Izuku thinks he'll never get used to cars, never grow to like riding them. Memories flutter through his mind, like remnants of lost tapes from old movies. Flashing and rising to the surface, too chaotic for the calm, almost serene atmosphere that danced around him. Memories of his last and final sight. One of the clearest and strongest memories he had, in fact.

The last time his eyes gazed onto the colors and lights of the world.

Flashes of red and blue, an onslaught of scenes, made hazy and blurry from the pain. Shattered glass, liquid, hot, and coiling, seeping into his eyelids. Condemning him to eternal darkness.

The officer escorting them to the precinct fiddles with the radio, filling the silence with soft tunes and breaking whatever daze Izuku managed to get himself into. He feels Bakugou's gaze, intense and worried, trained on him. Probably sensing Izuku's discomfort.

As if the world was responding to his unspoken wish, the car finally pulls up to what Izuku can only assume is the police station.

He's moving before the car is even in a full park, scrambling to get out of the metallic deathtrap society calls a vehicle. However, just as his fingers reach the door's handle, a hand on his shoulder pulls him back.

"Deku." Bakugou's voice is low as he utters the old nickname, his tone alone is enough to gain Izuku's full attention. "When we're done here, you need to talk to Shinsou, you hear me nerd? You need to tell him everything." The teen's hand disappears from his shoulder after that, the absence of its warmth makes Izuku's whole body shiver as his hand shakily pulls the handle and he finally gets out of the car. Only managing to nod in response to the blonde's demand.

The officer leads them inside after that, waiting patiently for Izuku to get his bearings and scan his surroundings.

As if the unmute button on the world has been pushed, sounds immediately accost his senses the moment his feet cross the door's threshold. The sheer amount of people flittering through the building rivals the ones at the mall. Every one of them moves with urgency and purpose, creating a scene akin to the inside of a beehive.

Izuku follows Bakugou's shadow, hand clutching at the boy's sleeve like a lifeline, trying his best to shuffle through the crowd without stumbling or knocking into anyone.

Luckily, the walk isn't long, soon enough they stop in front of a small room. The officer politely asks them to wait for the detective to call them in and walks away after knocking twice on the room's door.

Izuku supposes that making a break for it now would seem too suspicious. He would have gotten away sooner if Iida hadn't taken it upon himself to inform the police of his name.

He needed to get this over with quickly. He just hoped that they hadn't read his file yet. Too much information on there could be incriminating. Specifically his medical records.

His musing is cut short as the door finally opens.

Izuku does his best to school his expression as he comes face to face with none other than Tsukauchi and Eraserhead. The two people he did not want to see right now. Especially not in these circumstances.

"Bakugou, Midoriya, please come in," Tsukauchi says as he moves out of the way, ushering them both to a table with four chairs, set right in the middle of the room.

"The fuck are you doing here?" Bakugou exclaims as he notices the underground hero's presence.

"Did you expect me to just ignore that you guys ran into the leader of the league of villains at the mall?" Comes Aizawa's bored response. Izuku finds himself stifling a snort, the sound that escapes his throat catches the attention of the room's occupants though.

"Ah sorry, but uhm," he covers his amusement with a cough, as if he was clearing his throat, "I didn't expect Eraserhead to be so- ah- c-calm about it."

The silence that follows his statement is unnerving, making him regret ever speaking up. Reevaluating his words, he can't find anything weird about what he said. That is until Eraserhead speaks up.

"How did you know who I was?"

Cursing himself for his carelessness, Izuku fumbles to find a believable response. "I- uh- r-recognized your voice, we've m-met before and Shinsou told me you were his and Bakugou's teacher, not to mention that time when you called me out near the h-hospital and I heard Iida calling you on the phone and telling you about the m-mall incident so…" His voice gets lower as his words get faster and before he knows it he's pulled himself into an all-out mumbling fit. However, when he finally stops himself, the adults seem to believe his answer. He can hear Aizawa's heart stutter the moment he mentions their first meeting, however, he doesn't let the man say anything before trying to redirect the conversation. "C-can we just get the w-witness testimony over with, please? It's been a long day."

"Yes, yes of course, please take a seat." Tsukauchi amends after a moment, clearly disgruntled by the word-vomit Izuku just spilled from his mouth.

They follow through the usual protocols pretty easily, answering any and every question they get asked with as much detail as they can, as they tell the two men in front of them what happened at the mall.

