Hey Y'all! Welcome to chapter two! I hope you guys enjoy, because I sure as heck enjoyed writing it!

Might be back with another chapter this week, but also maybe not, so eh, we'll see!

Important:

Just to make sure it's stated clearly! Rumi(Mirko) is two years younger in this timeline than in the original manga! I did this for a couple different reasons, but mostly because I wanted to explore what life is like for a hero student who doesn't go to a prestigous school like UA.

Anyway, Love you guys! Stay safe and healthy, and check out the chapter song! It's awesome!

In Love, Erebus

- Silence and the Sound -

- Chapter 2 -

*Intersection*

Song: The Long Road - Riley Pearce

It didn't turn out to be all that far of a walk back to the Usagiyama residence. Making the trip with a surprising amount of small talk, Izuku had been proud that he'd actually been able to keep up the conversation with the white haired teen; a feat for the history books, considering his usual response to casual interactions with the opposite gender.

Izuku answered a couple of the rabbit girl's questions like, 'what it was like to go to UA', and 'whether or not he was worth his salt in a fight', or other such things that had nothing to do with his current predicament. It was all light hearted, and shallow enough that the green haired hero in training was able to temporarily ignore his problems.

Though, nothing ever lasts forever, and the two older teens soon found themselves at a small run down apartment building that reminded Izuku a bit of the one's he and his mother had been forced to live in those first few years after his father had left. When Inko had been forced to pick up three different jobs and they still struggled to put food on the table. Izuku remembers having to bathe with a washcloth to keep the water bill low, and how they'd almost been forced to move in with Kacchan.

Overall, not the best time of his life, and definitely something that was making him curious about Usagiyama's own financial situation.

"Don't judge, asshole, or I'm kicking you back out onto the streets." The rabbit girl glared at him as they approached the door at the end of the hallway - which was a loose definition, considering the building was reminiscent of a motel and had open aired walkways that wrapped around the building - and what Izuku assumed was her unit.

"I'm not, I promise. I was thinking about how it was familiar, that's all." Izuku definitely did not want to get on her bad side so soon into their little partnership, especially considering she was giving him a place to stay. "My mom and I used to be in a place just like this when I was smaller."

She huffed at him, but seemed appeased otherwise.

"Whatever. Anyway, what are we gonna tell them? How do we know each other, what's our story? Because I'm not getting my family involved in this time travel bull shit." Her voice left no room for argument.

Izuku hummed to himself, thinking.

"Well, you're in a hero school right? What if I'm one of your classmates?" Deku offered. It would probably be the easiest lie to run with afterall.

"Wouldn't work. I've shown them pictures of everyone in my class before. They'd know." Usagiyama quirked her head, ears twitching absentmindedly as they followed some near noise Izuku couldn't pick up. "Besides, what happens when they realise you don't have a school uniform, or that our schedules don't line up? Or why you're not with your parents? We'd get caught."

"Well… Are you interning with anyone right now? Like, do you have your provisional license yet?" Izuku asked. After receiving a nod, he continued. "Well, what if I'm a coworker? If I'm going to stay, saying I'm a sidekick at the agency you're with will explain why I'm not just staying with my parents."

"Not good enough!"

Eh?

"No… Too sharp… Would catch on, I know she would… Too smart for her own good…" Usagiyama began muttering to herself, hand on her chin as her ears fell backwards, almost disappearing into her white hair.

Is her mom that perceptive or something?

"Alright, how about this! A more detailed version of your idea!" Usagiyama stood upright, fist meeting her palm as though she were throwing a 'rock' in rock paper scissors, looking incredibly determined. "You were a sidekick, but you decided to strike out on your own, lone wolf style! And then, suddenly, you were left without a home! Because, uh…"

"Um… Because it was destroyed in a villain attack!" Izuku picked up where she left off, the white haired girl nodded along with him. "And now I have no clothes, and no place to stay! So my good friend Usagiyama, who I knew from my time as a sidekick, offered to take me in!"

"Yes! After witnessing your pathetic weakness at having your home destroyed, I pitied you and offered to let you stay until you could get back on your feet!" She finished, a sharp, luminescent grin on her face. "Makes perfect sense, and it's not all a lie!"

My pathetic weakness…?

"Oh, ok… That works, ya." Izuku felt sweat rolling down his neck as the future pro hero began laughing animatedly, in an almost 'All Might' esc fashion as she stuck a key into the door and softly clicked it open, nodding proudly to herself.

