Approximately thirteen years ago...

The sound of soft sniffling echoed down the dark corridor as you crept through the halls of the HPSC training facility. You weren't supposed to be out of bed, of course, but the day's training regime left you feeling restless. The light from the tiny portable snail-lamp in your outstretched hand illuminated the hallway a few feet ahead of you, making the darkness of the unlit areas appear all the more black. Your muscles ached every time you moved, but that didn't stop you from tiptoeing out of your room. Somehow, you had managed to make your way up to the top floors without being spotted. You wiped the tears from your cheek sheepishly as you took in the state of this area.

Most of this part of the building was still intact; however, occasional gaps in the ceiling panels above allowed you to catch a glimpse of the structure between you and the floor above. It was only about a month ago that the upper floors had been severely damaged when one of the program kids' quirks had gone haywire during class. You were told that, because the structural integrity had been compromised, this area, and the floors below it, were completely off-limits. That is, of course, if you got caught. You had overheard a few of the others talking about how they had snuck out one night and dared each other to go as far as they could into the lightless, spine-chilling wing. It was stupid, you had thought at first, but their game gave you a hopeful idea. If they came up here and didn't get caught, perhaps you could, too. You weren't sure what compelled you to do it. You had only been with the program for about two months and weren't exactly close with any of the other children. You hadn't told anyone about what you were doing or where you were going; rather, you were struck with the sudden urge to explore the abandoned place. Though you hadn't seen the other kids when they played their little game, you were fairly certain none of them had gotten this far before.

You held your shining palm-sized snail friend higher to examine an area of the crumbled ceiling. A lone security camera sat directly in the center. You gasped, fearful that it had caught you sneaking about, and quickly pinned yourself against the wall and covered your light in a futile attempt to hide. How many of those had you passed on the way here? You stood there for a moment in pitch darkness, nervous that you might soon hear the footsteps of one of the overseers stomping down the hall to get you. No such sound came, though. After a few minutes, you hesitantly lifted your hand from your nightlight. You squinted to inspect the camera as the light stretched towards it. The red power light was missing. You breathed a sigh of relief. They must have cut power to the whole wing.

Now that you knew you weren't being watched, you wondered what might be on the level above you. It was the floor where the quirk incident had taken place. You'd heard that the classroom it had happened in was completely blown away, but that was just a rumor. How could you get up there to see? The stairway up there had been destroyed and with no electricity, the elevators were out of commission as well.

'I could probably do it if I could fly…' You thought disappointedly.

You continued slowly down the hall. More tears formed in your eyes and you had to admit, the darkness was beginning to spook you. With the exception of the occasional loose ceiling tile, bit of concrete, and yourself, the corridor was empty, so it was a surprise when you came across a small pile of classroom desks just strewn across the floor. As you glanced up, you noticed a sizable hole in the roof above you.

'That must be the classroom!'

You dried your eyes once again and ventured closer to the damaged area for a better look. You lifted your glowing gastropod as high as you could; however, you could only see the internal structure of the classroom wall from your vantage point. As you stared upwards, a faint clank came from down the hall. A sudden rush of adrenaline flooded your system and your head shot towards the noise. At the end of the unlit passage, a small ball of light bobbed up and down, then side to side as if searching for something.

'Oh no! They know I'm here.' You dreaded the thought.

The light shone down the hall in your direction and you felt your heart leap into your throat. In a panic, you began to scale the few desks that were leaned against the wall. They almost seemed to be deliberately placed just high enough for you to be able to make it through the gap in the ceiling. One of the unsteady desks wobbled and tilted as you scrambled upwards. You felt the structure give way underneath you as the table fell. In a last-ditch effort, you used your quirk to propel yourself upwards just a little bit. It wasn't the flying you had hoped for, but it did the trick. You managed to sling your arms over the floor of the room above as the Leaning Tower of School Desks™ crashed noisily to the ground. Heart still beating furiously in your chest, you struggled to pull yourself up. Once you lifted a leg over the side, you were able to drag the rest of your body to safety. You sat on your hands and knees, panting from the anxiety and physical exertion. The moon and streetlamps outside flooded the room with a pale light.

"Huh?" A curious voice sounded a few feet away. You looked up with wide eyes, startled by the sudden realization that you were not alone. On the other end of the room (or, rather, what was left of it) stood a boy. He looked to be about your age- another member of the program, you assumed. You were certain you'd seen his face before. His fluffy red hair streaked with white blew with the breeze that came through the gigantic hole in the wall of the building. He stared at you, blue eyes like saucers, and stance defensive upon seeing your terrified face.

"Oh, it's just you." He breathed, arms relaxing at his sides.

