Heellooo! And now the update after that cheeky cliffhanger haha! I hope you guys enjoy the section, teensy bit longer than usual! And with that good news, I have a little snippet of bad news, I need to have a bit of a delay on the next update. More details at the end! For now, enjoy!


Out on patrol with Dad on Christmas Day, and of course… It was my turn to mess up.

One of our first calls of the night. I handed over our paperwork to the police when an update on a gang we had been gathering information for the past two patrols came up. They were on the move. And it was nearby. We headed for the alleyway that would cut them off from their suspected base, and readied our positions above, hidden in the shadows. This time they had got hold of firearms apparently. So this time they had to be shut down.

A trio of thugs ran along the alley.

Showtime.

They moved as a unit, dodging the slush and ice that lingered with ease, barely breaking pace. Dad nodded to me. Time to move. We descended, me controlling the movement and flattening two of the targets whilst Dad dealt with the third. So far so good. I had my two pinned, getting my restraints ready whilst Dad dealt with the third.

Fresh snow began to fall.

One of my pinned thugs grinned up at me. "Hey boys, we're bein' dealt with by the Miss Stasis, ain't we lucky?"

They laughed. I ignored them and concentrated on getting the restraints into place, my fingers a little clumsy in the cold.

The thug chuckled again. "Pretty good quirk you got, I hear?"

I didn't answer. Dad always said not to bother bantering–any of them could have a quirk like Shinsou that was activated through speech. I held them tight and hoped Dad might manage to contain that third guy sooner rather than later. Something about this thug unnerved me. Maybe it was the grin. Maybe it was the cheap cologne he must have bathed in. Maybe it was the way he didn't seem to blink much. I dunno, but a quirk would likely be coming. Still, in the alley, I had plenty of room to dodge and I could deflect a projectile. I just had to send it up rather than wide, or else it might hit Dad.

The thug smirked. "I wonder how good you were with that quirk when you were a kid."

I gritted my teeth. "How you doing over there, Eraser?"

Dad always said to use his hero name on the job. Had to keep it professional. Keep the lines clear and defined. And if any of our marks didn't know of our familial connection, it didn't give anything away.

Dad sighed. "Asshole has a melting element to his skin, it's why they've always struggled to contain him. And not technically something I can cancel. Gimme a sec. Need to use all my restraints."

"Got it."

My thug chuckled. "Let's find out."

His eyes flashed bright yellow.

Crap. I can't dodge that.

I felt myself weaken; both in body and quirk.

"Sh-Shit." I struggled with my power to hold the two thugs, sinking to my knees as the strange sensation gripped my body. It oozed over me like someone had cracked an egg over my head. I shuddered, a deep shivering setting in like pins and needles. My breath, puffing in white clouds due to the cold, came like a steam train in great rushed plumes. No air. The thugs were both restrained with the cuffs, but I could only hold onto one with my hands as my quirk fluctuated. It became flimsy, like mist, barely making contact with anything I wanted it to, as my head swam.

"E-Eras...er…" I had to warn him, but words were as hard to grasp as anything else. Shit. I slumped to the side, bracing on my hands and knees. Doing everything to just stay conscious as the sensation blossomed into full on numbness, I drove my hand into the snow, but could barely feel it. What was happening to me? Was I dying? No… No, the thug said something about me being a kid? Didn't he?

"Stasis!" Dad yelled, his thug finally falling unconscious.

I held a hand up, giving him the thumbs up before pointing at the two thugs as they struggled to their feet, barely held by my power now, but at least movement remained tricky due to their hands being bound behind their backs. My nails dug into the concrete. What was happening? I reached harder, trying to floor one of the thugs, but my quirk spasmed. Damn it! Backlash lashed along my arms for the first time in months. Shit. I groaned, struggling to do anything but hold onto one of the thugs by his ankles, my power so uncertain and unfocused. Even then the thug could wriggle. Maybe it was a weakening quirk?

The one who's eyes had flashed, grinned as Dad caught up to him. "No point cancelling me now Eraser. She's already–" And he went silent with a dull thud. Dad had taken him down. Good.

"Release your power, Stasis." Dad ordered coming closer, subduing the final one with a swift strike to the back of the neck.

I did as told, quickly, by sheer habit. Then I screamed. Whiplash caught along my torso, quirk overbearing my control, cracking a rib and dislocating my shoulder. Fuck. My power hadn't been this unstable since I was–S-Since I was...

"Shit. Stasis, stay still, I'm calling the medics."

"Era… Eras… er..." I whimpered, my voice sounding strange, higher and small. Fear joined the party, gripping my heart. "D-Dad?"

I crumpled against the concrete, reaching for him through the freshly fallen snow. My mind swirled like I'd had too many beers. Or what I imagined that felt like, having never actually been drunk. My hand. I only then noticed how baggy my costume had become. How small my hands were.

I blinked. I don't understand.

Another wave hit me.

Dammit.

I blinked.

Ow.

I blinked again.

Who… Who was this guy in the alley with me? What had he done to me? His black hair was scraped back by weird gold goggles, and he had stubble all along his chin. Where am I? Had I got away from the scary bald mask guy? Crap what did Shig say his name was… All for One? I dunno. But he kept yelling, I had to run. What else was I meant to do? Other than shut up and take it, duh. But I couldn't. Not this time. No. This black haired guy must work for him. Get up and run. Just get up and run dammit. Stupid rat. Don't let them catch you, not when you can finally be free. Run!