Pushing through the door, Izuku was immediately thankful that the white haired girl had gone first, because as soon as she walked into the un-lit apartment, a figure seemed to drop from above - as though they had been clinging to the ceiling - and tried to land a hit on the young hero in training. Deku almost moved to try and intercept, but didn't, and was incredibly thankful for it.

"Got you!" The voice was young and childish, but scratchy and rough in the same way Kacchan's was in their childhood. Usagiyama merely reached upwards, grabbing whoever it was by the face, and casually threw them across the darkened living area. The figure twisted mid air, an amazing feat of abdominal strength to say the least, and landed on their feet to glare playfully at the two young heros; poisonous green eyes very similar to Izuku's own, except for the fact that they bore cat-like slits instead of regular pupils.

"RUUUMIIIII!" The small child, because Izuku was sure now that it was a child, or a young teen at least, launched himself back towards the duo as the young woman scoffed.

Flourishing out of the way of her attackers' tiny, clawed strikes without moving even an inch from her spot in the doorway, Usagiyama snatched her small dark haired aggressor by the shirt, and chucked him towards the sofa in the middle of the room. The boy's back hit the padded surface, and he was launched backwards in an uncontrolled flip due to the force of the older teen's throw. Spasming in the air for a moment, the green eyed child landed - if a bit unsteady - upright and on his feet on the far side of the room.

He looked incredibly proud of himself.

"We have company, Daichi!" She bellowed, turning on the lights and glaring at the positively beaming boy who Izuku could only assume was her brother. "Where's Arata and Ayame?"

"Oh, meow, those two? They didn't want to get caught in the crossfire of our epic battle, so they're hiding in the bedroom, meow. Have been for quite a while now." Preening for a moment, the black haired kid peaked around his older sister to give Deku the once over. "Hey sis, who's the hero?"

"This is Deku, leave him alone." She moved past the boy and to the side as Daichi approached Izuku curiously,

"Deku huh? You strong? Wanna fight, meow?"

"I said leave him alone!" Usagiyama snapped at him as she approached a scratched wooden door on the right side of the room. She knocked on it in a practiced rhythm before moving away and towards the kitchen; haphazardly peeling off her shoes and chucking them at Izuku - 'I was aiming at the door', she'd claimed - and motioning him over. Taking off his own shoes, he walked over with the bags he'd been given and began removing the food stuffs from them, Daichi hovering closely behind.

"Did you kick his butt, Rumi?" A soft voice came from the room that the white haired teen had knocked on, door opening to reveal a young boy who looked to be Daichi's age, and whose head was connected to a very familiar set rabbit ears. His hair was dark, but held a few white patches here and there that made him stand out; it also hung so far over his face that Izuku couldn't make out his eyes.

"What do you think, Arata?" The girl answered with a scoff.

"Hm… So you still couldn't even get her to move, huh?" Arata asked, scratching at his cheek absentmindedly as he directed his gaze towards his feline brother, whose face quickly sported a small vein.

"Please, she was on the ropes this time for sure, meow." He smirked, closing his eyes and nodding confidently to himself.

"I wasn't."

"We know sis, we know."

Daichi choked on his own spit, and Izuku couldn't help the chuckle that was building in his throat.

They sure do love each other…

"What you wanna fight Arata! Lets go, meow! I'll take you on right here, right now!"

"I think I'm ok, hairball brains."

"You…!"

A soft, quiet little voice cut through the air like a knife.

"Big brothers, please stop fighting."

"Ayame!" The two boys echoed in synch, standing up straight and slinging their arms lovingly around each other as all sass and threat of violence drained from the air at the sight of the adorable little child that came wandering out of what Izuku assumed was a bedroom. Rubbing tiredly at her sharp orange eyes and dragging an old stuffed zebra behind her was a girl who couldn't possibly be older than Eri - or well, older than Eri was in the future - and was sporting long lavender hair that fell down to her ankles, and two traditional human ears that marked her as different from her siblings. "We weren't, we swear!"

"Hey bugger, were you sleeping?" The eldest sibling asked, sweeping the little girl off her feet so she could bury her face into her big sister's shoulder.

"Ya, then everyone got loud, so I woke up." She yawned, and Izuku smiled.

She's adorable.

