When they got home, the only homework they had was to try and draw themselves. Ace and Izuku both thought their own looked very accurate even though Inko couldn't tell what they were, let alone who they were modeled after. But it was a good distraction. They had a yummy pasta dish, and then went to sleep to get up earlier to go to school.

They had always gotten up early because Inko wanted them to have life long, consistent sleeping schedules. The bedtime would be pushed back with age, but they'd wake up early on weekends, too.

Ace had his stuffed dragon in his backpack in case he needed it. And it just gave him comfort to have Rhino there, which he named it even though it didn't look anything like a rhino. They were dropped off, holding hands. Ace still had the baseball hat on to hide the horns. He was frowning, worrying if yesterday messed everything up just because he was mad that someone gave his huge secret away.

The moment he got into the classroom and took off his dinosaur backpack, a blonde boy with strange hair walked up to him, glaring. He'd been obnoxious the day before. Ace asked what his problem was, but not in a very mean way. He said, "What are you glaring at me for?"

"You made my friend cry yesterday," he said loudly, gaining attention.

"I didn't mean to. And he said something hurtful. All I did was tell him to go away," Ace said defensively.

"Even if you act like you aren't, you'll just be mean to others."

"No I won't! You don't know me at all!" Ace defended himself. Izuku was looking angry at the boy - Helmeppo - for picking on his brother.

"My dad says that half-dragons don't deserve to be in the same space as real humans. You should just go somewhere else and not bother us-" and wham Izuku slapped him across the face. Those who had been watching went silent. The green haired boy was furious, his face red in anger.

"You don't say that to my brother!" he commanded. Helmeppo started crying, but those who'd seen it go down didn't feel much sympathy for him. Nobody shouted at Izuku, and saw Ace was crying into his hands, and they turned on the blond.

"That was mean, you didn't need to say all that!"

"Yeah, even if he has a weird quirk, you don't get to talk to others that way!"

"Yeah, yeah! You're mean!"

"Are you okay, Ace?" Tenya asked, putting his hand on his shoulder in support. Ace wiped his eyes and nodded. Miss Conis walked into the area she was hearing Helmeppo crying in, and saw Ace was crying, too. Asked what happened, Tsu explained that Ace was being bullied, and Izuku hit him. Izuku was immediately put in time out, but Helmeppo was also in trouble for instigating something hurtful.

Both were in trouble for technically bullying someone else. Izuku cried about being in trouble, and Ace felt responsible. When the ten minutes were up, Izuku was told his mother would be called after school, and Ace hugged him for sticking up for him. "I don't want you to get in trouble over me. If I get bullied… Well, I'll take care of it myself. You don't have to get in trouble, too," Ace said firmly.

Izuku nodded, eyes red from crying at getting in trouble when he never got in trouble. While Ace didn't like that, he did feel happy being stuck up for, though it was no surprise. Well, he hadn't expected Izuku to get physical, but he was so angry. But the damage seemed to be done.

Throughout the day, Ace heard whispers and muted conversations over him. There were three boys who kept to themselves the day before that were picking on Ace from afar. "He really is a freak. Bet he's hiding horns under that stupid hat. And sharp teeth. Freak."

"Heh, he's probably weak and doesn't even have a quirk."

"Doesn't belong here."

"I can hear you!" Ace shouted at reading time, where Miss Conis was reading a picture book while they all held copies to attempt to follow along. Ace disrupted the whole thing, and Miss Conis asked what the problem was. "They're saying really mean things about me. I can hear them, they're doing it on purpose."

"Hey, what gives you the right to listen in on our conversation? You're the one butting in and being nosy," the green haired one said. Ace heard their names were Ichiji, Niji and Yonji.

Miss Conis looked at the three, and could see their hidden smirks, and she put them in time out. "But! We didn't do anything wrong! He wasn't supposed to hear that!" Yonji protested, all three upset about being the ones in trouble. But the teacher firmly said, "No disrespectful words are allowed in this class, whether they are quiet or not. If you have something mean to say, wait until you are off of school campus," she said firmly. "That goes to everyone. In this class, we want to be inclusive and understanding. I want all of you to be friends, so we all must be kind to one another," she said firmly, but in a genuine and sweet voice. "Now, I'll keep reading. At the top of the page with the purple monkey."

Ace mouthed the words to the book, trying to keep up. It was quiet, everyone paying attention now, focused on the picture books with little text or over all story. After they finished the short story, it was play time for fifteen minutes, and then they'd get started on their goal for that year: counting to 45. He heard Miss Conis calling Inko about the fight. Ace listened in, and Izuku wasn't suspended or anything like that. Luckily!