"Stasis?" The black haired guy knelt beside me, eyes wide and looking kinda freaked out. "Alex?"

How did he know my name?

I tried to move, tried to get up and get out of there. Another alley, another hiding place. It would be fine if I could just–

"Stop trying to move. You… You've broken some bones, okay? Can you hear me?"

"Don't…" I whimpered, only noting the pain in my shoulder and chest now that he had said it. "Don't take me back there, Mister. Please."

"Mister?" The confusion got worse in his expression, and he looked both ways down the alley. "Shit okay… uh… Back where, kid?"

I coughed and tried to shuffle away from him until he held me in place. Not tightly, but enough to stop me wriggling.

I swallowed hard. "To your boss, right? You… You gotta work for him."

"For who, kid? C'mon keep talking."

"All for One. Stop trying to trick me… you… dick…"

"Eraserhead, requesting immediate backup and medical assistance. Stasis is–"

I flinched as the pain throbbed in my shoulder and chest harder now, my struggling not having done it any good. I wanted to sleep. I couldn't outrun this guy anyway, could I? Damn it. I was going back there. All for One would take my memories from me with that mean lady, or hurt me, or whatever else he threatened. No. Please no. My stupid tears started to fall and as I sniffed, the black haired guy flinched, but continued to look totally lost.

"I don't wanna go back…p-please don't make me..." I sobbed before slipping unconscious, ignoring the guys protests and insistence that I stayed awake.

Unconscious? Insistence? Those're big words...


SHOUTA POV

Shouta paced his dorm apartment, watching Alex sleep on the couch with Recovery Girl checking her over. Within the alley, in a matter of moments, Alex had regressed from her sixteen year old self, to something closer to eight. It was before he had met her, that much he was certain–she looked smaller, thinner, younger. Beyond that, in the alley she had mentioned All for One. But she hadn't ever mentioned him when they first met, she claimed to not know him at all when first hearing of him, or rather she didn't react. So either she had blocked it out due to it being so terrible, or perhaps her visits with the white haired woman had not only been recently. He wasn't sure which was better, if either. But, the silver lining was that at least now they might have a chance to learn, if it was unlocking memories. As long as everything else was all right with her condition, he could see the positive side. But if the quirk had done anything else to her, he would gladly throw that thug around his cell a few more times.

Recovery girl sighed, tucked the blankets closer and stepped away from Alex's tiny sleeping body on the sofa. "She's all right, perhaps a little underweight but that might be what the body had to use in order for the cells to do this transformation."

"Her other injuries?"

"I've healed her rib and shoulder, so that won't be in the way, but I can't do anything about the quirk. As for anything else… Well, most scars and such are gone. Time seems to have been rather literally rewound."

A rewinding quirk of some kind. There had been no trace of that quirk in the gang's records. Well hidden? Or a new member perhaps.

Recovery girl polished her glasses. "I assume someone is trying to find out how long it'll last?"

Shouta nodded, still pacing. "Hizashi is dealing with that for me, he took Todoroki and Bakugo along too. The thug isn't exactly being forthcoming though."

"Well, hopefully they can find something out."

"It…" He paused his pacing. "It won't be permanent, will it?"

Recovery Girl sighed and headed towards the front door. "I don't think so, but I can't be certain. It shouldn't be. But if it is, from what I can see she'll simply start regrowing as normal. The main thing to find out once she wakes is where she thinks she was, and how much else she remembers. If she has any inclination of her true age, it could be incredibly hard for her to adjust to being back to childhood so suddenly. Adjustment could take time and toll."

"Damn." Shouta slumped into a chair, head in his hands. "We had no idea what their quirks were. I should have been more careful."

"Accidents happen." She said, bopping him on the head with her cane. "She knows that, or rather… knew that. Just see where the dice land, Aizawa."

"I guess…"

"And I suppose take a little time to enjoy having your little girl back again, even if not in a way you'd have ever wanted." And with a small bow, she left him to stew.

He watched Alex sleep, her young frame shifting with dreams. He could only imagine what she might be seeing, would it be dreams of back then? Or mixed with now? He had no clue. With Recovery Girl's efforts it seemed likely the kid would sleep for a while, fixing bones took its toll on the body. He knew the others from her class were worried–him having abruptly arrived back from patrol early, cradling an evidently not all right Alex, whilst they ate dinner, had gotten the students pretty riled. They hadn't seen her clearly yet, he'd been in too much of a rush. Afterwards, whilst he waited on Recovery Girl arriving, Todoroki and Bakugo had been chosen by the others to come and get some information. That being when Shouta was able to give a small explanation, and send them along with Hizashi to the cells. But it had been a solid couple of hours since. They needed to know more.

Taking out his phone, Shouta sent a message in the class group chat that they could visit if concerned, but that they had to be quiet. As much as he didn't fancy having to explain himself to all of his class, he knew Alex wouldn't want her friends freaking out.

Ochako, Asyui and Ashido were the first to appear. They popped their heads round the door and scanned. As they spotted her, their mouths dropped open. Shouta sipped his tea and offered them some, well aware that beyond the worrying, Alex was an adorable sight. Tiny, high cheekbones with a light blush against her porcelain skin, a little furrow between her brows and pout on pink lips, all beneath a tangle of longer black hair. Cute. Not that he'd dared to ever use that word to her himself. He said 'sweet' once when she was ten, and he got an earful.

