack as they stumbled backwards with a wheeze. 

“ Recovery One, what is happening? ” Tex heard from their comm. 

Recovery One didn’t respond. They tightened their grip on the knife, and snarled quietly. 

“If that’s how you’re going to be, bring it,” Tex growled back. She charged forwards again, and aimed a low kick at their leg. They grunted quietly, and she took the opportunity to slam her fist against their head. Recovery One stumbled to the side, but with a flick of their wrist, they threw the knife. 

Tex let out a soft grunt as the knife embedded itself in her arm. Something about that move felt so familiar, she knew she had seen it somewhere before. 

“ Recovery One, answer me! ” The voice shouted. Tex’s eyes widened a fraction when she realized it was Aiden Price on the other end. 

“Give me a minute,” Recovery One panted, voice filtered by the mask.

“ You need to go assist the Meta, they are struggling in the fight against the heroes, ” Price ordered.

“Kinda in the middle of something here,” they snarled. Their tone was clipped and Tex could hear the slight wheeze in their breathing. 

“ That is an order, Recovery One ,” Price said coldly. 

Tex didn’t give them the chance to respond. She rammed her entire body into theirs and slammed them into the wall. Their head hit the wall and they slumped forward briefly. Just as Tex was about to let the go, Recovery One shoved their hand against the knife in her shoulder. She stumbled back and pressed her hand against the injury. Blood dripped down her arm and soaked through her shirt. 

“Fuck,” Recovery One gasped, cradling their head. 

“I can do this all day,” Tex said smugly. She was barely sweating, her breathing still steady and even. Recovery One, on the other hand, was breathing hard. 

They didn’t bother responding, instead they straightened up and sprinted towards the stairs. 

Tex let out an angry “hey!” as they ignored her. She ran after them and kicked out their legs. Recovery One let out a startled shout as their balance tipped and they rolled down the stairs. They crashed into the wall at the platform. Tex stalked down after them. She watched as they struggled to push themselves up. Their hood finally fell back, revealing a mess of matted blond hair. 

Tex froze.

No.

Recovery One lifted their head and Tex stared at a pair of dazed blue eyes. 

No no no no.

Washington managed to get onto his hands and knees.

“Wash?” Her voice sounded small. 

He pushed himself against the wall and slowly dragged himself to his feet. Blood dripped down his face as he turned to face Tex. He pressed his back against the wall and brought his hands up on guard. 

“Shit, Wash! I’m so sorry!” She rushed forward and reached out desperately. 

Wash flinched away, making Tex stop in her tracks.

“ Recovery One, what are you doing? Assist the Meta immediately! ” Price demanded. 

“Can’t…” he gasped. 

“ What do you mean you can’t? I suppose this means you don’t care about subject Maine.”

“No!” Wash shouted, pushing himself off the wall. “I’m—I’m going. I’ll be down there as soon as I can.”

He swayed dangerously as soon as he took a step. Tex carefully grabbed his arm to steady him. 

“Let go,” he said, weakly trying to pull his arm out of Tex’s grip.

“Wash, what is going on?” 

“I gotta…I gotta go help Maine. Can’t…can’t let them hurt him,” Wash muttered. 

“Hey, hey, look at me,” Tex urged. She let the invisibility fade so Wash could see her. 

Wash swallowed as he slowly looked at her.

“You just have to tell me what’s happening. Why did you attack me? Why is Maine attacking the others?”

“Maine’s being controlled. He’s not in control. We have to help him.”

“Who’s controlling him?”

“Sigma.”

Tex clenched her jaw and forced herself to take a deep breath. Sigma had always given her the creeps. But now? Now she was mad. How dare he? She would make him pay for hurting Maine.

“What about you?” She forced herself to ask.

“If I did anything out of line, Maine was going to be the one to suffer. I didn’t want him to get hurt because of me,” Wash admitted. 

“Fuck! Are you serious?”

“Sorry…” Wash closed his eyes as he took a stuttering breath.

“You have nothing to apologize for! None of this was your fault.”

“I gotta go,” he tried to pull away again. “I can’t leave Maine alone. Price will-”

“Who gives a shit what Price will do? Let me help you,” Tex said.

“What?”

“I can help. If we take Sigma out, Maine should be fine, right?” 

Wash blinked owlishly at her. He clearly hadn’t thought about anyone offering to help him. Finally, he nodded. 

“Great. Is Sigma in the basement?”

“Yeah,” Wash said reluctantly. 

“Okay. Can you make it outside on your own or do you need me to call CT?”

“I’m coming with you,” Wash interrupted. 

“No, you’re not. You’re hurt, you need to take it easy,” Tex insisted. She couldn’t stop the guilt that was gnawing at her as she looked Wash over. Blood dripped down his face, and stuck in his hair. His breathing was labored and he was hunched forward ever so slightly. Not to mention the bruises that Tex definitely hadn’t caused.

“I’m not leaving!” Wash snapped defiantly. 

“Goddamn, fine! You stubborn little bastard, let’s go.” She gently pulled his arm over her shoulders and carefully began the descent down the stairs. 

They made their way down as quickly as possible. Tex tried to periodically stop, but Wash urged her to keep going. He limped beside her, one hand wrapped tightly around his middle. 

By the time they made it to the bottom, Wash was leaning heavily against Tex, breathing hard. 

“You okay, kid?” She asked. 

“Yeah,” he wheezed. “Keep going.”

He didn’t sound fine, but Tex was worried about Carolina and the others. 

Tex carefully dragged Wash alongside her towards the room Sigma should be in. She gently placed him against the wall, where he leaned backwards. He coughed quietly as Tex looked at the door. 

“There’s a panel to the right of the door,” Wash said. 

Tex glanced to the right, and lo and behold, there was the panel. It needed a password to open the door. 

“Do you know the password?” She asked. 

Wash shrugged, and winced as his body protested the action. “Just break it. That should work.”

“Alright,” Tex rolled her shoulders. “You ready?”

“Can I have one of my knives back?” 

“Oh shit, I didn’t even realize I still had them.” Tex handed Wash the knife that wasn’t currently sticking out of her arm. 

He grabbed it with a shaking, gloved hand. That made Tex raise an eyebrow. Why would Wash bother wearing a pair of gloves if he was going to wear a tank top? She would have to ask about that later, for now, they had a job to do. 

Wash gave Tex a quick nod. She punched the control panel as hard as she could. The screen shattered and the door hissed as it opened. 

Tex moved silently down the hallway. She passed room after room that made her breath hitch. She recognized all of these rooms. 

Delta. Theta. Gamma. Omega. Eta. Iota. Epsilon. 

She knew them. And they were still trapped. She could help them. She would help them. She wouldn’t leave them behind. Not this time. 

Tex was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of uneven footsteps behind her. 

“We can help them later,” Wash murmured. “Sigma first.”

“Sigma first,” Tex agreed. She curled her hands into fists and took a deep breath. She moved forward again. She almost went invisible again, but the idea of leaving Wash vulnerable made her feel sick. 

When they reached the door, Tex kicked it down. Inside the room, Sigma and Price both stood, staring wide eyed at Tex. 

“Buenos dias cockbites,” she cracked her knuckles threateningly. “Guess who’s back?”

“Subject Texas? This is certainly a surprise,” Price said calmly. 

“I was not expecting to see you again so soon, Beta,” Sigma said.

“Did you miss me?” 

“Perhaps. May I ask what has brought you back?” Sigma asked. 

“Oh, I think you know. Let Maine go or else.” She took a step forward. 

“I see. It appears that subject Washington has betrayed us.”

“It would seem so,” Price agreed. “You may do as you please.”

A terrifying smile spread over Sigma’s face. “I truly hope you weren’t particularly attached to subject North Dakota. The Meta will have no trouble eliminating him and that irritating hero.”

Tex didn’t even have time to react before Wash rushed into the room. One hand wrapped around Sigma’s throat. Sigma choked and pawed at Wash’s arm. Wash grabbed Sigma’s hand and slammed it onto the table. He quickly stabbed the knife through Sigma’s hand into the table. 

Sigma screamed. It was the most emotion Tex had ever seen from him. 

Price took a small step back and slowly raised his hands. 

“Washington, perhaps we could talk about this?” 

“Oh, it’s not Wash you should worry about now,” Tex snarled. Price tried to scramble away but Tex was faster. She cut off his escape. She swept his leg and once he hit the ground, Tex drew her hand back and brought it down on his face hard enough to knock him out. She wanted to hit him harder. But she knew that if she killed him, he wouldn’t pay for his crimes. 

Tex turned to see what Wash was doing. She couldn’t stop the confused gasp when she saw Sigma, bloody and terrified, pinned down as Wash relentlessly slammed his fist against Sigma’s face. 

There was a dark, unhinged look on Wash’s face. She almost didn’t recognize him. 

“Wash!” She called. 

He paused briefly and she took the opportunity to carefully pull him off of Sigma. 

“What the fuck are you doing?” He snarled. 

“Stopping you before you do something you regret,” she said. “Don’t kill him.”

“He’s going to kill North! He’s going to make Maine kill North!”

“Wash, actually take a look at him. He’s unconscious, he’s not in control anymore.”

Wash glared at Sigma. The manipulative piece of shit was actually unconscious. Tex didn’t think he’d be able to fake it, especially after the beating Wash gave him. 

“How can you be so sure?” He growled. 

Tex placed a hand on her comm for the first time in a while. 

“Everyone alive out there?” She asked. 

“ Barely, ” Wyoming panted. “ I think I’m going to be sick. ”

“ Whatever the hell you did worked. Maine backed down, ” South said breathlessly. 

“ Midnight and North are pretty banged up, but they’ll be okay, ” Yamada said. 

“ They’re not bleeding out at the very least, ” Wyoming mumbled. “ Not this time.”

“This time?” Tex asked. 

“ Five rewinds. Five. I’m fairly certain the second I stand up, I’m passing out. ”

“Shit. Take it easy. Do you want me to meet you there?”

“ That’d be good, ” Yamada responded. “ Maybe you can talk to Maine. And we can figure out where Wash is. ”

“Yeah, don’t worry about that. He’s with me,” Tex glanced at Wash, who seemed to finally be calming down. 

“ WHAT?” Yamada screeched. 

She watched as he stumbled out of the room and disappeared down the hallway. 

“A bit fucked up, but still in one piece.”

Wash made his way back in not too much later with rope in hands. He stood in front of Sigma and tied him up tightly. He pulled the knife out of Sigma’s hand and used it to cut the rope. He tossed the remains to Tex and pointed to Price who was still on the ground. 

“I don’t think I'll be able to get back up if I kneel down,” he admitted. 

Tex nodded and tightly tied Price up. 