"We're sorry Ayame!" The two boys bowed, and Izuku chuffed.

"Rumi, whose he?" The little girl's orange eyes found the green haired boy where he stood in the kitchen, still unpacking the groceries. She was looking at him with an unnatural amount of perception - the kind of thing where you know someone is really looking at you, deeper than your skin or flesh, and taking you in for who you really are - that brought an awkward smile to the young hero's face, uncomfortable with the scrutiny.

"That's what I was wondering, but I got told off, meow!" Daishi threw his hands into the air in exasperation, turning his attention back to the only non-Usagiyama within the household and returning to his up close inspection; long black tail casually swaying in the air as he prowled around Izuku curiously. "He's gotta be a hero right? Look at his get-up!"

"Well ya, obviously he's a hero." Arata followed his brother's lead, poking and prodding the time traveler as he inspected the man's gear; lifting up his arms to get a better look at the air force gauntlets, before dropping to the ground to poke at his reinforced iron soles.

Izuku felt like an alien in a laboratory.

"Uh, ya, um." He couldn't find the words, and anytime he did try to say something, he was ignored as the two boys continued conversing either with each other, or with themselves, making off-handed comments here and there as they continued in their investigation.

"Brats! Back off would ya, you're going to give him an aneurysm or something!" The eldest sibling came to his defense, shooing them away as she gently deposited her sister back on the ground and returned to the kitchen.

Sufficiently scared off, Arata cocked his head at them.

"Who is he though? Did you finally get a boyfriend?" He asked, genuine curiosity laced within his obviously sarcastic, teasing tone.

"No, dumbass. And we'd explain if you let us, ya bunch of loud brats." She scowled, but it was light and held no real weight to it.

Arata nodded as Daichi sat on the armrest of the couch, legs kicking mindlessly as he waited for an answer. Even the little girl, Ayame - who was still staring at him so critically - pulled up a chair at the little round kitchen table and gave her sister a set of the 'I'm ready now tell us' eyes.

The rabbit girl sighed, shaking her head, and gesturing towards Izuku.

"This is Deku. He's a hero. And uh…" She side eyed the smallest of the children nervously, Ayame's sharp orange gaze burning into the two of them as she spoke, "He's, uh."

"I'm a former co-worker, but I decided to strike out on my own not too long ago. And, well… My home was kinda…" Izuku began, all eyes on him.

I've never been great at lying, and, well…

His eyes trailed around the room for a second, catching those seeing, knowing, fiery orbs that belonged to the youngest child, he suddenly understood why Mirko had wanted so desperately to try and make a perfect story.

I have a feeling Ayame was the 'she' Usagiyama had been so worried about catching onto us. Lying outright might be a bad idea. I'm going to have to twist the truth a bit, just enough that they don't ask too many questions, but not enough that they catch onto my lying. Nothing I've said so far has been a complete lie, afterall.

Because really, it hadn't been. He and Mirko were technichaly co-workers, if only because they both did hero work.

"Well… Lost, during a villain attack, so now I'm out of a place to stay. Your sister was kind enough to offer me a spot here, at least until I can get back on my feet." He finished, quite proud of himself the white lie.

All Might's always been good at this. Twisting the truth enough that no one questions whether or not it's the whole truth. He's had to, to keep his secret and all. He'd be proud.

…

"Kind? Rumi? What kinda shit are you on, meow?"

"Language brat! And I can be kind!" Mirko defended, rolling her eyes. "And besides, it was mostly cause he came to me with this pathetic ass sob story, and I couldn't help myself. I pitied him and now here we are."

…

"See now, that makes more sense." Arata nodded, and was quickly joined by his two other younger siblings, all of them making noises of agreement.

"Hey!"

Izuku laughed a bit, watching them all interact was definitely heart warming. For a second he'd even forgotten why he was here.

"Alright, Deku aside, how long were you planning that sneak attack of yours Daichi?"

The cat boy suddenly looked incredibly nervous.

"Um… Not that long." He tried to deflect, waving his hand in front of his face like he was trying to get rid of a particularly bad smell.

"Sis, we were in the bedroom for an hour and a half." Arata snitched as he took a seat next to his sister at the table. "And he was sneaking around long before then."

"So you I'm guessing you haven't done your homework, then, Daichi?"

The cat boy smiled, but it was something small and fearful. He scratched his cheek.

And booked it.

