Hello everyone! And happy festive season, however you celebrate! Another month, another update!


After the madness of our final day at Endeavour's agency, the invitation to dinner was a welcome one. Even if it was a little odd when it was Endeavour saying it. Bakugo wasn't keen, but then again it was potentially the insinuation of us all being 'friends' that he objected to, for whatever bloody stupid reason. So every time he grumbled, or muttered, I jabbed him in the ribs in the car, or tugged on his hair with my quirk. It didn't help calm him down, but it did amuse me.

Fuyumi greeted us at the doorway with her apron on and a smile in place. As ever, the wonderful hostess. She threw her arms around me and I hugged back gladly. She was always so kind. I think Endeavour had forgotten I knew Fuyumi already, his surprise not well hidden as we shed shoes and coats in the lobby.

Izuku tripped over himself when Fuyumi exclaimed she knew him from the sports festival–no doubt immediately worried she thought ill of him due to how intense that fight between him and Sho had gotten. But Fuyumi knew how these things worked. Beyond that, I think she knew that day had been a big part of Sho turning things around. And an even bigger part of that being down to Izuku. Sho always claimed I had a part to play, but I'd never downplay how much impact Izuku had made versus myself. It's your quirk. Such simple words, and yet they hit so deeply. For many people beyond Sho as well. It often helped me move forward when I paused to consider the fact that I had literally been conceived in order to please All For One, that my parents only made me in order to make a quick buck. A puppet, a doll, a pet, a lab rat; I had been all of these things due to my quirks, be it my telekinesis or my endurance. But those simple words always helped. My quirk. Mine. Just like it was my life. Did Izuku know how much impact he made? Even without One for All. Damn I hoped so.

Once again Fuyumi had out-done herself. The food was astounding, and the entire table was fit to burst. My stomach was not shy in it's growling. I sat by Sho, though oddly enough Fuyumi had put me at the other head of the table, across from Endeavour. It let her and Natsuo take up the opposite side from the boys, but it did feel odd to be directly in front of the Number 1. Not that he raised his gaze much. As wonderful as the food was, the tension gripped the room like a vice. Natsuo did his best to be nice to us, but the daggers he threw towards his father every now and again were far from subtle. He likely agreed to dinner for the sake of his sister. Whatever progress Sho had made with his father, clearly Natsuo had not. And that was valid. For the horrors that Sho had endured as a kid, Natsuo would have his own. And then there was the potential of the lost brother. Had Natsuo been close with Touya? Did he blame Endeavour for him being gone? If it turned out Dabi was telling the truth about his connection to their family, how would that impact Natsuo? I wasn't even sure if Fuyumi or Sho had mentioned it to Natsuo or not.

After a couple more close calls with referencing the past, Natsuo had apparently had enough. He got up from his seat, thanked his sister for the food and headed for the door. "I'm sorry but… I just can't do this."

Pain laced his voice. It seemed like he wanted to try, likely for only Fuyumi's sake, but it was just too damn difficult. Endeavour's eyes didn't raise from the plates. At least he looked ashamed.

As the meal concluded we were helping clean up, with Endeavour being in charge of the actual cleaning of plates. I carried saucers and cups, floating a lot of stuff along beside me as well. It was efficient and in all honesty it helped me practise my tactile control. For some reason chopsticks were causing me some problems. They kept spinning! Though Sho seemed amused by my concentration face, so it wasn't all bad.

I started wiping the table as Fuyumi gathered the last few things towards Sho's tray.

She sighed. "I feel bad making you all help with the clean up."

Sho snorted. "Midoryia would be upset if you didn't let him pitch in."

"Yup," I nodded. "I'm glad to lend a hand. And yeah don't try to stop Izuku, you don't wanna set off that kinda ramble." I chuckled, recalling how flustered he had gotten after dinner in the dorms a few times. "The guy is allergic to not helping."

She hummed and nodded, eyes distracted as she moved things for me wiping the table. Sho gathered things onto his tray. Words seemed to brim Fuyumi's tongue. Clearly she had something to say. Should I leave? Maybe she wanted to speak to just Sho?

"Fuyumi do you want me to step outsi–"

"No Alex I… I'd appreciate your input." She stared at the table top, Sho putting down his tray as he finally caught on. She drew a deep breath. "Listen I...It's not that I don't sometimes feel the way Natsuo does."

We both went still.