"Wait, so you decided to antagonize a villain that could've disintegrated you within a couple of seconds?" Tsukauchi asks as soon as Bakugou tells them about his conversation with Shigaraki.

"I needed to distract him and I just told him the first thing that came to my mind I guess?" He tries to sound sheepish but the scoff he hears Bakugou lets out, along with the soft murmur of 'problem child' from Aizawa tell him he didn't quite succeed.

Next, they tell them about the rest of their interaction with Shigaraki, and despite Izuku's clear reluctance, Bakugou tells them about Shigaraki's parting words.

"This is even worse than we expected," Tsukauchi says with a nod to Aizawa. "Bakugou, we've contacted your parents, they should be waiting for you outside by now."

Bakugou recognizes the dismissal but doesn't seem inclined to take his leave any time soon, instead, he turns to Izuku.

"Who's waiting for him then?"

Aizawa, who's been mostly quiet until now, chooses that moment to speak up.

"The league knowing who he is, changes things greatly." Turning towards Izuku, his voice is grave, as if he wants to convey the seriousness of the situation. "It makes you a target Midoriya."

"I-uh- live at the orphanage in the Musutafu district. I can get there on my own." He knows he's walking on a thin line, he doesn't know how much the two men in front of him know about his situation.

"Midoriya, you don't have to lie to us."

"You haven't lived there for a long time now," Aizawa adds, almost as if to prove their point.

The words hit him hard, making it clear just how much he's slipped up. The detective had a truth detecting quirk for god's sake. How could he have forgotten such a crucial detail?

He feels Bakugou's head swivel to glare at him. The teen is probably realizing the reason behind Izuku's reluctance to talk about himself now.

Letting the nervous act drop for a second, Izuku lets his back slump against the chair, crossing his arms almost automatically, a habit manifesting itself by the need to put up his shields, he won't be slipping up anymore. "So, you've read my file?" It's more like a statement than a question, they couldn't have known about the orphanage otherwise.

"We have, you've been declared missing for almost three years now. However, our plans to find you a proper home to live in aren't real options anymore." Before Izuku can voice his surprise or even his objection, the hero goes on. "The threat the league poses is too great to ignore, we can't leave you unprotected." Izuku barely manages to stifle a scoff at that. "So, we have two options for you."

Before they get to explain, a knock sounds from the door, the same officer who drove them sticks his head in hesitantly. "I'm sorry for the interruption but the Bakugou's are getting restless and they're asking if they can take the kid home now?"

As if to prove his point, shouting could be heard from just outside the room, a woman, who Izuku assumes is Mitsuki Bakugou is shouting at someone to hurry up. Fond memories flood through Izuku's head, and he can't help but smile.

Grumbling under his breath, Bakugou hurriedly follows the officer outside, however, he does threaten Izuku before he leaves, telling him he better update him once this is over.

The door clicks shut once again, and the smile slips just as easily from his features. Taking his glasses off, Izuku tries to level his gaze with the men in front of him. He knows he must be unnerving to look at, he can't bring himself to care right now though.

"What are the options then?"

Clearing his throat, Tsukauchi is the one to explain. "The first one is quite standard in situations like this." The man starts calmly. "We put you into witness protection, where you'd be watched and protected around the clock by either heroes or police officers."

"I think I'd rather stick to the second option than." He finds himself muttering without actually meaning to. However, his response prompts the underground hero to explain the second option.

"The second option is to become a ward of UA, you'd be placed under my, and the other teacher's at UA's protection."

Meaning he'd not only be watched by normal heroes but some of the best too.

Izuku's first thought is that the second option is even worse than the first. However, it's a second later that he remembers an important detail. One that would certainly affect his decision.

"Would I stay at school during class outings or would I go with you?"

"You'd go wherever I go, meaning you'd join in on any off-campus sites whenever the need arises."

He'd be able to go with Shinsou to the training camp. He'd get to protect them if the league decides to strike there.

Given his recent encounter with the league, it's a high probability.

Just as he's about to answer, a piercing headache makes his world tilt on its axis. The pain must've shown on his face, for the moment he regains his bearing, both men are closer to him than before. Aizawa's hand is outstretched as if to catch him if he falls.

With everything that happened, he forgot to take his medication.

"Are you okay Midoriya?" Tsukauchi's voice drips with concern, making it hard for Izuku to simply brush off the question.

"Kid, what happened?"