You stammered as you tried to find the right words. "I-I'm sorry! I-I didn't know t-that someone was up here." You gulped and scrambled to your feet. "I was just… looking for somewhere quiet." Of course, your room was quiet, but at the moment, you found it far too cramped to be in.

He gave you a small smile, noticing your puffy eyes. "Don't worry, I know the feeling."

"Oh, I- uh, I didn't mean to bother you…" You worried you may have disturbed his peace and quiet.

"That's alright. You're already here, you might as well stay." He said kindly. "I'm just glad you weren't an overseer."

You let out a breath you weren't aware you were holding in. "About that." You chuckled nervously. "I think I saw someone coming down the hall. I was just trying to…"

A new noise emanated from the floor below: the scraping of metal and wood against linoleum. The boy moved quickly by your side, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and covering your mouth with his hand.

"Shh, they might hear."

The two of you stared in anticipation at the gaping hole in the crook of the wall and floor. More scuffling was followed by a beam of light shining up into the room. You felt the boy's grip tighten, not enough to hurt, but enough to understand that he was just as nervous as you. You clutched your squishy night light tightly in your sweaty hand, effectively shutting it off. The intrusive beam moved around awkwardly before disappearing altogether. The two of you stood as still as possible with only the sound of your breathing between you. Just then, an unexpected brightness shone on your faces, causing both of you to recoil and attempt to shield your eyes. As your pupils adjusted, you could make out the source of the light. A flashlight pointed directly at you.

"Hey! You guys are up here too?" A voice called out excitedly. It didn't sound like an overseer.

"Whoops, sorry! Didn't mean to blind ya." They said as they clicked the flashlight off. "Man, it is dark down there!" The mystery boy's frame came into view as you blinked. His downy blonde hair was pushed back, exposing his forehead and eager gold eyes. You caught a glimpse of his red wings folding as his feet touched the ground.

The red-and-white haired boy released you. "Could the two of you be any more conspicuous?" He griped, though his voice held no actual resentment. He spun on his heel and began walking towards the edge of the building.

The winged child ventured closer. "Haha, yeah, probably." He beamed. "What're you two doing here? I thought we weren't allowed to be in this part anymore."

"We're not." You said.

"We could ask you the same question." The first boy retorted, leaning on what little of the outer wall was left.

"Ah, I was just curious is all. Wanted to see the place for myself. Seems like anyone I talk to either wasn't in the room when the accident happened or… they don't wanna talk to me." The second boy admitted.

"Can't imagine why." The other teased.

"Hey, I said I was sorry about the flashlight!" The blonde whined. "You heard me, right?" He asked, turning to you.

You nodded shyly, realizing this was the first time any of the other program kids had addressed you directly.

"See!" He gloated at the other boy, who was now seated on some scaffolding just outside the wall. "Your turn now. What made you come up?" His question was directed at both of you.

You didn't answer immediately. Though you had been trying (and failing) to make friends since you got here, you weren't quite sure if opening up to the first person who willingly spoke to you was such a great idea. With your timid nature taking over, you spoke quietly. "I just felt like walking around a bit."

The second boy sighed. "Yeah, I hear ya." He said, stretching his arms and wings above his head. "Training today was tough. It must've been extra hard for you, though. You're kinda new here, right?."

You nodded again, allowing a small smile to grace your lips. "Mhm."

"I saw you tryin' to fly."

You felt the embarrassment rise to your cheeks. He saw you during training? It should have come as no surprise, seeing as how everyone was using the same facility for individual training today, but knowing that someone had seen your botched attempts at flight was admittedly humiliating. You didn't know the boy, but for some reason, you really wanted to save face.

"I-I can fly!" You blurted out a little louder than you intended.

He laughed. "Oh yeah, I saw you crashing. Hit a few things, didn't you?"

Your blush deepened. Flying did not come easy to you. It was only about a month ago that your overseer, Mrs. Yamamoto, had pitched the idea to you. In all honesty, it hadn't even crossed your mind before. Using your quirk on yourself was a foreign concept, so putting it into practice was complicated. You could never keep yourself straight when you flew, if you could even call it flying. Your body hardly ever went where you wanted it to go. It was wobbly, like a giraffe learning how to walk; you were sure you looked pathetic.

"Hey, I only just learned I could do it. Just you wait, I'll get it right!" You protested.

The feathered boy grinned. "What about you, Mr. Dark-and-Brooding? What're you doing up here?"

The other boy turned around with a confused look. "Who said I was brooding?" He questioned.

The second boy walked towards him. "You just look so lost in thought."