She continued. "But now is our chance to fix this."

Sho knelt down again, eyes shining a little as he listened to his sister confess her feelings. I reached and gave her hand an encouraging squeeze.

She swallowed. "So tell me… How do you feel about our Dad? Honestly."

Clearly she wanted the cards on the table at long last. To know where everyone stood before she tried to move forward. It made sense. While we were all busy running around being Heroes, training and distracting ourselves from this kind of thing, she was very much thinking about their family. She worked with kids, she was surrounded by families all the time. It was no wonder she wanted to do some good with her own. It was admirable as it was perhaps a little naive.

Sho pursed his lips and looked down, almost like he was bowing to her question. "He may not have been there, but he's responsible for the scar I have." His knuckles were pale as he clenched his hands against his knees. "Mom put up with a monster, until he pushed her past the breaking point. He ruined her. I can't forgive him so easily. You know… Mom's trying to get over this herself right now, working through things."

I knew the letters from his Mother meant the world to him. It wasn't much, not as good as the visits. But the little notes of concern, little snippets of hope for what might lie ahead, it made his day every single time. Even when she would mention him wearing a coat due to it being cold, or something as mundane as that, a light would appear in his eyes. It was adorable. It was also heartbreaking. I had never really known my own family, not my blood family anyway, and the family I had with Shigaraki and All for One was a whole other tangle of snakes, but Fuyumi, Sho and Natsuo really had endured hell. A home built on repression, control and trauma. And yet, they were all so kind. Amazing. They really were amazing.

Sho continued, swallowing hard. "To be honest, I have no idea what I want from him. I dunno how to feel about the old man. But…" He cleared his throat, glancing to me and giving a tiny smile. "I'll figure it out."

"Damn right you will." I beamed, and Fuyumi gave a small sniff and tiny laugh. "At your own pace, in your own time. It's gonna–"

"You people!" Bakugo growled from beyond the screen door to the hallway, and I pinked along with Fuyumi as we realised he and Izuku had presumably heard most of that, having returned from the kitchen already. The door slid open suddenly. "If you're gonna invite guests over don't talk about sensitive subjects! There are dishes that need washing!"

Fuyumi flustered herself, but in all honesty I had to stop myself from a bout of nervous laughter. Bakugo certainly knew how to break a tense moment.

Fuyumi had a hand to her mouth. "I'm so sorry! You're totally right."

"Hey they fuckin' eavesdropped." I snorted, tugging on Bakugo's hair again, making him give another growl.

Izuku held his hands up. "Yeah so we uh we sorta heard about the situation from Todoroki, so we're sorta in the know."

Ah. Was this the infamous altercation Sho and Izuku had before their Sports Festival match? Back when Sho was so angry at the world he saw everyone as an obstacle instead of an ally. Made sense. And really it was a testament to Izuku's respect for someone's personal story if he had never broached the subject further since.

Bakugo stormed inside. "Normally you'd think getting asked over for dinner was a good thing, but ya went and ruined some good food with your family drama."

I tugged the hair again, really hard.

"Gah!" He snarled. "Stop that!"

"Then stop bitching!"

Izuku sighed. "I'm sorry, we kinda overheard."

"Ya think?" I raised a brow and he pinked as he gathered a few more bowls.

But I could see it in those green eyes as he plucked saucers and bowls from the table that his mind was churning. To say something or not to say something. To step in or not to. But I knew he would. After all, interfering when not asked was a big part of being a Hero, right? Really, considering his own home situation, I was curious to see what Izuku thought about it all. I didn't really know what had happened with his parents, it had never seemed like my place to ask, but he was from a single parent household. It seemed unlikely that Izuku wouldn't have anything to say on the matter.

"Todoroki…" Izuku began, looking to Sho with those big green eyes so brimming with empathy it made my heart hurt. It also caught Sho by surprise I think, and Fuyumi. "I know it's not my business, but I think deep down you're ready to move forward with your Dad."

Sho jolted.

Izuku kept going. "Don't get me wrong though, if you don't forgive him that's up to you. No one can force you to accept him. The thing is… You're a really caring person."

Wow. I think I was just as dumbstruck as Sho and Fuyumi as we stared at Izuku, the silence stretching onward. To think, looking back at the start of the year, had anyone told me that Izuku would be saying that about Shouto Todoroki, I would have called them nuts. Caring person? This cold fish? But it was true. Shouto cared fiercely; about his friends, his family, his work, a lot of things really. And I was honoured to include myself in that.