“ In that case, get Wash outside, we’ll meet you out there. York, Carolina, and Eraserhead are still inside but they probably have it handled. ”

“Alright, meet you there.”

Wash’s eyes were locked on hers as she stood up. 

“One more thing before we head out,” she said. She headed to the console in the middle of the room. Tex punched it as hard as she could. She vaguely heard the sound of a lock disengaging and she knew it had worked. 

“Alright, c'mon kid,” Tex took his arm again and slowly began making her way into the hallway. 

“We’re not leaving them,” Wash said, tugging his arm out of Tex’s grip. 

“Hey, hey, take it easy. I wasn’t going to. I just didn’t think you’d want to stay in the room with Price and Sigma.”

“Oh…okay.” Wash relented. 

Tex carefully leaned Wash against the wall again, and headed to the farthest door. 

(She had a feeling Wash was going to help her get these guys out even if she told him to rest.)

She opened the door and saw Omega lounging casually on his bed. His hands rested behind his head. He opened one eye curiously as Tex made herself known. He smirked at her and gave her a little wave. Pitch black eyes glittered mischievously. 

“Hello, Tex,” he purred. “How have you been?”

“Get up, we’re leaving,” she snapped. 

That got Omega to sit up. He tilted his head to the side, dark hair falling into his face. 

“What?”

“Get your ass in gear. Once we get the others, we’re getting out.”

Omega snorted loudly. “Right, I’m sure. If this is another trick, it’s not particularly clever.”

Tex growled. She closed the distance between the two of them and grabbed the collar of his shirt. She lifted him off the bed and glared. 

“Is this still a trick?” She snarled. 

Omega, the little shit, had the audacity to laugh. 

“Well, I see freedom hasn’t changed you whatsoever,” he cackled. 

“Ugh, I forgot how annoying you are,” Tex rolled her eyes and tossed him to the ground. 

Omega rolled gracefully and popped up easily. He didn’t even flinch. 

“What are you waiting for? You said we’re leaving, didn’t you? I can’t exactly enact my plans for world domination if I’m stuck in the basement for the rest of my life.”

No matter how well he hid it beneath his obnoxious exterior, Tex had spent enough time around Omega to see the desperation in his eyes. 

“I gotta talk to everyone else first, if you want to make a break for it, I don’t think I can stop you,” Tex shrugged. She wouldn’t stop him. Even if he was a raging asshole, he deserved to make his own choice. 

Omega hummed quietly. “Don’t take too long or I might take you up on that.”

He shoved past Tex with a condescending sneer. 

That was the Omega she knew. 

She made her way to the room across the hall where a boy with white hair sat perfectly still. Gray eyes tracked Tex as she stepped into the room. 

“Knock knock,” she said. 

“Who’s there?” Gamma asked, completely monotone. 

“Free.”

“Free who?”

“I’m freeing your ass. Get going,” Tex pointed her thumb behind her to the open door. Gamma watched her carefully, emotions locked away somewhere deep inside. He didn’t move. He continued to stare at her silently. 

“For the love of— Gamma, come on!” 

He hopped off the bed and stiffly approached the door. 

“I don’t believe you,” he finally said. 

Tex groaned loudly. 

“Why would I lie to you? I’m not an idiot. If you want out, you can go. Omega’s already fucked off.”

“Not yet!” Omega shouted. “Do you know how many explosives are hidden around here? I’m going to blow this place sky high!”

“NO!” Tex screamed. She leaned out the door to see Omega cackling maniacally. 

Gamma poked his head out as well, and seeing Omega was apparently enough to convince him that Tex was telling the truth. 

“Never mind,” he said. 

Tex could see two figures standing as far from Omega as they could. One with a mess of short bright blue hair, and the other with bright yellow. 

Eta and Iota watched Omega cautiously. Eta a few steps behind his twin. 

Gamma exited the room with a grateful nod. 

“I will keep O’Malley from causing too much damage,” he assured. 

“Thanks, Gamma,” Tex sighed. 

She waved to the twins before heading into Delta’s room. He would be one of the easiest to convince, and if she had his help, she’d probably have a much easier time talking to Theta. However, the green haired boy was nowhere to be found. 

Anxiety curled in her gut as she looked around. What if something had happened to him? What if they were too late? Oh god. 

No no no no no. 

She couldn’t fail. Not now. Not when she was this close. 

“Texas?” A quiet voice called from behind. Tex whirled around to see Delta, safe and sound, staring at her. She could see Theta hiding behind him, big purple eyes blinked curiously at her. 

“Oh thank fuck,” she breathed. “Where the hell did you wander off to?”

“Washington suggested I speak to Theta, as I am the one he is most comfortable with, and Omega, shockingly, assisted by getting Eta and Iota out,” Delta said calmly. Theta tightened his grip on the back of Delta’s shirt as he ducked away from Tex’s gaze. 

“Seriously? That fucker actually helped? I refuse to believe it,” Tex scoffed. 

“FUCK YOU! I AM HELPFUL!” Omega screeched. There was a loud thud, followed by Omega's enraged roar. 

“Stop yelling, I already have a headache,” Wash snapped. 

“Oh shut up!”

“Both of you shut up!” Tex shouted. She gently pushed Delta out of the room and stepped out to face Wash and Omega. Arms crossed, she glared harshly at the two of them. 

Omega had a condescending smile spread across his face while Wash had a downright murderous snarl on his. Epsilon stood uncomfortably behind Wash, wide eyes flickering between the two of them. 

“Knock it off! If you’re done, we can leave. I want to get out of here,” she snapped. 

“Fine by me,” Wash said. 

“Omega, can I count on you to take the lead?” 

Omega let out a quiet laugh. “Leave it to me.”

“The rest of you, stick close. Pick a buddy or some shit like that. Just don’t get lost,” Tex ordered. She reached a hand to Wash, who took it shakily. He was starting to look worse by the minute, and Tex was worried how much damage she actually did. As soon as she had a solid grip on his body, Wash practically collapsed against her side. 

“You okay?” She whispered. 

“I’ll be fine,” he waved her off. “Let’s just focus on getting out of here first.”

Tex tightened her grip ever so slightly, apologizing when she felt Wash wince. 

The group made their way up the stairs quietly. No one dared to speak. Until Epsilon decided he was bored. 

“So, I gotta ask, what the fuck are you wearing?” He said looking at Wash. 

“Something very uncomfortable,” Wash replied shortly. 

“That just looks impractical. Like, everyone else is this fucking place gets armor, and they stick you in a tank top? Why?”

“Same reason I have the gloves. My quirk is either a problem or a useful tool, so long as Price or the Director could choose which it was.”

Tex couldn’t stop the growl that formed in her throat. How fucking dare they. She tightened her grip without realizing it. 

She was pulled out of her thoughts by  Wash’s pained gasp. Almost immediately, she let go. 

“Shit! Sorry!” 

“It’s fine,” Wash said through clenched teeth. 

“We’re almost out, think you can make it?” Tex asked. She would carry him if she had to, no hesitation. 

“Mmhmm,” he grunted. But Tex could feel his grip getting weaker, and she was honestly worried that he would pass out. 

“You gotta stay awake. Just a little longer,” she urged, panic bled into her voice. 

“‘M okay,” he mumbled, words slurring together. His body went almost completely limp against her, and Tex felt her heart stop. 

“Wash? Hey, you gotta stay awake, kid,” Tex insisted. Wash lifted his head weakly. The clarity that Tex had seen in his eyes before had all but disappeared as the adrenaline wore off. 

Tex glanced around in a panic. Her eyes widened slightly as she caught Eta’s eyes. He shrunk slightly under her gaze. 

This might be a terrible idea, but it could work. It could keep Wash awake long enough to get outside and get some help. He just needed to stay awake a little while longer. 

“Eta, come here for a second,” she called. 

Eta nervously shuffled forwards with Iota at his back. 

“Is something wrong?” He asked shyly. 

“Can you use your quirk on Wash? Just enough to keep him awake for a little bit longer?”

Eta nodded and gently placed his hand on Wash’s arm. He pulled away quickly. He stared at his hand in shock as Wash jerked up with a startled gasp. 

There was a panicked look in his eyes as he looked around wildly. His body shook and he tightened his grip on Tex’s arm. 

“Wha-?” He coughed harshly. 

“Sorry!” Eta squeaked. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean—that was—I don’t know what happened!”

Iota came up beside his brother and gently grabbed his hand. “It’s okay Eta, take a deep breath.”

“The hell?” Wash gasped quietly.

“It—it was supposed to be just a little bit of an adrenaline boost, I swear!”

“That was a little more than ‘a bit’!”

“Sorry!” Eta curled in on himself, panic etched into his form. 

“I’m definitely awake now!” Wash screeched. 

Tex couldn’t stop herself from snorting quietly. He was awake, and he was focused, that’s all she could ask for. 

“You okay to keep going?” She asked softly after a minute. 

“Yeah, yeah I’m good.”

Thankfully, the rest of the slow walk was uneventful, aside from the sound of Omega laughing loudly in the distance, which told Tex all she needed to know. 

She was surprised that the others hadn’t made it out yet, but she had other priorities first. Making her way over to the tree line, she caught sight of CT and Florida watching her. 

Tex gently leaned Wash against the tree, making sure he wouldn’t fall over. 

CT rushed over to Wash’s side, eyes shining with fear. 

“Oh god, Wash what happened?” She asked. 

“Tex pushed me down a flight of stairs,” he grunted. Tex could hear the small shake in his voice. 

“ What? Why?” CT yelled. 

“I didn’t know it was him at first,” Tex fired back. 

CT pulled her sleeve over her hand and started to gently wipe the blood off of Wash’s face. 

“ Connie! ” He whined. 

Florida tapped on Tex’s uninjured shoulder.

“You want to tell us who the little guys you seem to have picked up are?” 

“Oh, those are the rest of the…the fragments,” she answered quietly. She quietly waved them over so they could hide out with the rest of them. 

“Ah, I see. Well, we can hunker down and wait for everyone else, maybe get to know your friends.”

“Can you keep an eye on things for a little bit?” She asked, eyes flickering over to Leonard who was huddled against a tree staring blankly ahead. 

“Mmhmm, leave it to me!” Florida said cheerfully. “Go look after him.”

Tex smiled gratefully and quietly walked over to Leonard’s side. 

“I told you I’d be back,” she said softly. 

Leonard jumped, but as soon as he saw her, his entire body relaxed. 

Tex sat down next to him and pulled him to her side. He melted against her with a quiet sigh. 

“You’re hurt,” he mumbled, reaching towards her arm. She had forgotten about that. 

“I’m okay, just a little scratch” Tex soothed. She would have to ask how Wash had managed to hit her, because she was pretty impressed. 

“You sure?” 