The three young women came in and sat by the sofa, tucking the blanket closer and accepting their tea. They had questions but he didn't have answers. It wasn't something he had ever heard of before, not in this way. It vaguely resembled Eri's quirk though. If only in a sense of rewinding.

Asyui was the first to speak, her kind eyes not leaving Alex. "Sir… We should tell the others as well. They're all so very worried about her."

"I suppose that's wise. I have no way of knowing how long this will last."

Ochako brushed Alex's longer hair back. "Let's let her sleep for now. How about we go round everyone's rooms Tsu? We can kinda… brace them. Mina you wanna stay here in case she wakes? Do you need anything, Mr Aizawa?"

He needed a fucking strong drink, but that wasn't something his student could help with. He waved them off, Ashido going with them as she struggled to process the situation. When they had left, he got himself a quick shot of whiskey in case Alex woke sooner rather than later. He changed into casual clothes and sent a few messages around the faculty. If Alex was stuck like that for the time being they would need to know why a sassy little girl was wandering around campus or the school. He wouldn't risk confining her, not like she assumed he would for All For One. No. She would roam as freely as possible, but safely. Nemuri was going to lose her mind.

About an hour later, the kid started to stir. Shouta sent a message in the class group chat for them all to head for his apartment. It would be important for Alex to know who she could trust, or at least who she could ask for help if he wasn't available for some reason.

The students gathered, sitting in a wide arc, each face as disbelieving as the last. Midoryia especially seemed totally lost, his eyes scanning her over and over, as if expecting the real Alex to just be hiding somewhere. Moments later, Todoroki returned with Bakugo, the thug hadn't said a damn word and they had been brought back by Hizashi. He would apparently be going to speak with Nemuri. Shouta sent his friend a good luck message. And a thank you.

Alex mumbled something and began to open her eyes. The whole class held their breath.

"Uh…" She frowned. "What're you all staring at?"

They looked amongst themselves and then to Shouta.

He approached. "Alex? What do you remember?"

"Huh?" She pushed herself up. "Whaddya mean? Remember?"

"Yes, what do you remember from–"

"I dunno. Don't remember tellin' a bunch of weirdos they could fuckin' stare at me, that's for sure." She shuffled back in her blanket till she was against the back of the sofa, glaring at them all. "The hell is this? Where the hell even am I?"

No, she didn't recall anything.

She was still trapped in her eight-year-old-self's mind. Less traumatising for her, perhaps. Even more confusing for the rest of them.

He nodded and drew a long breath. "Okay… We'll take this one step at a time…"


She stared at them all, big dark eyes flitting from person to person, studying with intense attention. Her hands were clasped tightly, nails digging into the backs of her hands as she sat on the sofa, little feet dangling. She shivered despite the blanket. Scared. Alone. Everything he had seen in her when he took her in, but worse. So much worse.

Her eyes settled on Todoroki, narrowing. Everyone stayed very still as she leaned forward, studying him like he was a bug under her microscope. Hair lifted from in front of his scarred eye, lifted by her power. Todoroki didn't move. Her lips pursed to a tight line. She was examining his scar. Shouta shuddered as he realised she would have only recently gotten her scars from Shigaraki. If her mind had been properly returned to that point, it would be a fresh trauma.

The hair fell against Todoroki's face.

She folded her arms. "What happened to your face, Mister?"

Todoroki was stunned, they all were.

She rolled her eyes. "This some kinda stupid trick to get me to like you? Because we both got scars? Stupid. That's so stupid. It won't work."

Yet she couldn't take her eyes off him.

Todoroki cleared his throat and knelt a little closer. "My father caused this."

She leaned back and he retreated.

She raised a brow. "That's messed up. You work for him, right?"

"My father?"

She clicked her tongue. "No, stupid. You work for the old guy, right?"

"I…" Todoroki glanced down and took a second, but then the lightbulb went on and he shook his head. "No, I don't work for All for One."

"Bullshit."

"I'm not lying, I–"

"Fine. Then why am I here?" She stood, shoving the sleeves of her slightly too big jumper up before she jumped from the sofa, towards the window. The door to the balcony.

Shouta was ready with his power, he didn't want to contain her, but she had only just woken up. They hadn't explained anything at all. If she left then, she might flee the campus. He wouldn't lose her. Not to something so silly.

She kicked the glass door, but made no move to open it. "I don't get it."

Shouta cleared his throat and waited until she had focused on him. He knew why the distrust was there, but that didn't make it hurt any less. The use of 'Mister' in the alley had been jarring enough. But this wasn't about him right now. She had to feel safe. Somehow.

He gave a flicker of a smile. "All for One is in prison."

"Liar."

The class all looked back to Shouta.

He swallowed hard.

She rolled her eyes. "He can't be put in a jail. He'd break it." She gritted her teeth, dark eyes pink at the edges as they began to shine. "Did I annoy Shigaraki that much? I was tired. I couldn't keep using my stupid power. I…" She wiped the tears angrily. "My stupid nose kept bleeding, okay? J-Just tell me what he's gonna do to tell me off. This is a stupid game he's p-playing."

So young and yet so assuming of pain.