Izuku shrugged. "Seems like you're just waiting for something. If so… I'm sure you'll know how to feel when the time comes."

I was curious, so I sent out a pulse, finding Natsuo and Endeavour both nearby, likely listening. It wasn't clear what that might mean, but I was rather glad someone else was overhearing too. This house, so full of secrets and resentments, was oddly thin-walled. Bakugo came back a few minutes later with a tray of tea, apparently being well-trained in the expectations of what followed from dinner. He still looked pissy, but he did nudge me softly on the way past, so I figured all was forgiven.

Natsuo had headed out for the evening, perhaps back to a friends house? And Endeavour had gone to visit the shrine of Touya, the lost Todoroki brother…

Fuyumi took the opportunity to confess that she hadn't gotten around to mentioning the potential connection that I had raised between Dabi and their family. It was just a hard subject to bring up. For one thing, it would mean their long lost brother was alive. And for another it would mean he had been driven to the darkness completely by their father. I just smiled and nodded, it made total sense that she had struggled to bring it up to Natsuo. Without proof it was just potentially a painful scab to be picked.

Izuku and Bakugo looked lost immediately. And then the rest of the explanation about the loss of Touya came out. And it seemed I was right, a big part of why Natsuo simply couldn't get past his anger towards Endeavour was the loss of that brother. The pain therein. And that was valid, more than valid. But what did that mean if it turned out to be true that Dabi was truly Touya? How would Natsuo react?

"Time for me to take you back to school." For such a big guy, Endeavour could be very stealthy. He made me jump as he suddenly appeared in the doorway. He looked odd in a domestic setting, but the way he wore that impassive expression as well was plain bizarre.

We gathered our things and headed into the car with Endeavour and his driver. It was a cosy fit, but I didn't mind sitting in the back on the pop-up seat by the bags. The city rushed past us, all lit up against the night sky. I couldn't help but wonder what was happening in the unlit areas, but we weren't on duty, so I soon tried to turn off that part of my brain. It was one of the first things Dad had said about me becoming a Pro and doing active Hero work; turn your brain off when you can. He wasn't always great at that himself, but constantly worrying over these things just led to burn-out.

Having said that, Endeavour was quickly talking about schedules and us shifting things around so we could be working at the agency during the week as well as the weekends. It would be tricky, but possible. Then again, I wasn't sure how my Dad would feel about academic things being so quickly shunted aside. I'd have to speak to him about it–

The car swerved.

What the hell?

Someone went flying past the window, bound in some weird white stuff, yelping. Wait, that wasn't just someone, it was Natsuo. Sho confirmed my suspicions as the driver struggled to correct the vehicles trajectory. We slammed against the barricade and I did my best to aid the straightening out of the wheels when we turned. Endeavour burst into action. The villain, some weirdo with a black mask and purple hoodie gave a squeal. Like he was thrilled to see a Hero, rather than worried.

What the hell was happening here?

Regardless, it was time to move. The driver released our costume bags, and we launched into action. We had to get in there and save Natsuo. Whatever this creepy Villain wanted, be it actually a death via Endeavour or not, we couldn't let Natsuo get wrapped up in it. As soon as the Villain spotted us, he went into retreat, seemingly not wanting anything to do with us. All he wanted was Endeavour. Fine, we could use that to our advantage. While we distracted, Endeavour could give chase and– but then Endeavour stopped. He could have easily caught up and intervened. So why was he stalled? Staring after Natsuo like he was terrified to take one more step forward?

No time to find answers.

We rushed past Endeavour's frozen form, tearing after the whining villain.

"Why aren't you incinerating me? What isn't one son's life enough to make you break your stupid rules?"

"No fuckin' chance you're hurting anyone else!" I bellowed, wrapping a shield around Sho just to be safe.

It seemed like this Villain might be juiced up on one of those amplifier drugs, or else surely we would have heard of him before, it was the perfect quirk to cause havoc in an urban setting. He seemed to be manipulating the paintwork from the road itself. And it was sharp. So not only was he unhinged, he was drugged up as well. Oh and suicidal. What a fun combination! Blimey, I wish I hadn't had that second helping of tofu.

In his frenzy the Villain began to panic. He threw civilian cars in the air, and Natuso into the path of a train. Desperation. Distraction. Take a breath and take it to your advantage.