“I’m sure.”

Leonard hummed quietly as he placed his head against her arm. 

“Just rest for now, you’ll be safe,” Tex promised. She watched as Leonard’s eyes slid closed and she pulled him ever so slightly closer. Now, they just had to wait for the others. Tex could only hope that they would be safe. 

Chapter Text

North kept his back to York as the brunet did his best to break through the last part of the security system. He kept his focus on the hallway, sniper rifle in hand as he waited tensely for anything to happen. There was a part of him that had a very very bad feeling. He couldn’t explain it, but anxiety curled in his gut the longer they stayed here. 

Even with his endless patience, North was starting to lose it. It took all of his self control to not start pacing right here. He tightened his grip on his rifle, the other one hung heavily on his back. 

“Okay, okay, I got this,” York muttered. “I just need to—ah shit!”

“York?” Aizawa asked, concern clear in his voice. 

“Don’t—it’s fine. Everything is under control. Nothing to worry about.”

“Keep it up,” Carolina whispered encouragingly. 

“Yep, that’s what I’m doing.” 

“You can do it,” North reassured. 

He wanted to turn around to check on his progress, but something stopped him from doing that. 

“Oh fuck!” York exclaimed suddenly, causing North to jump and whirl around. 

“Shit. No, come on!” York slammed his hand on the console. 

“What happened?” Kayama asked. 

“I set off one of the silent alarms. I didn’t realize it until too late. Dammit !” 

North inhaled sharply, panic crept up his spine as he stared at York in horror. 

“Shit! We have to go,” Aizawa said, reaching out to help York up off the floor. 

“I can still get the door open, I just need a little more time,” York pleaded. “Please, I can do this. I can do this .”

“I’m not leaving without confronting the Director,” Carolina said. “York can do it.”

“It’s not safe, I don’t want anything happening to you,” Aizawa said softly. 

“Just give me like, 5 minutes. I can get through,” York promised. 

“I don’t think—,” Aizawa was cut off by Kayama. 

“Eraser, give him a chance. He can do it.” 

York nodded gratefully. He quickly got back to work. 

“ Whoever is heading towards the Director, watch your backs, Maine is headed your way, and by the way he’s moving, he seems hostile, ” Wyoming’s voice crackled across the comms. 

“What?” Kayama asked, her eyes widening in shock. 

North whipped around to face the end of the hallway again. The world sharpened around him as he carefully took aim. 

“ He definitely knows you’re there. Run, hide, I don’t particularly care, just get out of there! ” Wyoming practically shouted. If North didn’t know any better, he would almost think Wyoming cared. 

North could see York’s composure cracking as his fingers flew across the keyboard desperately. He fumbled a few times and swore softly under his breath. 

Carolina’s jaw was clenched tightly, her body tense and wound up, ready to spring into action. Fists curled tightly at her sides. She kept glancing between York and the end of the hallway. 

Aizawa’s hand was wrapped tightly around his scarf. He took a small step forward. 

North made his decision. He was going to do what he did best. 

“You guys go, I can hold him off for a while,” he said. “It’ll take him a long time to break through my shield.”

“ You fucking idiot! ” South’s voice echoed loudly. 

“ North, don’t you dare, ” Wyoming snapped. 

“C’mon man, once I’m through this, we can just run, don’t be stupid, ” York scolded softly, followed by a quiet, “shit.”

North knew York and Carolina would be against it, but they couldn’t afford to risk being caught. York needed to break through the last lock to the Director’s office, and Carolina needed to confront him. But him? He didn’t need to be there. He could help here. This is what North did. 

“York, focus,” Carolina muttered gently, panic creeping into her voice. 

“I’m trying,” York stressed. 

“Seriously you guys, once that door is open, go. I’ll be fine. I don’t want him to catch up before you can reach the Director, ” North urged. It was his job to protect people. He would make damn sure that nothing happened to them. 

“I’ll stay behind with you,” York’s voice shook as he tried to plead with North. He turned away from the console to reach out for North’s hand. 

“No, you need to go with Carolina. You know this,” North muttered. He grabbed York’s hand reassuringly. 

“ We can’t just leave you behind!” 

“North…will you really be okay?” Carolina asked, her hand taking his free one. He felt the subtle tremor in both of their hands and he gave them both a gentle squeeze. 

“Trust me, I’ll be okay. Sounds like backup is coming anyways,” North said softly. South, Wyoming, and Yamada were on their way. 

“I’ll stay with him. Don’t worry, I’ll keep him safe,” Midnight reassured, placing a hand on North’s shoulder. 

“Okay,” York breathed. He reluctantly slipped his hand out of North’s before grabbing his face and pulling him into a kiss. North melted into York’s hold. 

When York pulled away, he said, “stay safe, babe.”

Almost immediately, Carolina took York’s place. She stood on her toes and pressed her own kiss to his lips. North brought his hand up to rest between her shoulder blades. 

“Be careful,” she said.

“I will. I promise both of you, I’ll be okay,” he said. 

(North knew that was a lie. He didn’t stand a chance against Maine if he got too close, but he didn’t want to worry his partners. He trusted them to get the job done. This was the only thing he could do to help them.)

He gave them both a small smile, hoping that it could cover the unease he felt. 

A gentle hand was placed on his arm, and North looked to the side to see Aizawa looking up at him.

“Hey, take a deep breath,” he said softly. North closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before slowly exhaling. “You can do this. Midnight will be right beside you, you’re not fighting this alone.”

North nodded. Aizawa was right. He wasn’t alone. He didn’t have to try to face this alone. 

Aizawa tightened his grip on North’s arm slightly and pulled him into a tight hug. North’s thoughts came screeching to a halt. Aizawa made him safe despite the fact that North was about to go toe to toe with one of the strongest bastards he knew. 

“Kick some ass, kid,” Aizawa muttered.

“ That I can do,” North responded confidently. Aizawa let go and gave his arm a reassuring pat.

The door behind them opened with a swish. York looked down the empty hallway angrily. He definitely didn’t want to go down there without North. Before he had the chance to give his partner an encouraging nudge, Carolina did it for him.

“C’mon, one more lock,” she said.

“One more lock,” he parroted.

“Let’s go,” Aizawa encouraged. “If you need help, yell.”

North and Kayama both nodded. They could do this. 

Aizawa, Carolina, and York slipped through the door which closed behind them. North turned his attention away from the door and back to the original hallway. At this point, he could hear the sound of slow, rhythmic footsteps approaching. North swung the second sniper rifle off his back and took aim. 

When Maine stepped into view, North didn’t even hesitate to shoot, much to Kayama’s shock and horror. Maine made a lame attempt to dodge, barely getting out of the way of North’s first shot. That was enough to tell North everything he needed to know. The world around him blurred as Maine’s figure sharpened. North wasn’t going to miss again. 

See, here’s the thing, North knew Maine. And Maine didn’t move like that. Maine didn’t dodge. He was a tank, able to sustain injury after injury and stand back up. His quirk allowed him to survive almost everything. So, why the hell was Maine being evasive now ? 

Because who—or what—ever that was, it wasn’t Maine. 

The massive hulking figure took a slow, menacing step forward. Gray armor rested over his body, helmet covering his face. Painted on the side of his arm was the word Meta . In his hands was what looked like a grenade launcher combined with a massive knife. 

A low, guttural growl came from Maine as he readied the weapon. North did the same, and he caught sight of Kayama pulling out a whip that she cracked against the ground. 

“Come on,” she purred. “Don’t keep us waiting.”

North moved first. Without waiting for Maine to set anything up, he fired another shot at his chest, and despite Maine’s valiant attempt to dodge, the bullet found its mark. 

Maine snarled at him as he pulled the trigger on his own weapon. North barely had enough time to shield himself before the grenade hit. The force of the explosion almost knocked North off his feet. He stumbled into the side of his shield in order to stabilize himself. Smoke clouded his vision, making it impossible for him to find Kayama. 

At least he didn’t need visuals on his target to aim. North reloaded both rifles as fast he could before bringing his arms up and whirling around to find Maine. 

He heard the crack of a whip and Kayama’s frustrated shout as another deafening explosion echoed throughout the room. 

“North! I need to get his helmet off!” She called. “My quirk won’t do anything until it’s gone.”

“Got it!” North shouted back. Dropping the shield for a split second, he fired two more shots at Maine before deploying it again. He reloaded again, and this time when he dropped the shield, he ran through the smoke cloud and fired again. He watched both bullets found purchase in the unarmored part of Maine’s back. 

He launched himself forward with a roll just as another explosion went off. Heat seared North’s side as he was just a second too slow in getting his shield up again. 

Maine snarled at him as he fired another shot at his shield, this one hitting point blank. North couldn’t hold back the small grunt that escaped him. His shield wasn’t indestructible, too many hits like that and North wouldn’t be able to keep it up. 

Before Maine could fire again, Kayama’s whip wrapped around one of his arms. She yanked it towards her, forcing him to partially release his grip on the knifle(?). North took the chance to fire at Maine’s hand. He fully dropped the gun and North rushed to grab it off the floor, swinging one of the rifles over his shoulder in the process. 

He saw Kayama sweep Maine’s leg and the behemoth crashed to the ground, hard. She grabbed his helmet and ripped it off. 

North couldn’t help but stare at the face of his friend. It was still Maine but the expression was just wrong. He had been expecting anger or rage to be present. He’d been prepared to see hatred burning in his eyes. Not…this. 

Maine’s expression was almost completely blank. The most unsettling part though, was his eyes. Instead of the soft brown North was used to seeing, they were a startling orange. 

“That’s not…” he muttered in confusion. 

He could see the confusion in Kayama’s expression too. 

The feeling that this isn’t Maine came back with a vengeance. 

Meta stood out to North again. 

That split second distraction was enough to give Meta time to grab Kayama and throw her across the floor away from him. 

She shouted in pain as she rolled over a few times. 

North glanced over his shoulder at her worriedly. 

“Midnight!” He yelled. 

She shook her head and got onto her knees. As Kayama looked up, North watched her expression morph from annoyed to terrified. 

“NORTH!” She screamed, pushing herself to her feet quickly.

 Alarms went off in his head as he realized Meta was getting too close. He turned away from Kayama just in time to see Meta getting close enough to make a grab for him. 

North took a few frantic steps back and desperately tried to lift the massive weapon in his hand. He tossed his other rifle to the ground to hold Meta’s weapon properly. He pulled the trigger as soon as he had a shot lined up, not paying attention to the distance between them. The grenade hit Meta’s armor and the ensuing explosion sent him flying backwards. Unfortunately, it did the same to North. His body crashed against the wall and the knifle clattered to the floor next to him. 