"Got him." Arata reached out casually, snatching his brother by his scruff before he could bolt into the bedroom. The scene looked a bit like something Izuku would see when someone was walking a dog, and said dog tried to run somewhere, only to get violently caught by their leash.

"Backpack, now. Get it over with." Mirko toned, returning to her stocking of the kitchen as Izuku watched the boy sulk towards the corner of the room, where three separate bags were piled half-hazardly, and grabbed a worn old green one with the same kind of body language as someone would if they were picking out the which method of torture they'd like their captor to use on them. "And Deku, stop standing around like a freaking plant and help me out."

She… Doesn't cuss around her siblings.

Working together, it took barely any time at all to get everything put away. After they finished, the white haired teen made herself a protein shake and sat down with her withering little brother to help him with his math, and Izuku asked if there was some place he could put his gear - at least, his heavier gear, like his armor and support items - to which he was pointed towards the hall closet.

Opening it up, he came face to face with an odd set up. Even though it was a hall closet - probably something intended for coats and shoes, nothing more - it was packed with clothes and retro-fitted with a cubby system that held everything from pants to - much to his flustering - underwear and bras.

It's Mirko's closet… But why here and not in her bedroom?

Chancing a look around the living space, he found that the only two doors that didn't lead outside were on the far right side of the room, past the kitchen. One was the bedroom the Arata and Ayame had come from, and the other was a restroom.

One bedroom, one bathroom… For a family with 4 kids? Where do their parents sleep? Heck, where do they sleep? Unless…

Izuku felt his heart twist a bit in his chest.

No. I'm not making any assumptions. If they show up, great, if not then I'll ask Mirko about it later.

Quickly relieving himself of his gear and stacking it in the unused crevice between the cubbies and the wall, Izuku knew better than to snoop, and quickly shut the door. Clad now in only his jumpsuit, he moved back over the group, where he stood off to the side of siblings.

Only 4 chairs at the table…

"So, Deku… Um, that's your hero name, right?" Arata asked from where he sat facing his younger sister, a chess board laid out between the two as the shaggy boy took his turn, only to immediately grimace as his younger sister took the rook he'd moved with a knight.

Izuku smiled. "Yup! Why do you ask?"

"Well," Arata began, his sister taking another of his pieces, "It's just… You know that means 'useless person' right? Not to hate on your hero name or anything, but…" The boy rolled his shoulders, casually side eyeing the green haired boy with a questioning glance. "Like, I know sis's name is Usagi, so it's not like us Usagiyama are all that creative when it comes to naming things. Daichi was the first born son, afterall, but, uh…'' The boy rambled nervously.

Usagi? Not Mirko?

"No no, it's ok. I get where you're coming from…" Izuku gave the boy his gentlest, most reassuring smile; 'It's ok, I'm not offended' it said. "I was called deku a lot as a kid, and well… I hated it for the longest time, but someone - a good friend of mine - changed its meaning for me. She told me Deku had a real 'you can do it' kinda feel, and from then on I decided that that was the kind of hero I wanted to be. The hero who always saves everyone with a smile, the 'you can do it' hero… So…" Izuku scratched his cheek, reminiscing, "It's a call back to my roots, I guess. Reminds me of where I came from, and where I want to go. Who I want to become."

…

"Holy crap, you really are a freaking hero. Rumi, your name is 'rabbit', ya loser! Where's the heart level, deep-ness in that? His is so cool!" Daichi was vibrating, and his elder sister scowled a bit, though he'd noticed she'd obviously been paying attention.

Arata looked pensive as he was cleanly beaten by his younger sister. He hesitated for a moment, before asking another question.

"Well then, uh, if you don't mind me asking, what's your real name? I know some heroes don't like something like that getting out, but…"

Izuku held up his hands to stop the boy, chuckling nervously. "No no! It's fine. You all are letting me stay here, after all, it's only right I tell you my civilian name."

Except… Should I give them my real name? I still think lying is a bad idea, but I don't wanna play around with chance and just hope they never hear about me or anything… Ya, that would last to the sports festival at the longest…

Everyone at the table gave him their attention, and Izuku realised momentarily he hadn't even given Mirko his real name, only his hero one.

"It's Izuku… Just Izuku." He smiled, happy with his choice. He still wasn't lying, and there were plenty of Izuku's around. As long as they didn't know the 'Midoriya' portion, he should be fine.