"I've got Natsu!" Bakguo barked, already condensing his flight blast. I trusted him to make it, but put a shield around Natsuo all the same.

"I've got the cars!" Deku yelled, skidding to a halt and unleashing black whip.

Even so, I reached and steadied the passengers to ensure they weren't injured with all the jostling. And then I ensured to help Sho's speed as he flew at the villain. We would do this. And we would do it as a team.

Bakugo swept Natsuo out of the way in the last second. Deku grabbed the cars to steady their descent. Sho blazed forward and caught up with the Villain to then seal him in ice. Boom. Just like that. No hesitation. No false starts. We did it. We really did it. With the civilians being tended to by Deku, I ran towards Natsuo and Bakugo to see if any pressure was needed for wounds.

"Hey, you good?" Bakugo asked, helping Natsuo sit upright as he took deep breaths.

And then Endeavour ran past me.

Huh?

He bolted over and encased both of them in his arms. Uhm. Endeavour was hugging Bakugo. Oh… Okay that was odd. And then he held them by their shoulders.

"Are you hurt?" He barked, panicked and very un-Endeavour.

"Of course not!" Bakugo struggled against the hold, wriggling harder when Endeavour held them even closer, like beloved children or something. This was so surreal. I skidded to a halt just shy of them.

"Uh guys you doing al–"

"Where's the White Line Moron?" Bakugo slipped out of the hold, checking on Sho who was stood with the Villain encased in ice. The villains continued to weep and whine. And then Bakguo whirled to the other end of the proceedings to check on the civilians. Though admittedly calling them 'extras' was uncalled for. And then came the smuggest expression I think I had ever witnessed on Bakugo's face. And that was saying something. He held his chin high and snorted. "What was that you wanted us to do, Number 1? This winter, just one time, I want you to show me that you can catch a villain faster than I can!"

And now Bakugo sounded a teeny bit manic. But his cackling was cut short.

"Yes." Endeavour spoke plainly. "You did great. You covered for my mistake, and outmatched me in terms of speed."

Bakugo pouted. "Suddenly the guy gets all sincere and crap…"

I put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, you still got a good brag in."

"Not as satisfying if he isn't gonna bitch though…"

"I know buddy, I know."

"Gah!" Natsuo yelled out, pushing away from Endeavour. "Get off of me!"

Apparently the shock had worn off.

Quiet took the street. A few members of the public had gathered.

"I'm sorry." Endeavour croaked. "For a second, all I could think, was if I rescued you… m-maybe you would never… You would never say anything to me again, even if you were angry."

Well… Shit. Credit where it was due, that was oddly perceptive of the old git. Like he understood that if Natuso felt indebted to him, Natsuo wouldn't feel able to speak against him. Like he had at the previous Todoroki dinner I attended, all guns blazing and refusals blaring. I dunno if Endeavour was right or not, but the simple fact was, Endeavour didn't want his son to feel like that. It was progress if nothing else.

"Natsuo." Endeavour sighed. "You may not believe this, but I swear, I never meant to neglect you children. I ran from my troubles, left you responsible for too much. And Touya…" His head bowed. "I might as well have killed him myself."

People had started beeping, but they were ignored.

I shivered.

Natsuo swallowed hard. "Never meant to neglect us? Well it doesn't matter, because all I remember is feeling abandoned, like Touya said, it'll be a cold day in hell before I ever forgive you." And despite the anger in his words, he was smiling broadly, with tears brimming his eyes. It was heartbreaking. "You got it? Y'see I'm not a kind person like Shouto is."

Oh Natsuo…

"You say that, but…" Endeavour shook his head. "You still show up for your family's sake. For your sister, and for your mother. Fuyumi longs for a happy family with all her heart, because I ruined ours. Aren't you making an effort, so she doesn't lose faith that we can have peaceful times ahead of us? That we can start over. You are kind in your own way."

And it looked like Natsuo might as well have been slapped in the face. He shuddered and seemed to be trembling. It would be a lot to take in no doubt. Between the adrenaline from the attack, and the shock of how his father was approaching this situation. Poor guy would need a beer.

Endeavour straightened up. "It's okay if you don't forgive me, because I don't want forgiveness, I want to atone."

And I think it's safe to say we're all thrown by that.