“Hold your breath!” Midnight ordered. It took North’s dazed mind a few seconds longer than it should’ve to process her request. Briefly, he wondered if he should cover his mouth and nose with his shirt, but he threw that thought out when he realized he could use his shield instead. 

As soon as he was safely inside the shield, Kayama ripped the sleeve of her body suit and a purple mist spread around the room. 

Meta staggered to his feet, one hand covering his mouth. He charged into the mist recklessly. He dove for his discarded helmet while Kayama tried to kick it away. 

“You’ll have to breathe at some point,” Kayama cooed, whip wrapping around Meta’s wrist again. 

Meta got his free hand inside the helmet and he scooped it up. 

North dragged himself off the ground just in time to watch Meta shove his helmet on and pull Kayama towards him. Meta wrapped his hand around Kayama’s throat. She let out a strangled gasp as he lifted her off the ground. 

“Let her go!” North shouted. 

Meta turned his head towards him slightly and tilted his head. 

“Run…” Kayama gasped, her hands grabbed desperately at Meta’s arm. 

No way. There was no way North would leave her behind to save himself. The mist was starting to dissipate as the ventilation system kicked in. 

North pulled his shirt up over his nose and mouth and let the shield fall away. He grabbed the knifle from where he had dropped it on the ground. 

Rage bubbled up from deep inside. North grit his teeth and hefted the knifle up. 

“HEY!” He shouted, channeling as much of his sister as he could.

That got Meta’s attention. The behemoth turned to North and let out a low growl. He tossed Kayama to the side effortlessly. She coughed harshly from her spot on the ground. 

“ Bring it on, fucker ,” North snarled. He pulled the trigger again, sending Meta stumbling backwards. He fired again. And again. And again. Until Meta’s back hit the wall. 

As soon as Meta slumped forward, North tossed the knifle to the ground and rushed to Kayama’s side. 

“Are you okay?” He asked worriedly. 

“I—,” she coughed. “I’m okay. Are you? I thought I saw you hit your head.”

“No, I’m fine,” North said. He carefully pulled Kayama to her feet. She dusted herself off, and then reached out to do the same to North. 

“We should let the others know that we’re okay,” Kayama said, turning towards the hallway Aizawa and the others had gone. 

North made a small noise of agreement. The world around him started to sway dangerously. There was a pounding in his head that seemed to get louder as the seconds passed. 

He made a move to follow Kayama but he was stopped by the crack of a sniper rifle and an immediate burning pain in his leg that forced him onto his hands and knees with a shout.

Kayama turned around with a gasp. North glanced over his shoulder to see Meta standing over him, sniper rifle slung across his back, knifle held tightly in his hands. Just as he was about to bring the blade down on North, there was another gunshot from behind. Meta’s hands jerked to the side as his aim was thrown off. 

“GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM!” South’s vicious scream echoed throughout the hallway, and North felt himself relax almost on instinct. 

“You—you alright?” Wyoming called breathlessly. Oh he did not sound good. North pushed himself backwards so he was sitting and scooted away from Maine and South. He placed his hands on his injured leg to at least try to do something about the bleeding with a pained groan. At least the good news was he was pretty sure he wouldn’t bleed out. 

He glanced over at his sister to see her and Meta fighting up close and personal. She was currently kicking his ass so hard Meta was on the defensive. 

North could see Wyoming standing in the doorframe, rifle aimed at Meta. He looked about as bad as he sounded. Blood was splattered across the front of his once white coat and over his face. He was leaning heavily against the wall, and now that North was paying more attention, he could see the way his hands shook. 

“What happened to you?” He yelled.

“Saved your life one too many times!” Wyoming shouted back. North squinted slightly when he noticed more blood dripping from Wyoming’s nose.

“Shit, that bad?” North grunted as an ear piercing screaming echoed throughout the room. Yamada had joined the fight.

“Eyes on the fight, North,” Wyoming snapped, firing at Meta again. “I don’t think I can bail you out again.”

North snapped his attention back to where South, Yamada, and Kayama were facing off against Meta. 

His vision blurred when he tried to focus on Meta’s form, and the pounding headache came back with a vengeance. 

North took a shuddering breath and closed his eyes. His head thumped against the wall with a hiss, hands pressing harder on the still bleeding wound on his leg. 

His eyes opened slightly when the sound of fighting got louder. Meta had one hand stretched out towards South, who stood frozen with a snarl on her face. 

“South?” North called. He realized a little too late that drawing attention to himself now, when he didn’t think he’d be able to stand up even if he tried, was probably a bad idea. 

Meta let out a low, clicky growl, and with a flick of his wrist, South was forced to turn on Yamada and Kayama. 

South’s movements were jerky and unnatural as she swung wildly at the heroes. North could see their hesitation. It was the same moment of panic he had seen on Kayama’s face when he took the first shot at Meta.

Wyoming, on the other hand, had no such reservations. North heard the crack and watched with horror as the bullet pierced her leg. She let out a startled shout but her body kept moving. North saw red. He was going to break Wyoming’s goddamn legs when they got out of this. 

(Ironically, North realized through the burning rage, South had been shot in the same spot as him. Twins through and through he thought bitterly.)

“Well…bollocks,” Wyoming said, lowering his rifle. “That didn’t do anything.”

“Yeah, no shit!” North snapped.

“You have any better ideas?”

“I—,” North watched helplessly as South was forced to attack the heroes. Meta slipped out of the corner he had been in, and stalked towards the two snipers.

They were completely screwed, North realized. Meta could regenerate, and he could regenerate fast. And South wouldn’t go down until the fight was over, no matter how many injuries she had.

“Go down fighting?” he finally said.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Wyoming huffed. He didn’t argue though.

North took his hands off his leg, and shakily grabbed his remaining rifle off his back. He pressed himself against the wall to keep his balance when he fired. Meta shifted his grip on the knifle and lunged for North.

Time seemed to slow around him as he focused, the semi-transparent hexagons began to form around North, completely encapsulating him just as Meta brought the heavy blade down. 

The shield shuddered dangerously, and North bit back a groan. Cracks spread across the shield as Meta assaulted it. Wyoming fired repeatedly, but it did nothing. South kept forcing the heroes back. 

North knew he was out of options. If Meta broke through the shield, he would be too out of it to defend himself. He lifted his rifle, ignoring the way his arms ached and his head pounded. He let the shield fall away and he pulled the trigger. He watched the bullet embed itself in Meta’s stomach just as the blade found its mark in North’s side.

North’s vision went white as the sounds of fighting were drowned out by the harsh ringing in his ears. Distantly, he thought he heard the sound of screaming, but he wasn’t sure who it was. He hoped it wasn’t South, he hated seeing his little sister get hurt.

He could vaguely make out frantic, panicked voices yelling over the cacophony in his ears. 

“-orth! North!” a muffled voice shouted. Hands pressed down on his side and the world snapped back into focus. It took North a minute to realize that the screaming he had heard was his own. 

He desperately tried to pull away from whoever was holding him down, but someone held him still. 

“Hey, hey, North, it’s okay. You gotta relax,” someone said from somewhere above him. Fingers carded through his hair softly. 

Gritting his teeth, North forced his eyes open slowly. He found himself staring at the ceiling, which made no sense since he was pretty sure he had been leaning against the wall before this. 

His head rested on something warm and comfortable. He caught a glimpse of messy blonde hair above him. North weakly leaned his head back to see South looking past him anxiously.

“South?” He asked quietly, his voice scratchy and raw. It hurt to talk. Actually, now that he thought about it, it hurt to breathe. 

“North? Oh thank god!” South gasped as she looked down at him, blue eyes wild with panic. He thought he saw tears forming in her eyes, but that didn’t make sense. Why was she crying? North hadn’t seen her cry since they were 12 when she had dropped down the leaderboard for the first time. 

He tried to lift his arm up to reach out to her, but he paused when his hand bumped against something soft with a dull smack . 

North looked away from his sister in confusion to see Yamada with his hands on North's shoulders. Kayama was to his left, both of her hands pressing down on his side. Blood stained her hands and the white of her body suit. 

“What…?” He mumbled. 

“Do you not remember getting stabbed by the giant fuck of knife?” South snapped, using her rage to hide the fear. 

“Oh…” 

Yamada carefully took his hands off of North’s shoulders as he sat back. 

“How are you feeling, bud?” He asked. 

North winced as Kayama moved her hand slightly. “Not great.”

His leg hurt, his side felt like it was on fire, and his head was killing him. 

South brushed some hair out of his face, a small comfort that had North relaxing a little more. 

“The idiot’s gotta be in a lot of pain if he’s admitting that,” she said. 

Yamada made a worried hum as he looked North over before looking at something off to the side that he didn’t really have the energy to focus on. 

“Midnight, do you need any help?” Yamada asked. 

“No, I got it. Go check on Wyoming, he looks like he’s going to pass out next,” she replied. 

That was enough to catch North’s attention. He tried to push himself up onto his elbows only to falter when the world around him tilted dangerously, and the all too familiar nausea that came from overusing the shield reared its head, combining with the excruciating pain he felt any time he moved. 

North squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to take deep breaths. A gentle hand pushed him back into his sister’s lap. He let out a small whine as the pain started to become overwhelming. He heard people talking but the words were muted. He felt the pressure leave his side. He cracked his eyes open to see Kayama kneel next to him. There was a small rip on her suit that hadn’t been there before. North couldn’t figure out what she was doing until he smelled a familiar sweet scent that had accompanied the purple mist from the fight. 

“Just rest,” Kayama said. “Leave everything else to us.”

“Don’t worry, Aleks, everyone else is fine,” South promised. 

North trusted them, they wouldn’t go back on their word. He let his eyes slip close, and the world went dark as he drifted off into unconsciousness. 

Chapter Text

“How’s it looking?” Carolina asked quietly from her spot beside York. He typed quickly, focused entirely on the task in front of him. 

“Same as it was the last time you asked,” York said through gritted teeth. An explosion echoed throughout the hall from where North and Kayama were fighting. York’s hands stilled for a moment, body tense as they waited for any sign that the two defending them needed help. 

Carolina placed a hand on York’s back, a reminder that she was still here. His back was completely rigid under her hand, and she could feel the way his body shook slightly, even as he got back to work. 

Carolina bit her lip. It took all of her willpower not to turn back and rush to North’s aid. She was torn. She wanted to go protect her absent partner but she needed to confront her father. Swallowing hard, Carolina dropped her head against York’s back. 

“Carolina?” He asked quietly. 

She balled her hand into a fist, grabbing a fistful of his shirt. 

York twisted his body so he could see her. 

“Lina?” He asked again. 

“Stay focused, York,” she scolded softly, no heat behind her words. 

York chuckled softly, and Carolina couldn’t help but relax at the familiar rumble. “Right away, boss.”

