Izuku didn't know how much more he could take. The constantly increasing training was bad enough but the feeling that someone was watching him… stalking him… hounding him was even worse. He could've chalked it up to his nerves after the villains attacked if Mei hadn't complained about it too.
They were done living with a ghost.
Mei had installed a camera to his clothes that was watching his back at all times. If anyone was following him, they'd soon find themselves caught in candid camera for keeps. Every hour or so Izuku would take a walk around school and act as bait while Mei monitored the camera and whispered updates to his ear through the earpiece.
"You feel anything?" Mei said through the earpiece.
"… I don't know. I've been on the edge for so long." Izuku said.
"Keep walking. The quicker we're done the better. The bastard won't be able to resist you for long." Mei said.
"… I just hope…"
"Midoriya!"
Izuku almost jumped out of skin to scare his stalker to death when Kirishima slapped him in the back.
"Why are you talking to yourself?" Kirishima said.
"… talking to Mei." Izuku said and pointed at the earpiece.
"Can't be a moment apart, huh? Hopefully I find someone like that one day." Kirishima said.
"Is that Kirishima?!" Mei screamed and almost left Izuku half-deaf.
Kirishima leaned in closer to Izuku's ear for Mei to hear him.
"What's up, Mei?"
"We're on a stalker hunt!" Mei said.
"… please stop screaming in my ear." Izuku said.
"Sorry. What stalker hunt?" Kirishima said.
"… I think someone's been following me. Us." Izuku said.
"Really? You sure you're not just being paranoid? We're all on the edge. The tournament starts next Friday." Kirishima said.
"… I hope you're right."
"If you need a bodyguard, look no further." Kirishima said and grinned like mad: "Or a test subject. How's the armor coming along? Do you need someone to try it on? Want to go all Plus Ultra on me?"
"… almost done but… I don't think we have time for tests." Izuku said.
"Well, if you luck out…" Kirishima said when he got a message and lit up like a Christmas tree on fire: "I have to go. Katsuki needs my help to train."
Izuku could only shake his head when he saw Kirishima practically float away.
"I'd marry that man if we both didn't like banana ice cream." Mei said and sighed: "But that's how life goes. Some guys like strawberries and some like bananas. And then there are guys like you who think they taste the same."
"… shut up, Mei." Izuku said.
"Hey. We're all…" Mei said and then suddenly fell silent.
"… Mei?"
"I got something. Someone just took a peek. Keep walking. Let's have a good look at this bastard."
Izuku did as he was told and kept walking. Sweat poured down his back when he tried to ignore the footsteps following his own.
"Okay. We're done. Come back." Mei said.
Izuku returned to the workshop. Mei was hunched over Sagan's computer and fuming. Izuku looked over her shoulder and saw the caricature of a pretty boy following him like a second shadow.
Mustard slept in the little room he shared with Shuichi and slime boy and dreamed he was back in his old home. A cold prison that Shuichi had saved him from. Now he wished he was back there. Parents that thought he was an eyesore were preferable to the Shi Hassaikai.
A sharp kick in the side tore him awake.
"Get up! You're going to school!"
"What?! What?!" Mustard said.
Shuichi had jumped on his feet with a wild look in his eyes and his fists raised. One of slime boy's yellow eyes was open and he stared at them from inside his bottle.
Dabi stood over Mustard reeking of a hangover with a haunted look in his flat eyes. He threw a U.A uniform in Mustard's lap.
"Put that on. You're finally making yourself useful and going to U.A to find Toga." Dabi said.
Mustard looked at Dabi horrified.
"Why can't Shuichi do it?" Mustard said.
Dabi stared at Shuichi for a while.
"He doesn't exactly blend in." Dabi said finally.
"But… what if they know who I am?" Mustard said.
"They'll only see the uniform. Just don't draw attention to yourself." Dabi said.
"But… but… that Quirkless freak knows me." Mustard said.
"Then just stay out of his way." Dabi said.
"But…"
Blue fire lit up in Dabi's hand.
"Say but one more time." Dabi said.
Mustard put on the uniform. It was too big for him but not big enough to draw attention.
"Where did you get the uniform?" Shuichi said.
"It was mine once." Dabi said.
Dabi handed Mustard a tracker no bigger than a bug.
"Just put that on her and I'll deal with the rest." Dabi said.
"How am I supposed to find her?" Mustard said.
Dabi smiled.
"I guess she'll find you."
Shuichi rubbed the back of his neck.