Natsuo gulped. "W-Whenever you're around us sis seems so happy, but me? When I see your face, all those memories rush back." Natsuo sucked in a deep breath and yelled, voice cracking against the pain. "Why should I have to abandon my feelings when everything's your fault! So you wanna atone? What the hell is there that you can even do for us?"

"I do have something in mind..."

And then the sirens turned up. The traffic moved on as I helped Natsuo get off the ground, ensuring he was able to stand on his own feet before I released the shield. He thanked us all and eventually headed on his way, having his own life to continue living. It was strange, watching him walk away from the incident a little shaken but generally unscathed, like any other victim of one of these incidents, and yet I had a direct concern for how it might affect him going forward. I'd probably see him at another dinner sometime soon. Hell, I might know him for years to come. Sho took my hand as things continued to be figured out with the police etc. and as I laced our fingers together I wondered what it might feel like one day to have Natsuo as my own brother-in-law. Weird. It wasn't impossible, by any means. My head was going to weird places, I guess.

"All right. Get back in the damn car!" The oddly aggressive driver rushed back over and hurried us back to our seats. This time I would sit in the front, as apparently Endeavour wasn't keen on letting the whimpering Villain out of his sight, so he was staying behind. We bid goodbye to our mentor, and as we drove away, I felt his gaze lingering on the car.

A lot had happened in a week of study, who knew what else we might learn from him in the future.


The dorms were dark. Everyone else had already gone to bed. I'd filled Dad in over the phone and our paperwork was being covered by Endeavour; so all there was left for us to do was sleep. Unpacking could wait until tomorrow. We climbed the stairs and I kissed Sho goodnight, glad we'd had so much time together recently, but also quite glad to be getting back into my own bubble. Sometimes you just need a reset.

My door locked. My lamp flickered on. Home.

I brushed my hair back and washed my face. What a day. What a week. So much had changed, so many things had occurred. It felt like a turning point, in both my career as a Hero and my life in general. Not only had my power and control come a long way, but me and Sho had as well. I bit my lip. That night we spent together had been so wonderful, so intense and yet gentle at the same time. At the time he had said he enjoyed it of course, and I'm sure he had done, but I hoped he knew how much I had truly enjoyed it as well. I'd never felt so loved.

As I brushed my teeth I felt a deep sense of contentment settle over me, like I was finally feeling in control of things again. Yes the world was still hectic, yes there was still plenty of chaos in our lives, and would be for the foreseeable future. But I had control over my quirk like never before, I had trust in my teammates, and for once I had managed to use that foresight quirk's leftovers for some good. We avoided the kidnapping. I stopped it from happening; Shinsou wouldn't be traumatised by having nearly killed me, Ura and the others didn't need to know what it felt like to be literally caged, Izuku never had that poison pushed into his veins to make all his self-loathing come pouring out, and Bakugo hadn't had to watch me die after our trial. So much would have changed had that happened. I doubted my friends would have ever been the same. Would they have recovered? Probably. They were all incredibly strong in their own right. So yes, they would have recovered, but now they didn't have to.

I rinsed and clambered into bed, laying back and turning out the light. A real difference. I had made a real difference and actually saved people. It didn't seem arrogant to take a second to enjoy that. And then of course there was Natsuo. We had done good in helping him, and Endeavour to be honest, and the civilians. All in all, there had been a lot of 'saving' going on. I snorted. No doubt I still had plenty challenges to endure, still plenty lows to clamber back out of, but I could still enjoy this high. It made it all feel that little more worth it. The bruises, the scars, the endurance of everything that had come before, it paled before those wins.

My body began to feel heavy with sleep and I didn't fight it. In my own bed, in my own dorm room, surrounded by my friends; I felt my heart slowly thump and my smile remain in place. It had been a manic week, an intense week, but a damn rewarding one. I looked forward to the rest of our time at Endeavour's agency of course, but mainly I was just excited to see what the rest of First Year at UA might bring – though hopefully less hospital visits.

For the most part I had a dreamless sleep, but as my thoughts drifted from what had been accomplished, they considered what had been overcome. The streets, so cold. The space between me and Dad, so tense. The bastards trying to turn me into their puppet, so overwhelming. I sighed. It was all behind me, gone. Eventually I hoped they could even be forgotten. Not the lessons of course, they would stay with me forever, but the pain could dim, the uncertainty could fade…

Hannah!