"I am. Doesn't mean I'm 'brooding.' Thinking is good for the mind. You might wanna try it sometime." The first said with a sly smirk.

"Ah, a wise guy, huh? Alright, alright, I respect it." The blonde boy responded. "So, you gonna answer the question?"

The first boy hummed. "It's just peaceful here. I thought I could get some proper alone time." It was strange. What he said was borderline insulting, but his delivery made it clear that he was joking.

"Well excuse me, your highness. Shall we leave you to sulk in your chambers in peace?" The second boy jested.

"I suppose I could allow you to stay and… cure my boredom."

You couldn't help but smile at the pair's friendly banter. This was the first time you had been able to have any sort of extended interaction with any of the other kids. It was nice. Sure, you weren't exactly part of their conversation, but you didn't feel excluded either. Like you could jump in anytime you liked. So you did.

You quietly approached and took a seat on the scaffolding beside the first boy as they continued.

"I take it the two of you have never been up here." He said looking between yourself and the winged kid. You shook your head. "I haven't been here very long. I'd seen the classroom before, but not since it was blown up."

"Man, I bet it was super cool!" The second boy chimed in.

"Oh, trust me; it was. I was here when it happened." Said the other. With the expression the second kid wore, you could have sworn he'd just seen the face of All Might.

"Woah, really?! That's so cool!" He rose above the floor as he flapped his wings excitedly. "I'm Ke- oh, wait. I'm Hawks! How about you?" He asked you first.

"Oh, uh… I'm (H/N)."

Hawks chuckled. "Ooh, very cool. What about you, man?" He asked, nudging the other boy.

"Touya." He stated plainly, looking out at the night sky once more.

You and Hawks looked at each other for a moment, then back to Touya. "Wait, we're supposed to use our hero-" Hawks began.

"It doesn't matter." Touya spoke suddenly, cutting the other boy off. "It's not like they can hear us up here. That's the real reason you two came over here in the first place, right?"

You blinked, surprised at his words. He was right. It was so much nicer in this wing. Sure, it was dark and dusty, but, unlike the dorms, it was free of the overwhelming feeling of being constantly observed. Touya must have seen the shocked look on your faces because his tone became more amiable.

"How about this. When we're up here, you're not Hawks or (H/N). You're just you. No fancy hero stuff."

"Oh." Hawks began. "Well in that case… my name's Keigo Takami!" He stated delightedly.

He wanted to know your name? Your real name? You had to admit, it was refreshing. After two months of aggressively normalizing your hero name, someone was actually interested in you?

You beamed at Touya's gesture, speaking with more confidence than you had before. "(Y/N). (Y/N) (L/N)."

Touya nodded. "That's much better. It's nice to meet you guys."

"Yeah! I mean, I've seen you guys during training and in class before, but… well I don't really get along too well with the others. Just guessed it'd be the same with everyone, but you guys seem pretty cool." Keigo agreed. His words resonated with you. Eight weeks of trying with some of the others had gotten you nowhere, but just five minutes with these two had you feeling much more optimistic.

"Same here. Everyone here is too rich and stuck up to talk to." Touya added. It may have sounded mean, but it was true. Most of the program kids came from affluent families who desperately wanted their children to become successful heroes, but not you. Technically, Mrs. Yamamoto had custody of you.

"It's good to know not everyone's like that." You said happily.

Keigo hopped up eagerly. "We should be friends, just the three of us! Who needs those other guys, anyway." His forwardness caught you off guard, but you understood why he'd jumped at the opportunity. "Hey, and this can be like our own secret clubhouse!"

"But wait, aren't they rebuilding it?" You wondered. "What happens when they finish?"

"I doubt it. This scaffolding has been up here for three weeks now, but it's like no one else has been in here." Touya replied, looking back at the desks thrown asunder about the room.

"Wait a minute, three weeks? How long have you been coming up here?" Keigo asked curiously.

"Since the day they told us not to." Touya smiled wide and the three of you burst into a fit of laughter. It was the first time you had heard of someone disobeying the commission and getting away with it for so long. It made you wonder what else you might be able to pull off.

"I'm in. We can meet back here tomorrow night. If you guys are cool with it, I mean…" You mumbled, not wanting to seem overeager. As it would turn out, there was no need to worry.

"We can meet up here every night!" Keigo was positively giddy. It seemed his happy attitude was beginning to rub off on you and Touya, too.

"Then, it's settled." Touya confirmed. "We should probably head back soon, though. It's getting pretty late, we don't want anyone to notice us missing." He suggested.

"Hang on a second, mister." You stopped him as he began to stand and it seemed Keigo had the same idea. He hovered over Touya with a hopeful smile.

"You've gotta tell us about that blast."