"I… I'll try to be close by and… slime boy will come with you. If she tries anything, just let him deal with it."
Mustard took the bottle containing slime boy with him and put him in his pocket. How the hell was slime boy supposed to deal with anything when separating his consciousness from his captured body had left him so weak?
He got a ride to U.A and like Dabi had said, the uniform made him invisible. No one gave him a second glance as he passed them by. He'd be fine. Just fine. He…
Mustard started sweating.
He couldn't do this!
"We should make a run for it." Slime boy whispered from his pocket.
Mustard looked around. They only knew the gender of the person Toga was mimicking. Other than that, she could be anyone. Who said she wasn't watching him right now? Stalking him. Waiting for a moment to strike. And if she did, no one would care. His parents hadn't lifted a finger to find him after he ran from home. Running was the only thing that made sense. All that meant… was leaving Shuichi behind. His only friend and family.
After wiping the sweat off his brow, Mustard stepped deeper into U.A. He'd always dreamed of attending here. Who would've thought that he'd be doing it like this.
At the gate he passed a student with blonde hair and a tail, talking to another blonde student with a black stripe in his hair and… the most unfortunate looking guy Mustard ever seen. Even Shuichi's mutation would have been preferable. The guy reached others barely to the waist, his face belonged to a cartoon animal and his hair was shaped like bubble bath.
"I swear that thing was bigger than Mineta." The tail guy said.
"Hey." The weird looking guy said sounding offended.
"That small, huh?" The other blonde guy said.
"Couldn't have been that big." The weird looking guy said who Mustard assumed was Mineta.
"Let's put it this way. If that dick had a dick… Bakugou would still be jealous." The tail guy said.
Mustard kept walking. What the hell was wrong with this place? When he wasn't looking ahead, he pumped into a pissed off looking guy whose hair was shaped liked an explosion.
"Watch where you're going, fucker." The guy snarled and pushed Mustard aside.
A guy with red-hair and sharp teeth smiled to Mustard apologetically.
"Sorry. We're all a bit tense because of the upcoming tournament."
Mustard could only nod and keep going. His stomach was cramping, and he felt like he needed to lie down. He…
"After we're done with the Aoyama bastard we need to talk about the color for the armor. I was thinking… pink."
Mustard dodged behind some bushes when he heard the pink-haired bitch's voice. He peeked at her from behind the bush. She was walking with the Quirkless freak and the little bastard had changed since the last time they'd met. He looked more athletic and muscular. Three scars ran over the left side of his face and split one of his eyebrows. His right hand was covered with a black glove. The pink-haired bitch looked just like Mustard remembered her.
"… what? No. I'm not wearing pink armor."
"Why not?" The pink-haired bitch said.
"Why? It's… pink."
"That just proves what a badass you are. Who else would dare to wear pink?"
"… I… name one person who wore pink and got taken seriously." The Quirkless freak said.
"Roose Bolton." The pink-haired bitch said.
"… still not doing it."
"You're so goddamn selfish, Izuku. Well, what do you think would be a good color?"
"… green."
"Green? And you're giving me shit."
"Hey, you!"
Mustard almost cried. He looked up and saw a tall, imposing student with glasses looking down on him. Was this it?
"Straighten your tie." The student said.
"… okay." Mustard said.
"Good. Have a nice day." The student said, and power walked away.
Mustard straightened his tie and wiped the tears from his eyes. When the bells rang to mark the beginning of classes, Mustard started looking for a hiding place. He found an out of order toilet in the top floor and hid in one of the stalls.
"You should have run." Slime boy said.
"Shut up." Mustard said.
"If you're not going to run, you could at least pour me in the sink. No reason for both of us to die." Slime boy said.
"You're not leaving Shuichi."
"Why not? It's thanks to you two that I'm in this mess." Slime boy said.
They didn't hear the door to the toilet open over their arguing. The stall door was yanked open.
"Wassup, Mustard? It's yer girl Toga."
"… oh god." Mustard said.
"Ya are goddamn right I am." Toga said and pulled slime boy out of Mustard's pocket.
She fastened the cork and placed him in the sink before taking the tracker Dabi had given to Mustard. She studied it for a moment and then crushed it under the sole of her foot. Next, she offered Mustard her hand.
"Come on, Mustard. I ain't gonna hurt ya. Ya can trust yer big sis Toga."
Mustard took Toga's hand and she pulled him up… and then she slammed him against a wall and grabbed his crotch. She squeezed.
"Mustard. Ya surprise me. Here I thought ya had no balls." Toga said, and her grip grew tighter: "Want me to fix that?"