"Hey, um… will you listen to everyone talk?" a girl with black hair and glasses asked. "It's not really any of your business, is it?" This was Tashigi. He remembered almost everyone's names and conjured them after a few seconds of thinking about it. Ace shuffled, and said he couldn't help it. He had good senses. "Well, I don't think it's fair for you to listen in on other conversations and then get them in trouble. Even if it was wrong for them to say mean things, they weren't saying it to you. Don't you think that's breaching privacy? Do you have anything to fix that?"

Ace scowled. "I just told you I can't help it. I didn't listen in on purpose. I'd rather not hear that kind of thing, you know?" he said angrily.

"I just don't think it's fair for them to get in trouble like that. Why don't you just pretend not to hear?"

"I will hear, even if I pretend I don't. Miss Conis wanted us to report bullying, didn't she?" he asked, frustrated with it all. Tashigi didn't look like she agreed with him, and Ace was glaring at her with a deep pout. She went and walked to the corner. She had no friends yet was acting all knowing and uppity. It annoyed the dragon boy.

Tenya said he was glad Ace called the bullies out. "It benefited everyone in the class. By knowing they'll get in trouble for mean intentions at all. Even passive things will not be tolerated. I think it was a public service!" the energetic boy said loudly.

Tsu wondered if this was going to continue, sounding worried. Stupid pink haired brat! Why were things going bad? Looking at Izuku, he was glad nobody had made fun of him. Yet. Well, Ace would protect him. He had trouble playing for recess, but was glad when learning started again and the class started on the number counting.

For the rest of the play times, Ace was by himself, working on the classwork. He was sad, and didn't really want to talk to anybody, even if they said nice things. He just wanted to be by himself for a bit. Izuku could tell he wanted to be alone, and made it so Tenya and Tsu were not bothering Ace.

It was not a good day at all, and Ace was starting to have little hope for the rest of the year, even if it was only day two. He was scared he ruined everything, and would drag Izuku down with him. Or lose their two friends and not make any more friends. Ace didn't want to just move schools. He would deal with it if it got worse.

-x-

"Why is it here?"

Ace swallowed while waiting for Inko to come. Izuku was sick at home. It was the second week, and it became clear it had been spread around the whole school that Ace didn't have a quirk, but that he was only half human. His class weren't cruel, but they did avoid him, like he was going to listen in and gossip about everyone.

But the bigger kids were mean. He was only five, it wasn't fair. He didn't hurt anybody. And he was tired of hearing himself referred to as "it". He was a person, too! Tears were down his cheeks while he waited at the front of the school, in front of the office. Inko drove up and Ace wordlessly got in the car and into his carseat.

"Are you okay?" Izuku asked, nose stuffy and congested.

"Yeah," Ace said quietly. "It looks like someone has a quirk to make other kids cry." It was a lie, but Ace didn't want to worry his family. He didn't want to ruin school for Izuku, he deserved a happy school life. Ace wouldn't bog him down as best as he could. But when they got home, and the shortest went to his room to sleep, Ace cried and curled into a ball on his own bed. He didn't look forward to going to school anymore. He was fine having two friends, Tenya and Tsu, who hadn't left him even though he was being bullied and was distant.

He didn't want to go to school. He wanted to stay home and away from the mean people. At the daycare, the kids were so nice and friendly! But everyone at school besides his own circle of peers talked about him behind his back, insulting his plain existence. He wouldn't become a burden to his friends and brother.

-x-

"You got in a fight again?" Izuku asked sadly, wiping the blood off of Ace's lip. The nine year old huffed and didn't answer. He looked away defiantly. "Mom suggested homeschooling, you know? You don't have to go to school… we both don't have to. Maybe we can be homeschooled until - until middle school or something!"

"And prove to them that I'll just run away?" Ace asked sourly. Then his face fell. "Sorry, I don't mean to get angry at you. And I didn't instigate the fight, I just fought back. I don't mean to be mad at you," he repeated in worry.

Izuku frowned and sat on Ace's bed next to him. "If you're grumpy… how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not gonna just leave you in the dust or anything because you're grumpy. Even if you snap at me, we're still family, you know?"

"Mom is at her wits end with me, too. I think it wouldn't be so bad if school life wasn't so bad. I'd be happier and all. And then everyone else would be happier, too." Izuku slumped his shoulders. He firmly said he never asked for Ace to be the bait. "...I know. But it's just how things are. Even if I moved schools, I can't exactly hide it anymore. I can't cover up the horns or pluck all the feathers. I've tried that, they just grow back."