Carolina took a long, deep breath before she pushed off of York’s back. She needed to let him work. The sooner he was done, the sooner she would be able to get answers from her father. 

(She couldn’t stop the feeling of dread that curled in her stomach as the sounds of fighting raged on from the other room.)

She curled her hands into tight fists as she stood up. Her eyes locked onto Aizawa’s who stood silently outside the door, expression unreadable, hidden behind his goggles. 

He didn’t say a word, instead he reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. Carolina stepped towards him and pressed herself against his side. 

Aizawa was a calm, steady presence. One that she could rely on while everything was falling apart. She trusted him. He wouldn’t let anything happen while he was here. 

Finally, York let out a quiet, “aha!” 

He leaned back from the console and tiredly rubbed his eyes. 

“Door’s unlocked, you can open it when you’re ready,” he said standing up. He raised his arms above his head and leaned back until his back gave a quiet pop . 

“Are you going to wait out here?” Carolina asked, pulling away from Aizawa. York took a few steps towards her until the two of them were only a few inches apart. 

“Do you want me too?” There was a dark look in his eye as his gaze slid over to the door. 

Carolina nodded. “In case North needs you.”

“And if you need me?” He asked. 

“Then you’ll be right there to help me,” she reassured.

“Okay,” York conceded. “I’ll be right here unless one of you needs me.”

Carolina reached up and gently grabbed the back of his neck. She pulled him into a kiss and she felt York go practically boneless in her grip. 

“Thank you, York,” Carolina said softly as she pulled away. 

His hand rested on her cheek as a small smile formed on his face. “Do what you have to do, I’ll be waiting.”

Carolina turned back to Aizawa, who was looking away in an attempt to give the two of them some semblance of privacy. 

He had insisted on coming in with her, saying that he wanted to make sure the Director was actually held accountable for his crimes. 

“Ready?” She asked. 

Aizawa simply nodded. Carolina hesitantly opened the door. 

Inside was a dark, practically empty room, with several monitors lining the wall. A video was playing on the largest one in the center. It showed a blonde woman wearing all black talking to a camera. 

“ Leonard shut that off, I’m going to be late, ” she said, holding a hand up to block the lens. 

Carolina recognized her immediately. Even after all these years, her mother’s voice brought her comfort. 

Sitting in a chair just in front of the screens was the Director, her father. His glasses rested on the desk in front of him. His head rest in his hands, his back still to them even as Carolina and Aizawa stepped into the room. The door shut behind them. 

There was a quiet sigh as her father sat up straight. 

“So,” he drawled. “This is it then?” 

“Come quietly, don’t make this difficult,” Aizawa ordered coldly. His shoulders were tense and his tone was clipped. 

The Director sighed again, hand reaching out for his glasses. “I understand. I have no intention of causing any more problems.”

“What?” Aizawa asked, clearly caught off guard. 

Carolina couldn’t blame him. She had expected at least some kind of resistance, not this. 

“You can’t be serious,” she growled. 

“I have no reason to fight either of you on this. The project is done, and it should have been years ago,” her dad said tiredly. The same tone he had used way back when her mom had fallen into a coma. 

“ Why? ” Carolina snarled. “Why now? After all this time?”

“Because I realized my mistake when you left.”

Carolina sucked in a sharp breath, body going rigid as her dad slowly lifted his head to look at her. Brilliant green eyes met brilliant green as she looked him in the eyes for the first time in years. There were dark circles under his eyes, and there was a defeated look on his face. 

He had given up. 

“I hadn’t even considered how Allison’s accident affected you. I abandoned you because I was too blinded by my own grief to even notice my own daughter needed me. I don’t expect your forgiveness, but I am sorry, Caroline. I am so sorry,”  her dad said, a slight tremble in his voice, so different from the cold, uncaring man she had seen him turn into. 

“I needed you. When mom got hurt, I needed you and you just shut me out! You left me !” Carolina shouted, fists curled tightly at her side. 

“I know. And I will not make excuses. What I did to you, to everyone in this project, was unforgivable.”

Carolina wanted to scream. How dare he act like a father now? After that’s all she wanted from him, he does it now?  

“I just wanted my dad,” she finally whispered. “That’s why I joined. I wanted you to pay attention to me again.”

“I know. And I will never be able to make it up to you,” her father admitted tiredly. 

Carolina let out a low growl. This wasn’t fair. She wanted to be angry with him. She wanted to hate him. But…

She couldn’t. 

She couldn’t hate him, no matter how much she tried. 

“I have all the information on the project here, it’s all yours,” he said standing up. Aizawa nodded tensely and walked over to her father’s computer. 

“You stay right there,” Aizawa snarled. He quickly grabbed all of her father’s files. 

Her father stood to the side, allowing Aizawa to gather everything he needed. He kept his head down, refusing to meet either of their eyes. 

Carolina wanted to say something to her father, to give him some sort of response, but she couldn’t think of anything. 

The silence was broken by Aizawa turning to her father. 

“Is this everything?”

“Yes. All of my research as well as Price’s notes.”

“Speaking of, where is Price?” Aizawa asked. 

Her father glanced over at the security cameras cautiously. 

“May I?” he asked. 

“Fine, but if you do anything suspicious, I won’t hesitate to take you out,” Aizawa threatened. He crossed his arms with a glare that Carolina couldn’t help but mirror.

She would be able to subdue her father faster than Aizawa, she wasn’t going to let him get away with anything else, not again.

“Filss,” her father called. 

A quiet feminine voice responded from the speakers within the room. “Yes, Director?”

“Please locate Aiden Price. Let him know I would like to speak with him immediately.”

“Of course, sir. Is there anything else you will need?” 

“No, thank you, Filss. That will be all.”

Filss went quiet once more, making the room quiet once again. At least, until she found out where Price wound up.

Carolina couldn’t help but admit that hearing Filss’s voice again after so long was comforting, in a weird way. The head of security was always so kind. Carolina remembered her going out of her way to talk to them. She would occasionally sneak them candy or games if they asked her nicely. 

(York had always been one of her favorites, she would bring him the most things whenever she was around in person, instead of watching everything unfold behind a screen.)

“Director, it appears Aiden Price is heading outside. He seems to be heading towards the group outside. I recommend intervening before he takes any extreme measures,” Filss’s voice came over the intercom again, a hint of urgency behind her words. 

“Shit!” Her father hissed. “You need to stop him. I may be willing to shut down the project, but he refuses to stop. He will not come quietly.”

Aizawa swore loudly. He grabbed the remaining files, and turned to Carolina.

“Think you can get to him first?”

Carolina rolled her shoulders and straightened her back. “Of course I can. Who do you think I am?”

Aizawa gave her small smile as she turned to step out of the door. York was leaning against the wall, gazing straight ahead. His good eye flickered in her direction and he pushed himself off the wall. 

“If you’re heading out, there’s an elevator off to the left that I couldn’t disable. It’ll take you up to the top floor of the basement. It’ll be faster than running up all the stairs,” he said seriously. 

“Don’t I need authorization to use that one?” Carolina asked.

York shook his head. “Nah, Filss will cover you.”

“Okay,” Carolina conceded. “Stay out of trouble, got it?”

“Got it. Meet you outside,” York said.

Carolina took off down the hall, only to freeze when she heard a blood curdling scream. She skidded to a stop, almost crashing into the wall in the process. She scrambled to regain her balance and, as she turned around, she caught York’s eyes. His face had gone pale, brown and white eyes wide with terror. 

“North,” Carolina gasped. 

“NORTH!” York screamed. 

Carolina rushed back to York as fast as she could, grabbing the corner of the hallway to make a sharp turn. The world around her blurred as she pushed herself to run faster. She crashed into the door separating this area from the previous one. 

She let out a loud curse. It took her a few seconds too long to regain her bearings. She shook her head and desperately looked around until her eyes landed on the panel. Without thinking, she slammed her fist against it, leaving the panel cracking and fizzling. The door opened slowly. Carolina bounced impatiently on the balls of her feet until the door opened enough for her to slip through. She could distantly hear York’s footsteps following behind her. 

She stumbled to a stop as she took in the scene in front of her. The floors and walls were scorched from repeated explosions, bullets and casing littered the floor, blood was splattered over the scorch marks. On the ground were the twins, North’s head rested on South’s lap. There was a massive puddle of blood under North’s torso. Kayama was sitting beside the two of them, hand resting on top of South’s head. Carolina caught sight of Yamada kneeling beside Wyoming, who was collapsed against the door frame, blood dripping from his nose, eyes completely glazed over. Maine was standing hunched over in the corner, head tilted down, pieces of armor discarded around him. 

She took a shaky step forward with a soft gasp. 

“North…?” she whispered. 

Please let him be okay. 

She couldn’t lose him. She couldn’t.

“Hey boss,” South said tiredly. She hadn’t taken her eyes off of North.

“He’s okay, right?” Carolina asked breathlessly, kneeling down beside North. She breathed a shaky sigh of relief as she caught sight of his chest rising and falling. 

“He will be,” Kayama said reassuringly. 

Carolina placed her hand on the side of his face. His skin was so much paler than usual, and she could see blood soaked through different parts of his shirt, but she wasn’t sure if that was from any injuries or if that was just from the puddle on the ground. 

“Holy shit,” York breathed from behind her. Carolina glanced over her shoulder to see her other partner panting heavily in front of the door. He quickly rushed over to her side where he immediately started to scan North for injuries. 

She gently leaned against York’s side as a comfort for both of them. As much as she wanted to keep an eye on him, the rest of her team needed her. She was a leader, she needed to check on the others too. 

“South, Midnight, are you guys alright?” She asked quietly.

“Eh, for the most part. I’ll be limping for a while but that’s just cause Wyoming shot me in the leg,” South groused. 

“Don’t worry about me,” Kayama said softly. “I’ve had a lot worse.”

“What happened?” York finally asked, hands hovering over the torn bloody shirt wrapped around North’s side. 

“A fight went very badly,” South grunted. 

“Yeah, I figured that out,” York rolled his eyes. 

Carolina slowly stood up, placing a gentle hand on York’s back. She needed to talk to Maine. York would make sure North was alright, she knew he would. 

But Maine was part of the reason they were here. She had to check on him. 

“Take care of him,” she whispered. York gave her a determined nod as she quickly made her way over to Maine. 

The big guy was hunched over in the corner, shuffling nervously. Every time he looked up and saw North, he looked away, guilt flashing across his face. 

Carolina stepped to his side, raising her eyebrow at him curiously. 

“So, you gonna tell me why you’re in the corner brooding?” She asked. 

Maine shook his head, attention still locked on North’s prone form. 

“Maine?” She asked again, a little more urgently. 