Ochako approached slowly and held out her hand. "Alex, would you be able to believe that we're here to keep you safe? My name is Ura."

Alex looked at the hand. When Ochako reached a tiny bit closer the kid flinched back, bumping into the glass door. Everyone winced. She was so scared. Under the brash attitude and snark, she was terrified.

Ochako knelt. "I didn't mean to scare you, sorry."

"Fuck off. Not scared." Alex bit her wobbling lip and looked between everyone. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why look after me? They'll both be super angry and they'll both hurt you. It's… It-It doesn't make sense. So why?"

Ochako looked to Shouta, her eyes misting at the thought of a child who couldn't fathom being worth a risk. It was intense. He came closer and also knelt. Alex pressed herself against the door.

"You're a brave kid who needs some help, and we want to give it. Would that work for now?"

She looked at his outstretched hand and gritted her teeth. "Gonna keep me locked in a room?"

He shook his head.

She looked towards the door. "So I could… leave?"

"If you really wanted, I suppose." He sighed, keeping the hand there. "But it does make it harder for us to look out for you. All for One is locked up, but Shigaraki isn't."

Alex winced. "C-Crap." She slid down to sit on the floor. "So he's still out there."

Shouta lowered his hand. "Yeah, but in this building, on the campus of our school, and inside the school too, you're safe."

She looked behind her, towards the lights in the main school building. "School? And what the heck is a damn campus?"

"It's an area surrounding the school, and buildings like this one where we sleep and live, okay? It's got walls to keep bad guys out, but it's big and green and… Look, go anywhere you want just…" Shouta didn't know what to say, it all sounded like it could just be another form of cage in his mind.

She hugged her knees. "You're not lying."

He blinked. "I… I know. How do you?"

"Your heart's steady but speeding up at the end. You're tryin' to think of what to say. Like cops… like little old ladies tryin' to help." She put her chin against her knees and he felt that slight pressure in his chest lessen–be that relief over her understanding, or her no longer monitoring his pulse, he wasn't sure. She sniffed. "You'll regret this by the way."

Ochako shook her head. "No. We won't."

Alex glared. "You're pretty, but you're fuckin' dumb."

"Uh…"

"Look lady, I ain't trying to be mean, but if he comes and hurts you, your friends, the old Mister here and anyone else? Pretty sure you'll change your mind. You won't like the rat that brought him here snooping and killing."

Ochako pursed her lips and nodded. "Alright, well I can be pretty stubborn too, y'know, learned it from a good friend of mine." She grinned and Shouta was suddenly very glad that Alex had noisy friends. "So, I've got a question for you, Alex."

"Mm?" She had put her head against her knees. "What is it, Pinky?"

Bakugo snorted loudly.

Ochako tried her best not to laugh as well. "Where do you wanna stay?"

"Huh?" Alex peeked from under her curtain of dark hair.

"We have a spare room from a classmate who's... on holiday. Or there's a spare room here, in Mr Aizawa's apartment."

Alex's head popped up. "Huh? Wait, what? I'm not just sleeping on the couch? Or on that stupid big chair?"

Shouta was sure the whole room just winced again. None of these kids could fathom how Alex's young mind was working. They were lucky kids, they'd never known that kind of hardship. Shouta had expected Alex's assumptions, he had seen firsthand the sheer wonder that had been in her face when he first showed her the spare room in his own apartment. Her first real room had brought her to tears when she was ten.

Ochako smiled softly. "Nope, your own space and we'll even help you decorate it, okay? Which sounds more like what you'd–"

"You're okay with me not staying in here, Mister?" Alex looked him up and down.

Shouta held up his hands. "I'd rather know you were safe, but it's only downstairs and I know the rest of the class will be nearby. Main thing is that you feel safe and not stuck, Kid. We wanna help, not cage."

She nodded and looked at her classmates one by one before landing again on Shouta. "Can I try my own room, in here?"

"Of course. The other'll be available if you want to try it later."

She frowned for a moment before the tears brewed like the first time. "M'kay. But don't say I didn't warn you."

"Warning taken."

She nodded, a small smile appearing. "O-Okay… Th-Thanks."

His heart could only take so much.


A few days later, about an hour after he had gone to bed, he heard a noise from the kitchen. Nostalgia nipped at his mind and he drew a long breath in. Before he moved from his bed, he could already imagine her standing on a stool, precariously trying to trim her hair with a damn bread knife. He slowly got out of the covers, shrugged on a jumper and made his way through.

There she was. Struggling, tongue sticking out, every bit the head-strong pain in the ass she had been when they first met.

When she lowered her arms in frustration, the blade nowhere near her skin or head anymore, he cleared his throat.

"Gah!" She spun around and fell off the stool, landing on her ass on the kitchen tiles. She glared. "What the hell, Mister?"

He suppressed the want to remind her they had agreed 'Shouta', because they hadn't. They were nowhere near that far along with things. He had to remember what had happened this time. Or else he would just confuse her.

So instead he just shrugged. "Wondered what all the grunting was about."

She scrambled to her feet and hid the knife behind her back, which of course showed it perfectly in the mirror. Which she realised with a cringe and peek over her shoulder. "Uh… I um… I w-was…"

"Cutting your hair?" He approached slowly, staying plenty distant and well in view. She blushed and nodded, bringing the knife out. When she realised he was closer she began shivering. He stopped–trying to keep in mind how much more skittish she was this time–and he tilted his head. "There's scissors."