…

Something settled on the small group, like a mutual understanding of some sort that Izuku felt the group - or at least, the trio who didn't know he was withholding information due to time travel purposes - come together in agreement on.

…

"It's a good name." Ayame added casually, resetting the pieces of the board and breaking the spell that had come over the family.

"For sure!" Daichi agreed, "I think it fits ya!"

Arata nodded, and Mirko seemed to be thinking about something pretty deeply. The group returned to their previous activities, only this time Izuku was more involved in the conversation. It was as if a switch had been flipped, and suddenly the three younger siblings were much more open to talking with him.

"So, um… This might be a bit forward of me, but I saw that you grabbed pork earlier Miss Usagiyama, and well… I know a great recipe for katsudon, if you'd like me to make dinner?" Izuku offered after a while, watching as the clock struck 6 and the young woman had yet to make a move for the kitchen.

Mirko eyed him for a moment before giving the go ahead.

"Go for it. I was planning on doing something similar anyway, and you need to pull your weight somehow, so," She shrugged, "As long as it doesn't taste like crap."

"Ehh, 'Miss Usagiyama'? Is that you Rumi?" Daichi muttered sarcastically, receiving a bop over the head for his words, and spurring on what the green haired teen was beginning to understand was completely natural and lighthearted banter.

And so Izuku went about making dinner for the little group. Asking where certain things were occasionally, he quickly got his bearings.

I'm no Kacchan, but if there's one thing I can make well, it's katsudon.

The night stretched onward, and soon the smell of pork was seeping through the apartment. The little family had a surprising amount of things to work with, and though he made sure to ration the vegetables enough that they wouldn't have to go to the store again anytime soon, he was still able to top each bowl with a healthy serving size for the growing children.

"It's done!"

His cry brought Mirko and Daichi back from the couch they'd migrated to after the second had finished his homework. The tv, which had been playing some action movie that the two had been engrossed in, was shut off, and they gathered around the table. Izuku passed around the bowls, keeping the smallest one for himself - the eldest sibling had only bought enough pork for four people, not five, so the young hero decided to take the least filled one to be fair - and stood at the counter while the sibling's got comfortable in their chairs.

Ayame seemed to notice this, and quickly left the room for a moment, only to bring back an old wooden stool from the bedroom, and slid it in between her and Mirko. She then gave him a look, and Izuku knew it would be best to just accept the unspoken offer and sit down.

"Thank you for the food." All the siblings said in practiced synchrony, making him smile.

"This is so good!" Daichi seemed to be crying tears of joy as he devoured the bowl, "So much better than anything Rumi makes, meow!" The cat boy turned to Izuku, eyes full of admiration. "Ne, Izuku, you'll cook every night right!? Please!"

The green haired boy laughed.

"If you want me to, sure."

The three younger siblings nodded sharply as they continued eating, and he was certain he caught the older teen to his right smiling as she herself dug into her own bowl.

"I guess I'll just have to learn to make things other than katsudon…" Izuku said, mostly to himself as he finished up his own food relatively quickly, making to clean up as the others finished and were sent to get ready for bed by Mirko.

"You're the best Izuku!" Daichi cried as he slid into the bedroom, Arata sighing in exasperation as he followed. Ayame stopped in the door frame, turning back and giving the green haired boy one last look, before she smiled and shut the door. From where he stood over the sink, washing the dishes, Izuku couldn't help the warmth in his heart at that look.

What could he say? He loved kids, and Ayame reminded him a bit of Eri, so…

Usagiyama slid up next to him, a rag in one hand as she reached out with the other.

"I'll dry."

Izuku hummed as they fell into silence.

"I like your siblings, they're great." He said offhandedly, trying to fill the awkward silence.

"They're just in a good mood because you offered to cook and clean, so they got out of chores," the white haired young woman told him gruffly, rolling her eyes as she took the last bowl from him and he started on the rice cooker. "Though… I can tell they like you too, for what it's worth. You've definitely made a good impression."

They finished in silence, with Izuku trying to start up talk occasionally, but eventually just accepting the tense quiet.

"Ok…" The rabbit girl sighed heavily, obviously tired as she opened up her closet and began shifting through some things. Eventually, she pulled out what Izuku knew to be a bottle of sake and motioned him over towards the front door. "Grab some cups would you? I don't have any of the fancy little ones, so we'll have to deal."