“It’s my fault,” he muttered. “I—,”

Carolina froze. Her eyes drifted downwards to the massive weapon laying on the floor. The blade was coated with drying blood. 

“What do you mean?” She couldn’t stop the harsh tone from creeping into her voice.

Maine looked away from North to stare at the ground. 

“I…I wasn’t in control. He made me do it, but…but I hurt North and Kayama. Fuck. Carolina, I almost killed them,” Maine whispered hoarsely. He took a shuddering breath as he closed his eyes. 

“Someone was controlling you? Who? And why?” 

“Sigma. Was working with Price,” Maine muttered. 

“ What? ” She snarled. She was going to make him pay. Price had already caused enough problems for them. The heartless bastard had never cared. He had always been self serving, even going so far as to go against the Director’s orders. He was the one who pushed for the leader board to be implemented. Price was in charge of tracking their mental states, and he abused that at every opportunity. 

Maine shrunk under her glare, slinking back further into the corner. He stared hopelessly at the floor. 

“Let’s go,” she said, turning on her heel. She had already decided before that she was going to take Price down, but now, she was going to wreck him.

Maine made a quiet, confused noise from the back of his throat.

Carolina turned her head over her shoulder slightly. “Well? Price is on his way outside, what are you waiting for?”

That got Maine’s attention. His head snapped up and he finally met her eyes. Confusion and rage were written clearly on his face. 

“Come on, I want to punch him in the face, and I think you do too.”

Maine let out a low growl, eyes narrowed into slits as he slowly stood up to his full height again. “I’m in.”

“Good,” she said. “Keep up, Maine.”

Carolina took off towards the stairs without waiting for a response. Distantly, she could hear the sound of footsteps behind her. She could also hear someone shouting both of their names, but the voice was drowned out by the wind whipping past her ears. She sprinted up the stairs as fast as she could. She rushed up floor after floor, ignoring the way her lungs burned and her legs ached. Sweat dripped down her neck and down her face. She skidded to a stop when she caught sight of three figures standing in the middle of the hallway, staring at her. She managed to stop just before she crashed into the nearest one. They wore identical armor, the only difference was a band around their upper arms. The shortest one had a pink band, the taller one had yellow, and the one she was staring down had white. She was pretty sure she had seen them somewhere before but she couldn’t put her finger on it. 

“Uh…” the one in front of her said intelligently. 

“Move,” she panted, pushing her bangs out of her. 

“But…but why?” The tall one asked dumbly. 

“Oh my god, Iowa!” The last one whispered. She grabbed the taller man’s arm and dragged him to the side. “Do you really want to get on Carolina’s bad side?”

“Sorry, we’ll just get out of your way,” the third one, who Carolina realized was Idaho, said, stepping out of her way. 

Ohio kept one hand on Iowa’s arm and held the other one up in a surrender. 

Carolina took a second to catch her breath. It would be better to wait for Maine, she didn’t know what Price would have up his sleeve. She would be stupid to go alone. 

The triplets watched her nervously, standing perfectly still as if she couldn’t see them. 

After waiting for a few more seconds, Carolina could hear Maine’s heavy footfalls approach from behind. 

“Took you long enough,” she said sarcastically, once again pushing her bangs back. York was right, she really needed to do something about them. 

“Not as fast as you,” he grumbled. He sent a confused glance at the triplets who seemed to press themselves further against the wall. 

“You ready?” She asked, stretching out her legs. She was definitely gonna feel that in the morning. 

Maine stalked forwards without a word, the brutal looking weapon she had seen on the floor was held tightly in his hands. 

She jogged slowly to keep pace with him, knowing they would either have to climb up the elevator shaft or ask Filss nicely to reactivate the elevators. 

(She’s started to realize she should’ve taken the other elevator, that would’ve been faster and more convenient than running up 5 flights of stairs.)

“Psst, do you guys think she’s single?” Carolina heard Ohio whisper. 

“Vera, please don’t ask her on a date,” Idaho whispered back. 

“Why not? She is very pretty,” Iowa said. 

“Shhhh! Not so loud!” Ohio hissed. 

“I can hear you,” Carolina called. “And I’m taken.”

“DAMMIT!” Ohio yelled. 

The rest of their banter faded to the background as Carolina and Maine approached the elevator. 

Without waiting for Maine, Carolina pressed the call button, half expecting to climb up, but to her surprise, the elevator rose up to meet them with a sad ding. 

Looks like Filss pulled through after all.

Carolina shoved Maine inside and slammed her hand against the button. They needed to go. They needed to go now. 

“ What the shit? ” CT’s voice crackled quietly through the comms. “ Is that fucking Price? ”

“Shit,” Carolina hissed. Maine growled lowly. Rage burned behind his eyes as he stared at the wall. 

“ Oh, he has a gun. That’s nice, ” Florida said, no hint of emotion in his tone. 

“ You have got to be kidding me, ” CT groaned. 

“Hold on, Maine and I are almost there,” Carolina tried to reassure. She balled her hands into tight fists as she glared impatiently at the ceiling. 

“ Don’t worry, we got this. Florida and I made it out unscathed. We still have energy to spare. ”

Carolina let out a soft sigh of relief. At least they were okay. 

“ It might be nice to have someone keep an eye on Wash and the others though! Texas can only do so much with one working arm, ” Florida cut in. 

“Wait what? ” Carolina practically yelled. Alli was hurt? How the hell did that happen? 

“ Don’t worry about me, I can still kick ass even with a knife in my shoulder, ” Alli said confidently. Carolina could imagine the smug look on her face as she said that. 

Maine tilted his head to the side, rage briefly giving way to confusion. Carolina couldn’t help but mirror that. 

“Who the hell managed to stab you?” She finally asked, voice dripping with disbelief. 

“ Wash ,” Alli replied curtly. 

“WHAT?” 

“ Yeah, the little fucker is quick. He seemed to be able to track my movements while I was invisible. I’m impressed. ”

Carolina blinked at Maine, eyes wide with confusion as she tried to process the idea of Wash hurting Alli. She knew he was tough and all too dangerous to underestimate, but she had no idea how he managed to get a clean hit. 

As much as she wanted to figure out this mystery, time was up. The elevator came to a stop with a soft, distorted ding. The metal doors were still bent out of shape from the force of Alli’s grip. 

Rushing out of the small space, Carolina whipped her head around in a desperate attempt to stop Price before he could hurt anyone else. 

Without so much as a warning, Maine snarled and took off to the right. Carolina followed, finally catching the sound of fighting. She came to an abrupt stop beside Maine when she saw the scene before her. 

Standing there, in all his glory, was Aiden Price, pistol held against Wash’s head. CT and Florida both stood frozen in place, bodies tense. CT’s knuckles were white as she held her knife in a death grip. Florida’s normally relaxed posture was gone, replaced by an unnatural stillness. Both his hands were up in surrender. Wash’s expression was unreadable, his eyes focused despite the exhaustion that radiated off of him. 

“If you don’t do exactly as I say, I will shoot subject Washington,” Price said coldly, hand tightening his grip on the back of Wash’s neck. 

“What do you want?” CT growled. 

“Hand over Alpha and the others, and return to the lab. I will make you one way or the other,” he demanded, a cruel snarl on his face. Blood dripped down his face from a nasty cut across his temple. 

“Perhaps, if you were to let Washington go, we could come to an agreement,” Florida suggested, voice even despite the panic in his eyes. 

Butch, what are you doing? 

Carolina was about to take a step forward, ready to destroy Price for even touching her family, when a strong hand wrapped around her bicep. 

Whirling around, she prepared to throw her assailant off, only to meet Alli’s brown eyes. The blonde woman shook her head silently and placed a finger on her lips. 

“Omega and Delta took the rest of the fragments further out to hide,” she whispered. “Price hasn’t noticed yet, he’s too out of it to really notice.”

Carolina raised an eyebrow at that. Maine shifted curiously beside her. 

Alli tapped the side of her head, before jerking her chin subtly in Price’s direction. 

Right. He was already hurt. The only reason he even had the upper hand is because he had a hostage. 

“We’re going to have to act fast, all we need is an opening to get Wash away from him. Leave the rest up to CT and Florida,” Alli continued. 

Maine grumbled in displeasure at that idea. He clearly wanted to get his own shot at revenge. 

Alli shook her head. “It’s too dangerous to just charge in there, plus, you look ready to pass out, big guy. Trust me, those two have this handled.”

Carolina grit her teeth and huffed out an irritated sigh. “Fine. But if this goes wrong, I’m jumping in.”

Alli seemed to accept her condition because she loosened the grip on her arm. She tugged Carolina towards the treeline, motioning with her head for Maine to follow. 

Carolina’s gaze drifted to Alli’s left arm, which hung limply by her side. The hilt of a knife was sticking out of her shoulder, almost as if she had forgotten to take it out. (Or she just hadn’t bothered.)

Maine trudged along behind them, steps surprisingly quiet despite his size. 

“Please, explain to me how any arrangement with you benefits me, Florida,” Price snapped, patience waning. 

“Well, for one, I’m more than willing to come back to the project, and I’m sure Reggie would be too! But, if you shoot Washington, I don’t think you’ll be going anywhere after CT and I kill you,” Florida said smoothly, threat clear despite his upbeat tone. 

Price’s grip slackened slightly as he held Florida’s gaze. It was a tiny movement, one Carolina didn’t think he even noticed, but she knew CT saw it. In that split second, CT threw her knife, embedding it in the hand holding the gun. Price let out a pained shout as the gun fell to the ground. Without missing a beat, Wash slammed his elbow into his ribs before he scrambled away unsteadily. Maine rushed out of hiding to grab Wash before he faceplanted in the dirt. 

“Maine…?” He croaked, eyes slowly losing focus. 

“You okay?” Maine asked quietly, knowing full well what the answer was. 

Wash gave a shaky thumbs up as he collapsed against the giant’s chest. 

“Go,” Alli whispered. “Kick some ass out there, leave Wash to us.”

She motioned for Maine to fall back with her, and he complied, albeit a bit hesitant. Carolina could see the anger on his face. She knew how badly he wanted to kick Price’s ass, but Wash was their priority, and if anything unexpected happened, having Maine ready for a fight would put her mind at ease. 

Price swore loudly as Florida’s foot connected with his sternum with a loud crunch . He fell backwards onto the ground. Carolina took her chance to sprint towards him. Price desperately fumbled for the gun just as Carolina kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying across the ground. 

CT’s form blurred as she rolled to the side, narrowly dodging a blade of wind. Her afterimage flickered and disappeared as another blade of wind whipped through it. Carolina turned her glare towards the responsible party. Standing by the remnants of the wrecked elevator, were two people in standard armor. Carolina didn’t need to see the markings on their arms to know who they were. 