I frowned and pulled my blankets tighter. A pale blue door slid into view, it's silver handle flaking and the paint peeling. Another vision? Or a memory resurfaced?

Hannah, stop it!

Who the hell was Hannah?

I reached for the handle, clasping the cold metal and pulling. The memory wouldn't go away without being played out. Better to get it done with. I felt more sure of it being a memory as the darkness swathed over me, and the familiar smell of rust and damp lingered. Yes. I knew this place, the swinging bare bulb above, the clanking of old pipes, the never-ending shiver on my skin. Yes, I knew this place very well.

My eyes opened, looking down at Shigaraki as I stood on my squeaking bed, cowering in the corner, trying my best to keep my distance. He was manic. Eyes glazed, confused as his brows raised and then frowned in quick succession, his teeth bared, breathing uneven. And he raked his nails across his skin. Scrape. Scrape. Scraaape. Blood would appear any second, and I knew I should stop him, but the way he was screeching that name kept me at bay.

"Hannah quit it!" He bellowed, eyes flashing to me.

I was shaking so hard my longer hair fell in front of my face. "Who's Hannah? I d-don't understand Shigaraki!" I whimpered, wishing that damn red door would open, that Master would appear and calm Shigaraki down. That or I was dead. I felt it coming. Death. Shigaraki hissed and clambered onto the bed, hands reaching for me with such determination. "Stop it!"

"Why'd you do it, Hannah?" He wheezed, struggling to even haul himself onto the small rusted frame. "Why'd you lie like that? Why?"

"I dunno what you're talkin' about dammit." I sobbed, pressing myself to the mouldy walls, looking towards the door. "Master! He's gonna kill me!"

"Hannah!"

A sigh sounded as the door swung open. Finally Shigaraki paused to look towards the darkened doorway where Master stood with clasped hands. Shigaraki lowered his hand, it having been a mere inch from my arm.

Master tutted. "Bad dream, Shigaraki? There is no Hannah here, only Alex, remember? Your pet, your companion, your doll. Not Hannah."

"Wh-Who is–" I sniffed and hiccuped. "Who's Ha–"

"Nothing for you to worry about, my dear." Master clapped his hands once and Shigaraki flinched back from me, looking at Master with that kicked puppy look that always made me sick to my stomach.

Did I ever wear that expression? So hopelessly devoted and scard at the same time? I hoped not. If I did, I'd hate myself. My knees quaked, and eventually just gave out, sliding me down the damp wall to slump against the lumpy mattress. Shigaraki was led away and as Master closed the door, I felt his gaze land on me. I curled tighter in the corner.

"I suppose you do look like her in a way…"

"Who?" I gulped. "Hann–"

"Never speak that name again." He stopped closing the door, staring hard, despite how the shadows shielded his face. I nodded and looked at my knees. The threat was there; don't speak that name again or there will be a lot of pain to follow. I knew it. He knew it. "Sleep well, Alex. I'll have these memories dealt with tomorrow."

I woke.

My room was dark, only lit by my bedside clock that blinked softly. My lips were still closed, and my breathing was normal. At least I hadn't yelled, or unleashed any of my quirk while I dreamt. I was even still lying in the same position. It seemed like progress. I sat up, flicked on the light and made some notes about the dream. Hannah. Clearly this was someone from Shigaraki's past, someone he had known, or perhaps someone he had been related to? I had looked like her. That was what All for One said, or it seemed like he could at least understand the association from Shigaraki. Presumably she had been about my age, long black hair and pale. It wasn't much to go on, but it was something.

He had looked so panicked. At the time, my own fear had naturally ruled over everything else, but looking back through my current self I could see how afraid Shigaraki had been. So confused and alone as he reached for me. I don't think he intended to hurt me. He likely would have, simply from his emotions being all over the place, but the malliciousness wasn't there. For once. No, all he had been in that moment was a scared kid. Not a Villain. Not yet.

The clock showed that barely an hour had passed, still plenty of time to get some rest, so I set the notes aside and turned off the light again. Despite the fear in the memory, I was calm. Was that progress? Or was I becoming numbed to these visions? It would make them less of a problem, but I wasn't sure I liked the idea of me being so detached. They were lost memories of my life after all.

Who was Hannah?

Could I use this to our advantage?