She blinked. "Oh… I'm used to doing it with a knife."

"Can't say it looks like you are..."

She glared harder and looked at the knife in her hands. "Where's the scissors? Can you get me them or something?"

"Sure, if I can take over."

She stepped back, knuckles going white round the knife handle. "Huh? W-Why'd you wanna do that?"

"I don't particularly want to find you in a puddle of blood tomorrow, having stabbed yourself in the head." He brought out a pair of scissors from the cutlery drawer. "I'd offer an actual hairdresser but considering how much you're keen on people…"

She eyed him and his long, unruly locks. Her bottom lip stuck out.

He recalled what brought her round last time, because of course he couldn't mention that he now had extensive practise at cutting hair, so he brought out his phone. "How about we find some pictures? Then I'll know what to do."

Her eyes went wide. "Like in a real hair place thing?"

"Sure." He handed her the phone after searching 'pixie cut'. She scrolled for ten minutes before he gave in and put on some tea to brew, it would be the end of his sleep for the night.

Eventually she picked one and held it out proudly. It was almost exactly the same as her first choice all those years ago; his heart twinged. He turned on the main lights, set her down on the stool and gave her a comb to brush her hair properly. It almost reached her shoulders. Or some of it did. He draped a towel round her and got his clippers.

It took about ten minutes, and as usual in more recent times, he had done a decent job. The kid did well to try and mask the happy tears that time. She kept running her fingers along the buzzed part and making her now short fringe bop about. Warmth blossomed in his chest, a familiar one that he welcomed. He sent her to the shower to get rid of any small hairs that slipped past the towel, and swept up the debris. Just dark hair at that point. No white streaks.

As he sipped his tea he smirked against the steam, recalling how much he had been confused about the kid affecting him the first time that moment had happened. He had no idea. She had him so early on, in the palm of her tiny hands.

"All done." She reappeared, continuing to ruffle her head with the towel. "Thanks Mister."

As she emerged from the towel, she once again resembled a hedgehog. He couldn't help the laughter.

She snorted and flattened it, satisfied with his reaction. "You cut hair before?"

"I uh…" He swallowed. "A while ago yeah."

"Makes sense, you're not bad." She shrugged and laid the towel over the back of a chair. "Shigaraki always used a blunt knife, pulling my hair out more than anything else…" she frowned and shook her head. "Sorry, dunno why I said that."

"It's fine. Do you want some tea?"

"S-Sure." She frowned and looked at the time. "Don't you gotta sleep, Mister?"

"I'm a night owl anyway. Fancy a movie?"

They settled down and he offered her a blanket. Old paths, with new moments to enjoy. He would take it, because beyond anything else, he had a slice of the past to enjoy with the benefit of hindsight. He had already removed all the pictures of them from the fridge and around the apartment, not wanting to spook her by accident. But as her eyes ran along the table under the TV, he knew she was studying the pictures of him with his fellow teachers, his friends, and his students. Hizashi and Alex were both quick with a camera.

"Why do you take pictures of people?"

The question caught him off guard, despite him having noted her interest. She had never asked that before.

He sat up and paused the movie. "Sometimes it's nice to have a photo to remind you of things, to spark a memory or something."

"That's…" She blinked. "Nice."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah… You got things you wanna remember. That's kinda cool."

The insinuation that she didn't have things like that, hurt him deeply. The fact she had only known pain at that point in her life, stung deeper than he could have ever explained. As messed up as Dabi was now, at least when Shouta had first known Alex, she had enjoyed that connection. This time, it seemed that she hadn't met Dabi yet. She hadn't had any companionship at all. Only the boot and Shigaraki's torment.

"Do you wanna remember this?" He suggested, holding up his phone and opening the camera.

She blinked and peered. He turned on the front facing camera and held it up. She saw herself on the screen; small, pale faced, big dark eyes and freshly cleaned. New hair spiky and styled.

A grin split her lips. "S-Sure!"

"All right, I'll count to three then smile, okay?"

"Uh… Okay." She nodded and stared at the screen, meaning she wasn't looking at the camera properly, but it would still be a great photo.

He raised it and counted. "One… Two… Three!"

Click.

The image froze and he opened it once it disappeared. He wasn't sure, off-hand, which was their first photograph together, but he knew that counted as her being the youngest. He showed it to her and she clasped the phone.

"Huh… Weird! You gonna print it or something?"

"Can do, I'll do it tomorrow if you like."

She nodded and looked around. "You don't gotta put it up though."

"I want to, I have some spare frames in that cupboard if you want to pick one out?"

"Really?" She got up. "You actually wanna show it off?"

"Gotta celebrate my handiwork right?" He ruffled her hair and she giggled before running over to the cupboard and rifling through the many options. Somehow, despite the fact he was sure it wasn't possible, she was making him fall in love with her all over again.


Two days after that.

"What're you doing?"

He leaned against the front door of his apartment, staring right at her as she stood on the stool again, only that time, not wielding a bread knife but instead, his gear. She stood, wobbling in that moment, wearing his capture weapon and goggles. On top of that, she had clearly found some of her old hair products to make her hair go 'up' like his did when he used his quirk. When he spoke, and caught her in the act, she had frozen. She stared ahead at the mirror, still in her 'ninja' pose. Slowly she straightened up and lowered her hands, pursing her lips tight as her cheeks went pink.