Mississippi and Virginia stood prepared for a fight. Virginia had one hand out in front of her, pointer and middle fingers together, aimed where CT had been seconds ago. 

“Oh come on!” Virginia growled. “Stupid little bitch.”

“That just seems a little uncalled for, don’t you think?” Florida asked, carefully twirling a syringe between his fingers. Carolina saw the dark glint in his eyes, and the subtle way his lips twitched downwards. Florida was pissed. 

“Oh shut the fuck up, Butch,” Virginia snapped. “Get out of my way, or I’ll blast you once I’m done with Connecticut.”

“And why would we do that?” Carolina asked, making her way over Florida. 

“Seriously?” Mississippi groaned. 

“Oh goody, little miss perfect is here to save the day,” Virginia said sarcastically. 

Carolina curled her hands into fists and brought them up in front of her. She shifted her stance, sliding her right leg back and bending her knees. She caught sight of the subtle way Florida’s body tensed, focus never wavering from Mississippi’s form. 

CT was nowhere to be found, but Carolina trusted that she would make herself known when she had an opening. 

Mississippi moved first, snapping her fingers, the world around them shifted to gray as all the sound from outside abruptly disappeared. She pulled a metal pipe off of her back and took off into a run, directly at Carolina. 

She prepared to dodge out of the way, when Florida stepped between them, arm held out in front of him. Mississippi swung the pipe and it connected with Florida’s arm. Florida didn’t react. He reached out with his very clearly broken arm and grabbed Mississippi’s wrist. He twisted it as far back as he could, forcing her down onto her knees. Another blade of wind was sent towards them, and Carolina quickly grabbed Florida and pulled him to the side just before the blade hit. 

Mississippi jumped to her feet the second her wrist was released. 

Florida glanced at Carolina and she watched as his lips moved, but no sound came out. The oppressive silence grew heavier as Mississippi prepared to attack again. 

Unfortunately for their attackers, Carolina had been leading her team for years. She didn’t need to hear Florida to know what he said. 

Leave her to me. 

It was rare for Florida to get truly angry. He always hid his emotions behind a smile, but the few times he did get angry, it was always terrifying. Carolina could see it in the way his jaw tensed and his eyes narrowed. His hand had stilled, leaving the syringe clutched tightly in his grasp. His usual relaxed body language had been replaced with a dangerous stillness. He was a hunter waiting to ambush his prey. 

Mississippi had made a deadly mistake when she had attacked Wyoming. She hurt the one person Florida would do anything for, and now, Carolina could tell he was going to make her pay. 

With one last nod of understanding, she took off towards Virginia. A powerful blast of wind sent Carolina skidding backwards. She managed to move out of the way of large chunks of dirt and a few sticks flew towards her, but she couldn’t do anything about the smaller bits of debris that left shallow cuts across her face, arms, and legs. Red hair fell into her eyes as another blast of wind buffered her. 

Carolina placed her hands on the ground for balance as she brought her right leg up to chest, and extended her left behind her. Shoving off the ground, she rushed forwards, the world blurring around her. Virginia cupped her hands in front of her and the wind whipped around her. A split second before a stream of high speed wind collided with her, Carolina let her form split into two. The blast went through the gap between them, giving Carolina enough time to close the distance. She spun on her heel and swung her leg around, her duplicate mirroring the move on Virginia’s other side. Both roundhouse kicks landed at the same time, one to her back and the other to her stomach, immediately forcing her onto the ground. Her chest rose and fell quickly, and Carolina knew that if there was any sound, she would hear her struggling to breathe. 

She didn’t give Virginia a chance to catch her breath. Using their speed to their advantage, her duplicate grabbed Virginia under her arms and hauled her up, giving Carolina the chance to punch her across the face. 

Virginia’s head snapped to the side and she silently coughed, blood dripping from her mouth. Carolina drew her arm back and hit her again. And again. 

This is what you get for hurting Wash and Maine and Wyoming .

Virginia slumped forward, completely limp in her duplicate’s arms. She threw one more quick punch for good measure, ensuring the other freelancer was truly unconscious before turning to help Florida. 

Florida had one of Mississippi’s arms held tightly in his grasp, elbow bent the opposite way it normally bent. The metal pipe was discarded on the ground, and a blurry figure of CT stood not too far away while the real one spun gracefully out of the way of a punch thrown by Alabama. 

(Carolina wasn’t really sure when he got here but she was ready to give CT a hand.)

Alabama’s fist almost connected with CT’s face, only for it to continue through the illusion, the smaller girl several steps further away, knife held between her fingers ready to throw. She swung her arm out and Alabama teleported away, reappearing right behind her. Rather than letting the knife go, CT flipped the knife around and stabbed at him. The knife went through the undersuit, startling Alabama enough that CT was able to slam her foot against his knee. She swung her elbow up into his throat, leaving him gasping for air silently. She didn’t hesitate to slam her fist into his face. Blood poured from his broken nose as he crumpled to the ground. 

Mississippi stared in horror as Florida tightened his grip on her arm. In an instant, the barrier of silence disappeared, bringing back the sounds of animals in nature and Alli and Maine screaming profanities at Alabama. 

Florida pulled Mississippi’s arm further back and pressed his foot against the back of her legs, forcing her down onto her knees. In his other hand was the syringe, which he placed against her neck. 

“Wait!” She cried. “You won! You won! Let’s talk about this!”

“Oh? And what do you want to talk about?” Florida inquired flatly, despite the smile plastered on his face. 

“Look, what do you want? I’ll do anything, just…please, you don’t know what that will do,” she pleaded, voice breaking. 

“Hmm…I want you to beg. ”

“Please, please, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I’ll do anything, please!”

“Maybe you should’ve thought about that before you stabbed Reggie,” Florida responded. He didn’t give her another chance to speak before he stabbed the needle into her neck and pressed the plunger, draining the contents of the drug into her system. 

Mississippi’s eyes glazed over as the drug took effect and as soon as Florida let go of her arm, she collapsed into the dirt. 

Carolina let out a small sigh of relief. She didn’t think anyone else would give them trouble. 

“Everyone okay?” She called, brushing hair out of her face and flinching slightly as her hand brushed against one of the still bleeding cuts along her cheek. 

“All good here, boss!” CT responded. 

“Nothing to worry about!” Florida said brightly. Carolina eyed the arm he had used to block Mississippi’s attack, noting that it had turned a concerning purple around the middle of his forearm. 

“That looks broken, Florida,” she pointed out, taking a few steps towards him. 

“Oh?” He took a moment to look down at his arm. “So it does! That’s a bit of a problem. Could you reset the bone? It’ll just be so much more annoying later!” 

With a dramatic sigh, CT grabbed Florida’s arm and set it easily, far too used to having to fix his broken bones. 

Finally, once everything had settled down, Carolina took to keeping watch. Florida and CT had taken the time to secure Alabama, Mississippi, and Virginia, while Maine had decided that he was going to make sure that Price couldn’t do anything if he woke up. She wanted to check on Alli and Wash, but she refused to let her guard down, not until York and the others made it out. 

Distantly, she heard the sound of sirens, but she ignored it. She figured it wouldn’t have anything to do with them. The sun had begun to rise, turning the sky a bright orange. 

Taking a deep breath, Carolina scanned the area again. Her eyes snapped to the side of the building when she heard the sound of the elevator struggling to reach its destination. She rolled her shoulders and took a step forward. The tension in her body faded as she watched Kayama step out of the elevator, York’s arm slung over her shoulder. He lifted his head slightly and caught her eye. He gave her a small smile and a two fingered salute with his free hand. Behind them, South had North on her back. She limped over towards the rest of the group, giving Carolina a nod as she passed. Finally, Yamada exited, practically dragging Wyoming alongside him. Wyoming was awake, but barely. He stumbled with every step but Yamada’s grip kept him from falling. 

“Where’s…” Carolina’s voice trailed off as she looked around for Aizawa and her father. 

“On their way up,” Kayama said. York carefully pushed himself out of her grasp and slowly made his way over to Carolina, gait slightly unsteady. He brushed her hair out of her face, a soft look on his face. 

“You look like shit,” she said. 

“Thanks, I feel like it too,” he chuckled. “You okay?”

“A few scratches, nothing to worry about. How’s North?”

“He’ll be fine. I healed him as much as I could.”

“You should take a break, everyone else is safe.”

York raised an eyebrow slightly at her comment but nodded nonetheless. He placed a quick kiss on her forehead before walking over to the twins and sitting beside them. 

Carolina kept her eyes focused on the elevator, waiting for the inevitable. After what seemed like hours, her father and Aizawa came into view. The hero had one hand on her father’s shoulder and he was pushing him forward. Her father’s head was lowered, he refused to meet her gaze even as she watched him. Aizawa made sure to go as far away from their little group as he could. 

“Why don’t you go rest with the others?” Kayama suggested softly. Carolina startled. She hadn’t heard the older woman approach. 

“I’m fine,” she insisted. 

“Carolina,” Kayama said. “Let us take care of this. Once we hand Price and Church over to the police, we’ll get you home, but for now, just rest.”

Carolina nodded reluctantly and joined up with the rest of her family. She sat down beside York and took his hand. She rested her head on his shoulder and let herself relax for the first time in god knows how long. She could let the adults handle things for now. 

Chapter Text

Wash sat, curled up on the couch of their dorm, squished between Maine and Connie. He had no real way to describe the relief he had felt when he woke up here. After he had seen everyone again, he was a little ashamed to admit that he had burst into tears and clung to Carolina for far longer than he should’ve. 

But, he was with his family again, and that’s all that mattered. 

Well. Other than whatever big announcement Aizawa had gathered them all here for. 

The twins sat beside each other on the other couch, South still plastered to North’s side ever since he had woken up. York and Carolina were squished together next to them. That couch was definitely not made for 4 people, yet they were determined to make it work. Florida and Wyoming had taken over the single chair for themselves, Florida practically sitting on Wyoming’s lap. Tex had perched herself on the back of the couch with Wash and the others, hovering over him like he was going to disappear the second she turned away. Aizawa and Nedzu both sat in front of the TV, having dragged in chairs from the kitchen. 

“So…” Connie began. “What’s up? Why the ominous message?”

“We wanted to ask you kids something,” Aizawa replied, eyes trailing over each one of them. 

“Do you want to go home?” Nedzu asked seriously, leaning forward ever so slightly. 

The silence that settled over the group was heavy. Unease settled in Wash’s stomach as he thought about what Nedzu was asking. 

Of course he wanted to go home. He wanted to see his family again. His sisters. 

But. 

He didn’t want to be separated from the family he had here. He didn’t want to leave UA. Not alone. Aizawa, Kayama, and Yamada had become part of Wash’s family before he even realized it. He didn’t want to say goodbye. 