Focusing on them, he decides to venture with caution. He's made too many mistakes tonight.

"Haven't you read my medical records?" His file should contain information about the chemicals in his system. Didn't they know?

"Unfortunately, for reasons that are still beyond us, your doctor has restricted access to your files. Making it impossible for us to read them without his or your explicit consent."

"Oh." Why would Doctor Hiro go through the trouble to redact his records? He couldn't have known that they linked Izuku to Shadow. How could he?

Deciding to avoid looking a gift horse in the mouth, Izuku takes it in stride.

This explains why Aizawa and Tuskauchi haven't made the connection yet.

"Is there anything we should know Midoriya?"

"The headaches I get are related to the crash I was in when I was ten." There, vague and true enough for the detective's quirk not to go off. "Can't I just stay on my own, I've survived this long without anyone's protection, I can manage. The league won't even know where to look for me." He tries to reason, the logic behind his words are clear to him. However, it seems like the wrong thing to say if the way the room seems to drop a few temperatures is of any indication.

"Surviving isn't something you should settle for. You're just a kid, you can't go on like this. You need to learn to rely on others."

"I don't know how you've managed this long but this has to stop Midoriya." Tsukauchi presses on, mirroring Aizawa's serious tone. "We know we are only strangers to you, but we give you our word, we won't let anyone treat you like they did at that orphanage."

"Let us take care of you problem child."

"I'll go with the second option then…" He says quietly after a moment, to stunned by the men's words to say anything else. "B-but I have to do something first."

He doesn't know how exactly he convinces them but somehow, they let him have the night to himself, enough time to get his stuff and meet back with them the next morning.

For Izuku, it's enough time to go see Shinsou.

Dread pools in his guts at the mere thought but he knows that Bakugou's right. He needed to talk to Shinsou. He needed to tell him everything.

So given his deadline, he finds himself perched on Shinsou's windowsill at 11 o'clock. The street is quiet, the darkness of night is only illuminated by the streetlight, glowing dimly under the moonlight.

His insides twist in anticipation and he nearly decides to double back.

Running from his problems, however, won't make them disappear. So, with that in mind, he knocks twice on the windows. The glass vibrating beneath the force, the only barrier between him and his best friend finding out the truth.

One minute pass and then another and Izuku thinks that maybe, however unlikely, that the boy isn't home. The brief relief he feels is outlived the moment the window slides up.

The boy's posture is the definition of tired, his shoulders are slumped, hands coming up to rub at his eyes as if he doesn't believe that Izuku is really there.

"Did I wake you?"

"Y-yeah, but that's okay, my parents are out of town so you can come in." The teen's voice is rough from sleep, tone soft as he moves to let Izuku in. "What are you doing here?" Shinsou probably doesn't mean to sound so harsh but Izuku can't get himself to blame him for the bitterness he must be feeling.

"I need to tell you something."

"Are you going to tell me why you've been avoiding me?"

"Y-yes." Izuku's mouth feels dry as if the words he wants to say are just going to get stuck in his throat. Destined to keep them tucked close to his heart, next to his fears and his lost hopes.

"So you have been ignoring me," Shinsou mutters dejectedly, the hurt- clear in his voice- makes Izuku's chest ache. When he takes too long to respond, the teen continues. "A-are you mad at me? Did I do something?"

"No!" He shouts without meaning to, the guilt he feels rises to the surface, threatening to suffocate him with its clout. "No, of course not. You didn't do anything wrong!" He's been so caught up in his own feelings and his own decisions that he didn't think about what Shinsou must have been feeling.

"Then why? Why have you been ignoring my calls? I haven't talked to you properly for weeks!" There it is again, the anger the teen must have been suppressing this whole time. And the worst thing is that Izuku has no one to blame but himself.

"I was…" He starts slowly, head bowed down, Eyes squeezed shut and trained on the floor below as he gathers the courage to say it. "I was scared okay? I didn't want you to hurt you. I never meant to hurt you…"

"The last time we had a conversation like this was when-" Shinsou cuts himself off abruptly. Dawning realization hits him with an almost physical force. Izuku senses as his body seems to tense, hands outstretched as if to reach out to Izuku but they falter right before they hit their mark. Fingers curling into a tight fist that he tucks back at his side a moment later. "…When you told me you were dying." The silence that follows his words is almost deafening, heavy and thick as it settles between them. "Izuku?" the desperation in Shinsou's voice is almost enough to break him then and there. "Izuku say something, please."