It would have been easy to assume only embarrassment, but then he reminded himself she might also be still nervous about punishment. 'Fun' didn't exist with Shigaraki. Only judgement and pain.

He smiled and closed the door. "You suit it."

"I uh… Mister I… S-Sorry I just–"

"It's fine kid, just don't fall off the stool." He snorted and perched on the island. "How much gel did you put in your hair though?"

She bit her lip. "It wasn't sticking… but then I realised it hadn't dried…"

It was a big reason she had changed to the sculpting wax stuff, a lot less annoying than the gel.

"So…" She lowered the goggles, letting them rest against the tangle of capture weapon she had bound around her tiny shoulders. "You're uh… Y-You're not mad?"

"Not at all." He shook his head and smirked. "You look rather cu–" He stopped himself and pursed his lips. She scowled and leaned forward, as if readying to pounce. He held his hands up in surrender. "You look great, that was all I was going to say."

"Not, 'cute'?"

"Wouldn't dare." He winked and jumped out of the way when she flailed, attempting to grab at him but just tangling herself more in the capture weapon. He caught her of course, and set her back on her feet, tapping the end of her nose. "Do you think you'd want to be a Hero some day?"

"I dunno… never really thought about what happens after…"

He knelt. "After what?"

She shrugged, looking down as her hands tugged on the material at her neck. "After... I dunno…"

The future wasn't something she thought about. There was no point when every single day might be her last, if Shigaraki got too wound up about something, or she was pushed too hard in her quirk training. Tomorrow. A weird concept to her at that point. It had been present when he first met her, but it seemed more potent in her earlier years. Perhaps, somehow, Dabi had actually given her a concept of something to look forward to.

Shouta nodded and got up again. "Well fair enough, maybe something to think about. Then again, you could just help them sell hair gel."

"Huh?"

"Well, with that much in your hair, I reckon you could sell it as a helmet of some kind. Save lives from car crashes and stuff."

She pouted and touched the spikes, which were absolutely solid. She stuck her tongue out. "You're not funny."

"Maybe not, but good luck getting that crap out in the wash."


ALEX POV

Pain. No more please. Shigaraki yells in my ear, pinning me to the rusty bed frame as his hands clamp down on my back and I smell that nasty mix of burnt meat and ash. It smelled worse every time. Did scars burn differently? No. Not again. I shriek, I beg, I flail. Nothing works. The small of my back rips open, the smell of rust smothers me, the warmth of running blood drowns me. I don't want to remember this. It was so long ago. It was yesterday. No wait, when?

"Kid! Kid, c'mon wake up!" A rumbling voice broke into my mind, it's so warm and made me think of something safe. The vivid image of a mouldy wall and blood running down the leg of the bed faded. I want to find that voice.

I blinked and saw a slightly shadowed face, but it wasn't Shigaraki. It wasn't All For One. I didn't think it was a hobo either. Wide, worried eyes that are bloodshot and searching. Stubble along his chin, running round thinned lips. Dark hair scooped back in a pony-tail. He looked funny like that.

I blinked again, and closed my mouth. Damn I was still yelling.

As silence fell between us he breathed deep and closed his eyes. "Good. You're awake. It was just a dream Ale–"

"Shit, sorry!" I suddenly realised what I had been doing. I scurried back on the bed, hitting the wall. "So-Sorry mister! I didn't mean to be noisy, or to wake you, or to cause a fuss. I'm sorry! Please don't be mad, I'll be better okay? I'll sleep with the pillow on my face or something, I won't make another noise, I…" my panic faded before his soft smile.

He didn't glare.

He didn't look angry at all.

I swallowed hard and took a few deeper breaths.

He was just there, trying to wake me up because he was worried? I didn't get it. Calm settled around me, which of course led to stupid tears. Why did they always come when I came down from panic? Adrenaline? Why did I know that word? I clutched the blanket, accepting the tissue and blowing my nose. It honked like a horn.

He tightened the bobble holding his hair. "No reason to apologise, kid. We all get nightmares, and you've had to endure some pretty heavy stuff recently."

I blew again and put the tissue in the bin he held up. "Sorry if I woke you."

"Even if you had, again, no need to apologise. But I wasn't asleep anyway. Look… Alex, I want to help look after you, that comes with dealing with nightmares and anything else." He set the bin down and tilted his head. "Wanna talk about the dream? You used to…" He cleared his throat and wore an almost guilty expression as he continued. "Or are you used to hot chocolate?"

"Never had it."

He nodded, and somehow I felt like he already knew that answer.

I used to do something, that was what he was gonna say. Like he knew me. Him and the teenage kids he taught kept saying things like that, like they knew me. Do they? I dunno. I didn't remember seeing them in the dark rooms, or with All for One, but that didn't mean anything. That nasty lady with the white hair made things go blurry.

He got up and offered a hand. "Fancy giving it a shot? It might settle your nerves a bit. Plus, I'm always wanting hot chocolate." He winked and I found myself reaching for his hand.

It's rough at the fingertips and palm, small scars litter his skin here and there. Hands that protected. I didn't want to let go. My legs wobbled as he helped me into my slippers, knees intent on buckling as soon as I tried to take a proper step.