"Oh, um…" Izuku stuttered as the girl threw on a sweatshirt and began pulling on her shoes. "We're not, um, legal yet Usagi-"

"Jesus Christ, call me Rumi, please. I'll be honest it's been super annoying having you call me that." She cut him off, rolling her eyes, "And I know, and yet, I still have this bottle of sake in my hands, and I'm still taking it with us. It's been a long day, and I don't know about you, but I'm gonna have a drink." She rolled her shoulders as she faced him, pulling up the hood - which was conveniently cut to fit her ears through, neat - and slipping the bottle into the front pocket. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but damn, I sure as hell won't judge you if you do. If my day's been long, yours has been 100 fucking times longer."

Izuku stopped.

I'd almost forgotten. Almost been able to take my mind off of it completely and just be for a couple hours, but she's right…

Suddenly, the weight of the entire last day came crashing down onto his shoulders, and as Izuku quietly returned to the kitchen, he found himself grabbing two little glasses instead of one.

Sorry mom, All Might… Aizawa sensei even, but I think I'm a little justified here.

Following behind the rabbit girl as she left, he closed the front door as quietly as he could, as to not attract the attention of the younger siblings they were leaving behind. Following Rumi as she made her way down the hallway and up the stairs, Izuku soon found himself on the roof of the little apartment building. It was shoddy, and held only a couple lawn chairs that the two teens quickly inhabited.

Once situated, Rumi cracked open the bottle and took the glasses from his hand, pouring each of them a nice little bit, before re-quirking it and sliding it back into her pocket.

Izuku took the glass she offered, and after a moment, took a tepid little sip of the drink.

… Surprisingly, not that bad.

Rumi let out a long sigh after her first couple sips, content.

"Fuck… Deku, or Izuku…?"

"Whichever you want."

"Deku then. Ok, so, this entire situation is fucked. Do you get that?" She scratched her head a bit and laughed, "Like, neither of us are pros, and now… I've been trying to ignore it all night, I know you have too, but shit this situation is a whole 'nother level of fucked up."

Izuku nodded, taking another sip.

"Ya… I almost convinced myself it wasn't real, back down there in your apartment. With your siblings, and everything, I'd kinda been able to shut out reality for a little bit, but…" Izuku took a long look out over the horizon. Tokyo could be seen in the distance, and even with all the light pollution, the stars made the scene heavenly. "Ya… I'm going to start working on something tomorrow. I'll dig around and see if I can't come up with any information on any Yakuza who are operating in the area. Even if I can't find that, then trying to find a way into the underground of the area will give me a huge boon." He cracked his neck. "I'm essentially going to have to go underground. Start operating like a vigilante. My license passes the validity checks, sure, but if I give someone too close a look at it…"

"One way ticket to looneyville."

"Well, probably worse to be honest. People finding out wouldn't be so bad if they're ones I know I can trust, but well… I don't want people to recognize me, the younger me, that is, because they met this me. I can't have them drawing and parallels if they have anything to do with my future." He took another sip, finding her eyes in the dark. "Too much of a chance it'll mess with the timeline."

"Don't wanna erase yourself huh?"

"Who would?"

Rumi laughed. "Guess you're right…" She looked away. "I'll look into it a bit with my agency, though I can tell you there probably won't be a whole lot I can do on my end… The hero I'm under is a damn weakling, and near fucking useless too. Probably wouldn't do a whole lot even if he did know there were dangerous Yakuza in the area. He's a career hero."

Izuku grimaced.

'Career hero'. The term used for people who even before Stain were seen as fakes. People who are so obviously in it for the wrong reasons that it's not even funny. Notoriously, they'll make sure not to solve all the problems in their area as to make sure they have a steady source of income. Leave just enough room for villains and criminals to operate, and you have a steady, reliable source of cases and cash.

Deku would never, never, say that what Stain did was right, however he also knew that it was people like that who gave rise to the man and his followers, and he personally despised them.

"Why are you with him then?" He asked incredulously.

Rumi scoffed.

"You think I have a choice? I don't go to U of fuckin A. We don't have options like you do, especially not me. People see my quirk on paper and think, 'oh what a cute quirk, I bet she's adorable' or some shit like that. No hero sees it and thinks 'wow, I want her, she'll probably be great!'" She took a long drink, finishing off her sake and letting out a heavy, satisfied sigh. "The damn perv only chose me because he thought I'd be cute. Fucker."