“What…?” South asked softly, apparently at a loss for words for once. 

“You kicking us out?” York asked sarcastically, eyebrow raised in suspicion. 

“Oh, no! Of course not! If you would like to remain here, you’re welcome to. I would be more than happy to give you a better place to stay, as well as provide your education if you would like. However, I would like to know what you plan to do before making any arrangements. You know what they say when you make assumptions!”

Wash let out a quiet chuckle at that. He couldn’t really fault the principal for his question after that. He could stay. He didn’t have to leave. 

“Your offer means the world to me,” Carolina said with a sad smile. “But, I need to go home. I need to…to see my mom. Even if she isn’t awake, I want to see her again.”

York wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. 

Aizawa nodded. “You deserve to see her.”

Nedzu looked at the rest of the group in anticipation. 

North spoke up next. “We should, uh, also go home. At least, just to tell our parents we’re okay. I mean, that’s my plan. I’m not gonna force you to come with me.” He looked over at South cautiously. 

“Nah, I’m coming with you. Last time I left your dumb ass alone, you almost died, so you’re stuck with me for a while,” South declared, punching North’s shoulder. North grunted softly as he rubbed his arm. 

“Ow,” he muttered. 

Maine shifted nervously next to Wash. Wash turned his head slightly to glance at his best friend. He was fidgeting slightly with the sleeve of his shirt as he avoided eye contact with everyone. 

“I…wanna see my family too,” he muttered softly.

Oh. 

Was this it? Was everyone just going to fucking leave? Just like that? He didn’t want to just walk away from this little family. He cared about them. 

“Well, guess this means I have an excuse to do something really stupid now,” York said, loud enough to catch everyone’s attention.

“Do I even want to ask?” Aizawa grumbled. 

“We’ve already taken down one shitty organization, why not go for another? Charon Industries has been up to some shady shit for years, why not watch them crash and burn? Plus, Malcolm Hargrove is a fucking dick. Screw that guy, I’d pay good money to see him get arrested.”

“Aren’t you related to him?” Nedzu asked with a tilt of his head.

“Last I checked, I had been disowned by my family, so I don’t really give a shit. My lovely uncle never liked me anyways. Something about my quirk being ‘too dangerous.’ Fucking prick,” York growled, such a drastic difference from his usual personality. 

“Fucking hell,” Aizawa groaned. “You can’t just drop this on us and not expect me to want to help you.”

“I appreciate that, but this is kinda my problem. And also, in America. That might make it a little bit of a challenge for you to help,” York pointed out. 

“Well, I can give you a hand,” Connie said.

“Connie?” Wash and South said in unison. Ugh weird. He has never been on the same wavelength as South before. 

“What? Someone’s gotta help his dumb ass out. Stealth and thieving are literally my thing. Plus, it’s not like I have a family to go back to either.”

“Just be careful!” Nedzu said. “I don’t want to find out either of you got hurt or caught!”

“Nedzu, you cannot be serious,” Aizawa stared wide-eyed at the principal. Wash couldn’t help but agree. 

“This is such a bad idea,” he said. 

“Aww, c’mon Wash, we’ll be fine,” York reassured, a smug smile on his face.

“Bullshit,” Wash snapped back. He did not want York and Connie to get up to anything stupid or dangerous. They were finally out of danger, why would they willingly choose to find more?

“You gotta trust us, Wash. Hargrove was involved in freelancer, if we can take him out too, then that’s one less person we have to worry about,” Connie said, placing her hand on his. 

Wash let out an unhappy huff. “Fine. But you’d better be careful.” 

He knew he didn’t stand a chance arguing with Connie. She and York were all too persuasive, especially together. 

“Don’t worry, we got this,” York declared confidently. 

“If you need any help, feel free to let me know,” Aizawa said. “I’ll do what I can.”

“Aww, thanks dad!” Connie cooed. 

Aizawa’s cheeks turned a bright red as he buried his face in his scarf. Wash laughed, a little too loudly but he tried to stifle it by placing a hand over his mouth. 

“The father I wish I had,” Carolina said with a perfect deadpan, eyes locked on Aizawa.

Wash choked. He stared at Carolina with wide eyes. 

“Holy shit,” he mumbled.

“And it’s Caroline with the steel fucking chair,” Tex gasped in between bouts of laughter. 

York and North exchanged shocked glances, neither of them able to properly react to what she said. 

“Brutal,” Wyoming muttered to Florida, who simply nodded in agreement. 

Aizawa attempted to hide his face even further. He mumbled a quiet “thanks,” as Nedzu laughed. 

“How sweet of you! I’m sure Aizawa appreciates it!”

The hero coughed awkwardly before speaking up again. “Can we get on with figuring out what everyone else’s plans are?”

Oh. Right. This. Wash didn’t want to. 

“I have some…business I’ve been meaning to take care of. There’s someone I would like to pay a visit to,” Wyoming said carefully. Wash narrowed his eyes slightly at him. Wyoming only got evasive when he was hiding something. 

“Wherever Reggie goes, I go!” Florida declared, a sparkle in his eyes. 

Why the fuck did everyone insist on flirting? Wash wanted nothing to do with it. 

“I’ll have to fill you in on the details later, love. This will be right up your alley.”

“I suddenly have a very bad feeling that I should stop whatever this is,” Aizawa muttered. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Aizawa. I have no intention of doing anything that isn’t justified.”

“Now I really feel like I should stop it.”

“If you must know, I may have found a way to track down the man who murdered my parents. I’ll leave it up to your imagination what I want with this information.”

“Holy shit, Wyoming lore?” South blurted out. 

“No,” Wyoming responded. “That’s all you’re getting from me. I’ve shared my piece, don’t ask anymore questions.”

“Wait no, how do I unlock your tragic backstory, I’m invested dude!” York said, leaning forward. 

“For you, York?” Wyoming paused to think for a moment. “Lower me into my grave when I die so you can let me down one more time, and I’ll consider it.”

“You think he’s gonna outlive you?” Connie asked incredulously. “No way.”

“I know what I said.”

Florida giggled quietly from his place on Wyoming’s lap. He was certainly enjoying himself. 

“You know, if you ever need to talk about anything, you can reach out to me,” Aizawa offered, evidently choosing to ignore the fact that Wyoming was definitely plotting a murder. Probably had been for years now that Wash really thought about it. 

“Of course!” Florida chirped. “You’re stuck with us, whether you like it or not!”

Nedzu returned Florida’s smile. “I don’t think we’d want it any other way!”

Aizawa’s gaze slowly slid over to Wash and Tex. 

Shit. He needed to make his decision.

“What about you two? Any plans?”

“Uh…” Wash faltered. What was he supposed to say? How was he supposed to tell them he didn’t want them to go?

“Wash?” North prompted softly, ever the older brother.  

“I don’t…I don’t really know,” he admitted. “I do want to go home, I need to go home but I don’t want to say goodbye.”

Don’t say goodbye. I hate goodbyes. 

He bit his lip and stared at the ground. Tears began to pool in his eyes as he finally realized that this might be the last time he ever saw them. 

“Then don’t,” Carolina said. 

Wash blinked as he brought his head up to look at her. “What?”

“Don’t say goodbye. We don’t have to go our separate ways forever. We all have things we want to do, and that means we have to go for a while, but we’re family. And family sticks together.”

Wash felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He hadn’t even thought about that. He had simply assumed that everyone would go their own way and never look back. He thought he would be left behind, with no one to catch up to anyone. 

“Obviously,” South chimed in. “If we all fucked off, I wouldn’t get the chance to ask Connie on a date.”

Connie froze beside Wash. He turned to look at her with wide eyes. Her face was bright red and he was almost certain he heard her squeak. 

“Fucking finally,” North muttered. South smacked him again. 

“Shut the fuck up, at least I made a move, unlike you.”

“Took you long enough though.”

“I don’t want to hear this from the guy who couldn’t even make a move.”

“Oh, in that case, you wouldn’t mind if I told CT about how many times you broke into my room to rant about how pretty-!” South’s hand covered North’s mouth. 

“Shut up shut up shut up! Not another word!”

Connie finally managed to shake herself from her stupor and quietly asked, “you think I’m pretty?”

South coughed nervously while North let out a triumphant laugh. 

“Uh, yeah, I mean. Have for a while now.”

“Oh,” Connie squeaked. 

“Okay, glad you’re both having a gay crisis, can we move on? Please?” Wash begged. 

“Oh so you want to go back to your crisis?” Tex asked, startling Wash. He had forgotten she was there. 

“Well, uh, no, not really. I just don’t want to watch this,” he gestured vaguely towards the others, not picking a specific relationship to single out. “But, I guess, I should probably go home too.”

“We’ll stay in touch, I promise, Wash,” Carolina reassured gently. Maine gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze as Connie leaned into his side. Tex ruffled his hair roughly, and Wash let out a startled laugh. 

“You’d better.”

“Alli?” Aizawa asked, looking at the last member of their group.

Tex leaned back slightly, and for a brief moment, Wash was worried she was going to fall off the couch. 

“I think I found a place to stay. I figured Leonard and I could go there and actually get a chance to live. I’d bring the other fragments with me, but I think some of them are a little too attached to you guys to leave.”

York grinned. “I love Delta so much. He actually offered to come with me and I am absolutely taking him up on his offer.”

“I don’t think I can bring myself to leave Theta alone,” North admitted with a shrug. “He’s a sweet kid, but he gets scared so easily.”

“You are such a dad,” South said with an eye roll.

“Gamma and I get along well enough. I would not be opposed to him coming with us,” Wyoming said.

“I would love for him to come along!” Florida chirped.

“The twins wanted to come with me,” Carolina said. “So, I’ll be taking them.” She left no room for argument, but Wash wasn’t really sure anyone was going to.

“I’m bringing Omega with me. I’m not gonna subject any of you to his assholery,” Tex said.

Which left…

“Guess that means I’m stuck with Epsilon,” Wash groaned. 

“You don’t have to take him,” Aizawa reassured. 

Wash gave a halfhearted shrug. “No, we kinda talked about it, and we both agreed that he should probably stick with me.”

He had a complicated relationship with Epsilon. They weren’t friends, not by a long shot, but Wash understood him better than anyone. They had each other’s memories, that brought them closer together, even if neither of them were particularly happy about it. But, Wash wouldn’t want anyone else to experience what he did with Epsilon’s memories, and he knew Epsilon felt the same. They would figure something out, it would just take some time, and maybe some space from this whole shitshow. 

“If you’re sure,” Aizawa said uncertainly. 

“I am,” Wash assured. 

(There was a small part of him that was protective over Epsilon. He knew exactly what kind of shit he had gone through, and he’d be damned if he let it happen again.)