"May I?" He offered and I nodded, swallowing my pride for the sake of not tripping over. He carried me to the kitchen. I clung to him, his jumper smelled nice, like tea and books. Or was it coffee? No wonder he wasn't asleep. His hair smelled nice too, like apples. It was weirdly soft.

He gently set me onto a stool by the kitchen counter island thing, humming a tune as he got things from the cupboard and fridge. I dunno how long he had lived there, but he seemed at home. There was someone's art on the fridge. Pretty good actually. Is that some kind of hero costume design? Looked like something hooded. Kinda cool. Milk sloshed into a pan and he clicked the hob on, the ring glowing as it started to heat up. I let my nails dig into my palms. I doubted he planned on leaving a fork on the glowing bit to then press into my legs. No. He wasn't Shigaraki. This Hero guy didn't wanna just try mean things to see what would happen. Chocolate was added when steam started to rise from the pan.

I picked at my sleeve. "Hey, Mister?"

"Mm?"

"What do you have nightmares about?"

He stirred the pan. "As a hero I have a lot of scary encounters to look back on, kid. So really it just depends. Sometimes I even have nightmares about my students getting hurt. That kind of thing."

I looked at my palms where the little indents were. He cared about the teenagers, he taught them but also looked after them. Kinda like All for One? I shook my head at myself. That old shit-head didn't teach, he demanded. My head got sore even thinking about those 'lessons'. Or he called them 'tests' didn't he? If it wasn't my power it was my blood. That old guy was so weird. But nothing was weirder than Shigaraki. Had I escaped him this time?

The hero guy, Shouta I think he said his name was, flexed his arm, swapping hands for stirring. He did it a couple of times, kneading the left elbow with a small grumble under his breath. It barely interrupted the humming song. It was only because I watched so close that I even noticed. What happened to his elbow? I frowned, a sense of familiarity struck me. A scar. A scar like a big splash.

I hopped down from my stool and went over, tugging his sleeve up.

He chuckled. "What you up to, kid?"

I kept tugging. He rolled it up himself to reveal a splash-like scar.

"That…" I swallowed hard. My head fizzed, my tongue became heavy with unsaid shouts. The bubbling of the milk became like thunder, and the air might as well be filled with smoke.

"Kid?"

I closed my eyes, shaking my head against the noise in my ears that came from the past. Was it the past? I didn't know. I didn't understand the images. A big dome, lots of people, something big and blue with staring eyes and angry teeth. What was that? Why was it hurting Dad?

Dad?

I flinched and fell to the kitchen tiles, gasping as I stared ahead. He knelt in front of me, trying to help, but I couldn't answer the Mister's calling. It was him. The guy with the golden goggles and dark hair, with the stubble that scratches when he hugged and the eyes that are so tired and yet so warm. Why did I remember this? Why did I remember him? And the fear of losing him. Oh god he would die. Stop hurting him. I clamped a hand over my mouth. I recalled the crunch of bones. Of his desperate cries. I was meant to run. I couldn't run. I had to save him. I hear the hiss of Shigaraki's power as he clasped Dad's elbow.

How did I know that scar was there? How do I know how he got it?

"Shigaraki gave you that." I blurted out, coming back into the room.

I wasn't on the floor anymore, I was cradled in Shouta's lap with tears running down my face, shivers shaking my whole body. It was warm. It was familiar. I sniffed and curled closer, his confusion melted into something I'm not sure I understood.

I gripped his jumper and sobbed. "Shigaraki gave you that scar, didn't he?"

"Yeah… Yeah, he did."

"I don't understand… I'm s-so confused." I cried openly, confused by the lack of scolding for making noise and comforted by the hand running up and down my back. I knew this man. This guy wasn't a stranger, he didn't work for All for One, he didn't work for Shigaraki. No. He was a hero, he was the guy that saved me, he was my hero, my black armoured knight, my Dad.

"Just breathe Alex, that's it. Just breathe." He stood up, still holding me and turned off the milk as it bubbled. I watch the foam calm down in the pan, clinging to him still. "Can you tell me what you were seeing? You looked real far off there."

"USJ." I whispered.

His body jolted. "You actually remember–?"

"D-Dad?"

He stared at me, eyes shining as his big grin split into view. I knew that smile. I remembered that smile; he wore it when I finally let him in that time he got locked outside in the rain, the day I got my acceptance letter from UA, the day I managed to use my tactile control for my power. Wait… What?! I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged tight, recalling his teachings on breathing, on staying calm. The images kept falling into place; the USJ, the Hospital, the Summer Camp, Kamino. Ow. I hid in the crook of his neck and he ran his hand up and down, up and down.

"You're fine Alex, no one's gonna hurt you, you're safe."

"I think I'm r-remembering. My head. My head hurts, Dad."

"Just… Just breathe and hold on, okay? I'll call Recovery Girl to come check on you. You… You still hearing me, Alex?"

"Yeah." I sounded very small all of a sudden, like I had heard my voice for the first time. I was little. I held onto him tighter, flinching as details fell into place. How was he holding me like this? He hadn't been able to do that since I first met him. I look down and jolted. "Uh… D-Dad… Dad why am I so small–"

"Shh." He rocked slightly. "Just let me phone Recovery Girl all right? You're safe Alex. You got hit by a quirk, but you're safe."