Mustard could only squeal.
"What's wrong? I get along just fine without a pair." Toga said.
"… please… don't…" Mustard managed.
Toga laughed and let go. Mustard fell on the ground and pulled out his stiletto. When he pointed it at Toga, she just smiled.
"Mustard, Mustard, Mustard. Stop embarrassing yerself." Toga said and opened her jacket revealing the machete hidden beneath: "It's a long time until classes are over and the only people who come here are Kaminari and Jiro. Could be a long time until anyone finds ya."
Toga knelled in front of him.
"Is Dabi really that pissed? He fucked me over first. But I'll forgive him. I found love thanks to him. Just tell him to leave me alone. Got it?"
Mustard nodded.
"Good boy." Toga said and patted his head: "Fuck me over on this and I'll come for ya. Got it?"
"… yes."
"Awesome. Stay here until classes are over and then fuck off."
Toga left him alone in the bathroom with slime boy and Mustard hid again in one of the stalls.
"Pussy." Slime boy said.
Izuku and Mei found Aoyama eating alone in 1-A's classroom. Or maybe feasting would have been more accurate. How the hell had Aoyama carried all that food to school? Mei kicked the door open.
"Okay, buddy! Bend over and grab your toes so I can show where my foot goes!" Mei said.
Aoyama was quiet for a long time.
"Excuse me?"
"Don't play that game with me. We know you've been following us." Mei said.
"Oh." Aoyama said and thought about it: "Would you like some cheese?"
Mei and Izuku looked at the box of cheese offered.
"… I'm good." Izuku said.
"I'm not." Mei said and grabbed the cheese box: "You have ten seconds. After that Izuku is kicking your ass."
"What? No, I'm not!" Izuku said.
"Kick his ass, Izuku!" Mei said.
Aoyama took a sip of strawberry juice from a wine glass before talking.
"I was hoping you could help me."
"You want us to what now?" Mei said.
"Help me with this." Aoyama said and got up.
He pulled up his shirt.
"What the…?!" Mei screamed before seeing the heavy set mechanical belt under Aoyama's shirt: "Oh thank God. I thought you were going to show us your dick."
"I wouldn't be very impressive next to Midoriya." Aoyama said.
"… what?" Izuku said.
"Ojiro has been telling everyone about the freckled giant. It drives Bakugou insane." Aoyama said.
"He saw it in confidence!" Izuku said outraged.
"Have you ever measured it?" Aoyama asked.
"No!" Izuku lied.
"Any guy who says he hasn't measured his dick, is a liar." Mei said and leaned in closer to get a better look at Aoyama's belt: "So, does it help you use your Quirk? The… Izuku?"
"… navel lasers." Izuku said sullenly.
"Yeah. That one."
"No. It helps me control it." Aoyama said sadly.
"I see. Downsides?" Mei said.
"I… stomach pain and I… lose control of my bowels."
"You shit yourself?" Mei said.
Aoyama sighed.
"Yes."
"Well, luckily we have a man with a knack to spot flaws in other peoples designs. Izuku. You're up. See you at the cafeteria." Mei said and rushed out.
With great annoyance Izuku took a closer look at Aoyama's belt. There were a few quick fixes he could think of.
"… I think we can alleviate the pressure to your stomach with shock absorbing fiber. You should also develop your abs." Izuku said.
"Okay." Aoyama said and frowned.
"… is it your stomach?" Izuku said.
"No. I… I'm sorry about following you. I just… didn't know how to approach you. I… I can't wish you luck in the tournament."
"… okay?"
"If… if you succeed… and make it here… one of us is getting kicked out. There's only room for twenty students." Aoyama said.
Judging from Aoyama's face he had no doubts who'd be getting the boot.
"… oh." Izuku said.
Izuku looked at Aoyama whose own body couldn't handle his Quirk. He thought about Ojiro who had made it in through skill alone. They'd overcome the impossible to attain their dreams and now… they could risk losing it all. Because of him.
"… I… even if I don't make it to Heroics… I could be scouted." Izuku said.
Aoyama smiled nervously.
"I hope you do." Aoyama said and then handed him a rose: "Let this mark the beginning of a beautiful friendship. You should also give me your number, so we arrange a time for my belt upgrade."
"… sure." Izuku said.
After what felt like an eternity the bell finally rang. Mustard waited for a moment for the halls to fill again before trying to make his getaway. He was about to leave when he heard footsteps approaching fast and he slipped back inside the stall. For one terrifying moment he thought that Toga had decided to send a different kind of message at Dabi but then he heard two sets of voices.