Ace had tried multiple different attempts to solve the solution of him being obvious in the category of half-dragons. It was just too obvious. He'd shaved all of the feathers off with an electric razor he borrowed from Tenya's house, he'd sawed off part of one horn once already. He'd done drastic actions that he was in serious trouble about just to have the option of being treated normal in a different school.

But it never worked, and just left him looking damaged and sick. Their mom had gotten a job now, so they were at home alone a lot of the time. They were in a bigger apartment thanks to that job, so that was nice. Ace looked at his hands. "I wish I was normal. Why couldn't I be born like a regular person?"

"There's no use being upset about that. You have to look at the positive!" Ace gave him a look. "I will keep saying it. You have perfect scores on everything, you know? You'll go really far in life with smarts like that."

"Maybe from behind a screen or something. You know people don't hire things like me. You're smart, too. You'll go further in life than I could. Even quirkless, you look conventionally human." Izuku said he wanted to be a hero. He couldn't achieve his dream, either. "Still. You have other options, don't you?"

When the sounds of keys turning in the front door reached his ears, Ace stood and left the room. Inko saw him there, and smiled. She looked aged ever since Ace's behavior shifted. It made him feel like it was a mistake for her to adopt him. He'd been so happy with them, but those days were a distant memory.

"How was school, honey?"

"I got in a fight again. I think I broke his nose," Ace said bluntly. Inko let out a disappointed sigh, and it hurt more than it should. "I'm sorry. It was in self defense, though. I didn't start it," he added. She asked if he was alright. "Yeah. I'm fine."

She put the food in the kitchen and then went back to the couch. "I was thinking of something to try and salvage the situation while you're still young. You're only nine, you can definitely turn it around." Ace looked wary. "I found a school for kids who have trouble with their quirks. It's a boarding school, though. You'd only be able to come home on the weekends."

So, they wanted to be rid of him. At least for the whole week but the weekends. He'd live somewhere else on the other days? Was it just to get him out of her hair? He was a burden, even when he desperately didn't want to be. He couldn't figure out how to dig himself out of this hole without running away.

"It's called Moby, and has great reviews. I scheduled an appointment with them to see how you would fit in. Fourth grade is halfway over. It would only be the next two years before middle school. I think a break from the normal is important," Inko explained. Ace couldn't say no, he didn't want to upset her. She put everything on the line to adopt him, and he would rather leave than cause more problems.

He relented, and said he'd go the next day with her. If he left, Izuku would have his friends and Ace would have literally nobody unless it was the weekend. But if this was what she wanted, wanted him gone like that, then he shouldn't protest. He'd rather be gone for most of the time and have her keep him in the long run than stress her out enough so she gave up on him.

Izuku was not happy with this plan, but was never good at arguing with Inko. He felt everything she did was for the best. And at least he wouldn't need to clean Ace up when he got home after a fight. It kind of hurt that neither didn't want him to go enough to say something.

When night came, Ace picked at his food, not interested in eating, even if it was his favorite dinner. He went straight to bed after the dishes were done, closing the door behind him quietly, even if he wanted to slam it. But he didn't, and went to his bed, crawling under the covers. He heard his mom at the door before she knocked. He wanted to be alone, but said she could come in loud enough for her to hear. He hadn't locked the door. Usually he and Izuku got their space in their rooms.

Ace could hear Izuku watching something on his computer, and could hear some sniffles, at Ace possibly going away most of the week, probably. But at least he'd have the weekends, though. Inko walked over and sat on the desk chair across from him. His desk was a mess of paper and old homework pages.

His bookshelf had some nice books in it, thicker than anything anyone else was reading in fourth grade. Ace was ahead of everyone in his grade, though he tried to make it less obvious, and asked his teacher to not make a big deal out of it. He was nice and did so, knowing why he didn't want them to know and make it worse than it already was.

"I want you to know I'm not wanting to just send you away as a 'difficult child'. I want you to be happy and safe, and healthy emotionally. I think going away from a normal school is the best for now. Those at Moby are all troubled, either behaviorally or with their quirks. They can't function well at normal schools. I think you'll find people there you might be able to relate to," she explained honestly, her expression genuine.

Hearing that, that he wouldn't be the only troubled child in multiple ways, made him feel better about it, even if it seemed scary. But starting somewhere else without bullies, the same for the last four years, could be very nice. "I'll try," Ace promised. Inko smiled and kissed his forehead.

"You aren't a burden. Not ever," she said firmly, and left the room. Ace put on a movie and fell asleep to the dialogue he'd heard so many times during the night when he couldn't sleep.