I didn't understand, but I trusted him. I nodded and focused on my breathing, whimpering as more memories fell into place and emotions with them. The bar with Bakugo, the restraints, the blue flames engulfing the woodlands, yelling at Todoroki, him finding me in a coffee shop. It was so much at once. Like trying to swallow sand. I could do this. I could hold on.

"Hey…" Dad rumbled into the phone. "Yeah she's getting memories back… Uh no she doesn't seem hurt or anything just overwhelmed. Please com–right I'll see you soon." He hung up and set me on the counter, cupping my face. "Still with me?"

I nodded and reached for him, the cold counter just sending me back to small damp rooms with rusted bed frames and chains. It was all so vivid. Dad looked surprised but picked me up and held me. So kind. He had always been so kind. Had I ever said that to him? As a kid I wouldn't have known how to say it, right? The words wouldn't have been there. Or I'd have feared jinxing things.

"Dad you're so good." I sniffed and he pressed a kiss into my hair. "Really. Th-Thank you."

"As sweet as this is, it sounds like it's leading to a good bye, Alex. Do this old man a favour and shush or he's gonna have a heart-attack." He chuckled in a slightly strangled manner. I chuckled right back and nodded, knowing what he meant. It isn't goodbye though. Not this time.

Not this… time...

When did I fall asleep?

I guess I must have fallen asleep with him comforting me, because the next thing I knew, Recovery Girl was examining me. I'd fallen asleep in Dad's arms like a child. I guess I was one, right? I looked past her at the ceiling fan and smiled when she waved her gloved hand at me.

She smiled back. "Good to see you awake my dear. I think you just needed a rest rather than it being an injury to the head or anything. You gave your Father quite the turn though. He was worried you'd passed out because of all the information." She tutted, as though I had chosen to fall asleep. But the kindly smile remained, and she helped me sit up. "You'll be groggy, but tell me dear, do you know what led to this situation?"

I nodded slowly, the alleyway crystal clear to me now. "We were on patrol. I got hit by that quirk…" I looked down and laughed in a slightly hysterical manner. I'm tiny. How old am I? "Holy shit I'm such a little gremlin."

"Yeah, she's back." Dad laughed, hanging his head with his shoulders juddering in what was likely his own form of faint hysteria. "You're about eight, Alex. At least that's our best guess."

I slumped back and watched my feet dangle off the end of the seat. Well this is fucking weird. My real seventeen year old mind is in the body of an eight-year old. I frowned. Wait… I can still recall All for One. Not much else, but that bastard is definitely there in the shadows of memories.

Recovery Girl tapped my foot. "Any more pain?"

"No… I…" A shudder ran from my head to my toes. "I remember All for One being there with Shigaraki. I… I didn't remember that before. Do you think that asshole's quirk has unlocked some of my memories?"

Dad smirked. "Maybe. But we're gonna take this slow Alex. The last thing we need to do right now is rush, okay?"

"That for my benefit or yours, old man?"

He strode over and scooped me into his arms. "Shut it, gremlin."

"Careful with your back, geezer!" I laughed, hugging him tight.

"You're lucky you're cute. Oh shi–"

"How dare you!"


Thanks for reading! And thanks to everyone faving, following and reviewing, SHOUTOUTS below! I love being able to chat to my readers ^-^ you've all been grand! So I'll see you in a month, 16th of July for the next update!

DELAY INFO: So yeah, I'm going with another month delay thing as I have some irl stuff coming up and just generally dealing with a few things. So to avoid burnout and things just going downhill, gonna step back for a spell and hopefully come back all the stronger! I still have plenty of plans for this story, so don't worry it's not going to disappear or anything! Just a double wait for the next update.

EXTRA INFO: I do have a kofi running, same name and pic as on here, feel free to pop over and gimme some lurve, and of course feel free not to! In no way is that tied to me updating or not ^-^

SHOUTOUTS:

zikashigaku: Haha, I loved writing her being able to help others, as a lot of the time its them helping her. So it was a fun opportunity for things to be reversed I felt! I am enjoying seeing them animated as well, slowly started the new season just last night, tho I admit the fact they are showing them all so detailed does slightly shout "We're buying time for the manga to get further ahead" lol. But its still a lot of fun! I am verrry looking forward to Bakugo's fight yeah! Haha I am glad you liked the Eri moment. When I read that bit of the manga I was like... ooooh boy thats gonna be so fricking CUTE to work with. I hope you liked the fallout of the christmas patrol, the idea occurred to me aaaaaages ago and I've been slowly looking for somewhere to pop it in. I am very much looking forward to the internship section as well, it has my writing brain all fuzzy and excited hehe. Thanks once again for continuing to review, it really does make a huge difference to me personally ^-^ you're a gem of a reader!

Rainwalker12: Speedy reader! Haha, nice! I'm glad you enjoyed it enough for it to be bingeworthy, thank you so much for saying! And I'm so glad you're enjoying the non-canon stuff as well, I love slipping little side things in, be it characters or storylines, as otherwise I'd wonder why not just rewatch the anime/reread the manga haha! So yeah, I tend to always put a personal spin on things ^-^ I am rather proud of the Vision Villain. He was meant to be more of a throwaway thing, but he's kept on growing in my mind! Thanks sooo much for chiming in with your review, they really do make my day/week when I see those emails pop up! Cheers! And I hope you continue to enjoy the story! Tho sorry about there now being a bit of a delay between updates haha, my bad on that timing! See you soon!