Izuku's eyes fell, face drooping as he faced the reality of the hero world that thanks to All Might, he'd been able to mostly ignore for the last couple years.

The system's fucked, and people without obviously flashy quirks are overlooked and stepped on by those with said flashy quirks. The world is unfair… People aren't created equal.

Maybe it was the sake making his lips loose, or maybe it was the stress, or the fact that the white haired girl was now the sole member of his support network, but Izuku found himself speaking his mind as Rumi refilled her glass, and topped him off.

"I was quirkless until I was 14." He stated, looking sadly up to the sky as Rumi turned to face him, attention taken as her eyes widened. "It's why everyone called me deku. To them - the teachers, the students, everyone - I was worthless without a quirk." He smiled a sad little smile. "I remember my best friend at the time giving me the name when I tried to stop him from picking on some poor kid. Ha," He laughed, taking another drink, "What a sight. The quirkless loser quivering in his boots as he put up his fists to defend some kid from his best friend, and was beaten half to death for it." Izuku sighed. "I tried to keep conversations about the future to a minimum because I knew what would happen as soon as I told anyone I wanted to be a hero. I'd always get this… This look."

For maybe the first time in years, Izuku felt his anger - long buried - at his treatment rise to the surface.

"So… I get it. My quirk only manifested when I saved someone during the UA entrance exam. Knocked over this giant robot and got three mutilated limbs for my trouble." He showed her his right hand, which even in the dull light, was very obviously crooked. "It's like a power up quirk, but it's so strong that it didn't manifest until my body could handle it without just, like, exploding."

He shook his head, dropping his hand.

Not exactly a lie. Hey I'm getting good at this.

"I was planning on trying for a public hero school if I didn't get into UA, try to become an underground hero or something, and probably would have ended up as a detective or vigilante if I couldn't get in anywhere. You know they deny quirkless applications in most highschools? It's bullshit."

"Ayame's quirkless," Rumi added, causing him to stop, wide eyed. "I know. Trust me, Deku, I know about all the bullshit this world of ours puts the quirkless through. Ayame does school online because she was getting treated so shitily at that damn school of hers, and she's practically invisible to our country's legal system." She met his eyes, something sad and deep bubbling beneath the surface. "Did you know the life expectancy for quirkless people is 20? Because the suicide and murder rate are so fucking high." She looked like she was about to cry.

I did, because I know some people who've taken the easy way out. I wasn't the only quirkless kid in my grade all that time ago, just the only survivor. Most would have taken the advice Kacchan gave me that day in school. Even I thought about it, for just a second I thought maybe I should try my luck with my next life.

Izuku shook his head, banishing his thoughts as he felt his heart twist in his chest at the thought of the cute little girl he barely knew, dead. Was she? In the future that Izuku came from?

He prayed silently to whatever deity would listen that it wasn't the case.

It was quiet between them for a moment as they simply sat, drinking and pondering.

"Jesus, we just like, poured our hearts out or some shit." Rumi laughed, shaking her head, "Don't think I've ever had a conversation like this before period, much less one with someone my age… Wait, how old are you, by the way?"

"17."

"Ok, so one year younger than me, but that's not that a lot. Still know me better than most of my classmates already." She shook her head.

Quiet again, but not like the quiet from before. It was a comfortable sort of quiet.

I actually like it. It's nice.

They continued like that for a while. Conversation swinging between one subject and the next as they finished off the bottle of sake and made loose plans of action for the next day and beyond. Rumi promised to dig up whatever information she could find on Yakuza or other organized crime in the area, or anyone with a time quirk that could possibly be the younger Kronos. Eventually, in the early hours of the morning when the stars were still smiling down on them, and the sun still a long ways off, the two made their way back to the apartment for some shut eye. Rumi setting up her bed - which was a pull out from the couch - and tossing Izuku and pillow and blanket for his claimed corner of floor just in time to pass out.

As Izuku looked up at the ceiling that first night, he couldn't help but think quietly to himself that maybe, everything would be ok. He was going to find Kronos, or someone else who could help him, and he'd be home in no time. Before he'd know it he'd be back in the dorms telling his friends about his little adventure to the past, and how he shared a drink with the number five hero.

Ya… Everything… Everything is going to be fine. I'll be back in no time…

Eyes closing heavily, Izuku felt sleep take him.

Be back… In no time…