"D-do you remember the night I fought stain?" Shinsou, clearly confused by the change of subject, only nods at that. "That night I… I got hurt a lot worse than I told you." Izuku plows on, knowing that if he didn't tell him now, he never will. "Aizawa got recovery girl to heal me and I was fine." He explains hurriedly, eyes still trained on the floor. "but Shinsou, her quirk… it did something to me." Finally lifts his head up, unseeing eyes meeting Shinsou's worried, scared ones. "It accelerated the effects of the chemicals in my body. It- it shortened the time I had left." Not bearing to look at the other teen as he says that, he clenches his eyes shut once again. Willing his sense to block the world out. Block everything out. "The doctor said I had s-seven months left."

The sound of breaking glass reaches his ears before he can think about its origin. The sound startles him, making his whole body tense, an ingrained reaction in him screams at him to fight, but he senses no threat. More things break and Izuku releases his senses again.

Shinsou is trashing his room, movements frantic as he throws to the ground whatever he can get his hands on. Moving towards the boy, he can't help but hesitate. He's never seen his friend act so out of control.

Anger and grief cloud his mind, akin to a veil, blurring his sight and blocking his mind from thinking rationally. "Shinsou…P-please stop." At that the boy turns towards him, chucking the book he's been holding into the wall behind Izuku.

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM ABOUT THIS?!" Shinsou roars, his voice ringing in Izuku's ears as he steps even closer to him.

"Hitoshi please."

"HOW CAN YOU BE OKAY WITH THIS? How can you stand there and- and ACCEPT IT!"

Izuku's fists clench at his side, his body shaking with the effort to hold himself together. To not let himself fall apart again.

The only sound in the room is their breathing when Izuku decides to speak up. Shinsou's chest is heaving as if he just ran a marathon. The anger and aggression he felt seep out of him the moment Izuku speaks. As if his body shuts down and his shoulders slump under the weight of his actions.

"I'm not. Okay? I'm not okay with this." They stand there, chest heaving as they face each other. So much anger and so much pain that they can never properly express. "I'm not okay at all. I don't know how to deal with this Shinsou. I don't know how to do this! I just I-"His voice breaks as a sob wrenches itself from his throat without his consent. "I- Shinsou I- I can't- I can't breathe." The pressure in his chest intensifies and for a moment he thinks it's happening, he thinks this is it. He's dying.

He falls onto his hands and knees, hands clutching tightly onto the fabric of his shirt, twisting and squishing it between his trembling fingers. He can't breathe, it feels as if all the air in the room has been sucked out, making the world spin around him until all he feels is the suffocating darkness around him expand and amplify. He can't breathe. His senses go haywire at the lack of oxygen, making it hard for him to sense anything around him. Shinsou tries to speak to him but his voice sounds distant to Izuku's ears as if his head was plunged underwater, too deep and too far for him to make out the words.

Two hands take hold of his shoulders and suddenly he's being pulled closer.

"Izu-k –focus o –me!"

"-foc-s on m- Iz –ku!"

Without knowing what was happening, he feels something crash against his lips, soft and warm. It's so intense that without meaning to, he holds his breath.

It could have been seconds or it could have been an eternity but either way, Izuku finds that he doesn't want it to stop. The sheer amount of warmth he feels fluttering inside of him is almost enough to make the hurt and the pain go away.

Shinsou pulls away and Izuku can breathe again. The pressure constricting his chest finally loosens up enough for his senses to work again.

His chest heaves with the effort to regain his breathing but he finds himself calmer than he's even been. He feels Shinsou's trembling form crouched in front of him.

"H-how did you do that?" Izuku can't help but ask, his eyes wide in shock. Voice breathy as he brings two fingers to his lips, nails hovering but never touching.

"I- I saw it in a TV s-show once."

"Shinsou we can't-" Izuku begins but falters, not having the strengths to say it. "I don't want to hurt you more than I already have and more than I already will."

"I know. I just… Just let us have this, please. I- I love you Izuku. I have for a long time now." Izuku doesn't dare to utter a single word, his heart hangs onto every word that comes out of the boy's mouth. "I just want you to be selfish for once. Just let me be selfish okay? If not for you, then do it for me." The ache in Izuku's heart comes back at full force and he can't help the tears that stream down his cheeks uncontrollably. "I want to be with you for as long as I can. 'Til the- the end, okay?"

"Okay."