And rustling of clothes.
And kissing.
When he peeked out of the stall he saw the blonde guy with a black stripe in his hair kissing a girl with short black hair and weird earlobes. When the blonde guy unzipped his fly, Mustard started holding his breath.
After ten torturous minutes of panting and gasping they were finally done. After they'd freshened up, the students left. Mustard stumbled out red-faced and dazed. What had he done to deserve this kind of abuse and humiliation? When would it end?! This was all that Quirkless freak's and pink-haired bitch's fault! They wouldn't get away with this! He was done being pushed around!
Avoiding anyone who might recognize him Mustard headed to the Support Department. While the break was on, the department was empty except for…
"Can I help you?"
The pro hero Power Loader was approaching him and… he was a lot shorter than Mustard had expected.
"… I… uh… I'm looking for Team Indestructible." Mustard said.
Power Loader squinted behind his mask.
"What department are you from?"
"… General."
"And why do you want to meet them?" Power Loader said.
Suddenly the lie rolled off his tongue easily and the cold sweat dried up.
"I'm a huge fan of their work and I was hoping I could meet them. I…" Mustard said before stumbling and fiddling his fingers: "… I want to take part in the tournament but my Quirk… I need support equipment to make it work properly."
Some of the tension in Power Loader's voice melted away.
"What's your Quirk?"
"Poison gas, sir."
"I can hook you up with a gas mask."
"Thank you but… could I still meet them? I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them." Mustard said.
Power Loader sighed.
"Their workshop is this way. Don't touch anything."
"I won't." Mustard lied.
Power Loader opened him the door to the workshop before going his way. The whole room seemed to be built around a power armor that could have come from one of the cartoons Mustard had watched as a kid. It was sleek and light but still powerful. The plating had been sculpted to give the impression of the wearer having a muscular physique. It was still the unpainted color of steel.
A cable ran from the armor to a computer. Suddenly the computer turned on and the pixelated face of a girl appeared on the screen.
"Who are you? Are you mommy's and daddy's friend?"
Mustard smiled.
"Yes. Yes I am."
"I'm their baby girl Sagan."
"Mustard."
"Weird name." Sagan said.
"I've been called worse." Mustard said and looked at the armor: "What's this?"
"Indestructible. When daddy wears it, he'll win the tournament. With my help."
"Really?" Mustard said and took out the bottle holding slime boy: "I'd like you to meet someone."
Slime boy jumped out of the bottle and seeped inside the armor and Sagan's computer through the cracks. Sagan tried to scream before her screen went black. Foul smelling smoke started rising from the armor and the computer when slime boy went medieval on their inner workings.
Even with all the training he'd been doing, Mei still left Izuku in the dust when Power Loader told them to return to the workshop. Right now!
"No! No! No! No!" Mei panted the whole way there.
When they got to the workshop where Power Loader was waiting for them and Mei saw the smoke rising from the armor's cracks and Sagan's computer, she let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"No! Fuck no! Sagan! Talk to me!"
The computer tried to turn itself on but Izuku was only able to catch a flicker of Sagan's face before she shut down again. There was a… smell in the air that Izuku had hoped to forget but… that should have been impossible. The Sludge Villain was locked up in Tartarus. The bastard hadn't even woken up yet after being electrocuted.
"I… I don't know what happened. There was this student and…" Power Loader said.
Mei turned to glare at him.
"What student?"
"He said he wanted to meet you and…"
If Izuku hadn't caught her in time, Mei would have lunged at Power Loader. Izuku held on tight but Mei tried to still reach Power Loader by kicking wildly.
"You let a stranger in here?! You fucking idiot! You've ruined everything! The tournament is in three days!"
When Mei had finally calmed down enough that Izuku dared to let go of her, he took off his jacket and tie.
"… we'll just have to fix it in three days." Izuku said.
"Building it took months! And you think we can fix it by Friday?! How are we…?!"
"Mei. I'm not giving up." Izuku said.
Mei looked ready to have another screaming fit and then… a cold calmness washed over her. She rolled her sleeves.
"Power Loader." Mei said.
"Yes?"
"Inform the school that we're skipping class and staying here till Friday. And if you ever let strangers here again, I'll tell my babies how the balls in my trophy case belonged to you!"
Power Loader could only nod and Mei started unscrewing Sagan's computer.
"Don't worry, Sagan. Mommy will fix you right up."