How heroic that line of thinking was, was up for debate, but at this point it seemed like we had to strive for any possible advantage. Shigaraki had been quiet recently, which made me nervous. Something big was coming. It wasn't intuition, I don't think it could even be linked to my temporary foresight quirk, it was just… in the air. Something was on the horizon. More change. More challenges. I trusted myself and my friends to get through it though, one way or the other. And that was why my smile persisted. Sure, Bakugo still needed persuaded to rely on others. Sure, Sho still needed to work on that reaction time to pass the moment to a teammate better suited. Sure, Deku was still trying to do everything himself, thinking he had to be the only one at risk. I smirked. Guess I wasn't much different at the start of the year. And sure, I had to work on my stamina and general instincts.

But we'd get through.

Together.


Iida was on top form after his Work Study, raring to go but in a 'looser' way apparently. We gathered our costumes and headed for the training area, talking amongst ourselves as my Dad wandered behind, already working through paperwork. Start of a new term but same workload. He seemed tired, but I guessed it might be to do with looking after Eri, or simply a lot of 'start of year' nonsense. That or Hizashi had been talking his ear off all night about something.

"Mr Aizawa, please report to the teacher's lounge immediately."

I stopped as the announcement ended, and Dad looked as confused as me. He shrugged and waved me on, turning to follow orders, a text buzzing in my pocket a moment later.

Dad: [Probably some other student crap, Toshinori will take over the class instead. Behave.]

Me: {I always do! Hope everything's okay. See you later.}

And that was all I heard for the rest of the day. Training went well, and other classes were as expected, until we headed for our final class which was meant to be English with Hizashi. We had another stand in. He was away as well? It might have been a coincidence, but there was still no word from Dad, so I couldn't help but be a little wary as we all filed in and sat down. Due to Present Mic's absence we would be focusing on reading catch-up today, and as the room stilled to reading and the occasional rustle of paper, my phone buzzed again.

Sho: [Everything all right? You look concerned.]

And again.

SparkleFist: [The fuck's up with your face? Book's not that bad.]

And again.

Izuku: [You seem worried, is everything all right? Have you heard from your Dad since he was called away?]

I smiled and essentially responded the same to them all; All good, just wondering where they've both buggered off to at such short notice. And then I tried to focus on my reading. It was difficult though, and not entirely due to the reading being bloody dull, but because the longer the day rolled on for and the less I knew, the more worried I got. Had the other shoe dropped? Was Nemuri all right? Had something happened? What were we being kept in the dark about now? Was the League on the move?

The bell rang.

I packed up like everyone else, about to head back to dorms, when Toshinori appeared in the doorway and waved. Seemed he wanted to talk. I perched on my desk, letting everyone else file out. Sho, Izuku and Bakugo all took a little longer to leave, nearly bumping into each other as they kept their eyes flickering between me and Toshi. I may have used my quirk to avoid the collision. They flustered, but eventually the classroom door snapped shut and left me alone with Toshinori looking a little unsure as he perched on the desk across from me and clasped his skeletal hands.

"Is my Dad okay?" I swallowed hard, preparing for the worst.

Toshi blinked. "Yes! Well in so far as he's not injured I mean, he's uh… Look, he and Mic were called to Tartarus."

I stiffened. "Has All for One–"

"No they–"

"Stain? Chisaki?" I stood, heart hammering. Where was the danger? Who was the danger?

Toshi held a hand up to me. "No one has broken out, no one is on the rampage. Please, just listen."

"A-All right." I stayed standing.

"It's to do with the ongoing investigation into any leads on the League, all right? I'm sure your Dad will tell you more once he's back, but he likely won't be contact until he's returned. And when he does… Well he might be a bit shaken up."

I frowned. Why would Dad be so rocked by something like that?

Toshi could see my confusion.

He took my hands in his. "I just didn't want you hearing second-hand about where he was, all right? And Nemuri is fine as well, I figured you might be worried about her considering the other two are involved."

I nodded. "Th-Thanks. I… I guess I'll just wait for him back at his place at the Dorms?"

"Sounds like a plan. Sorry if I've just unnerved you more but I–"

"No Toshi, I… You've stopped my imagination running quite so madly." I squeezed his hands and picked up my bag. "I'll wait for him and ensure he's okay once he's home."

Toshinori smiled. "You're such a great kid."

"Well I'm the only he's got, so I better be."

We all headed to get ready for training, and as much as I wanted to focus on the task at hand, my mind kept drifting back to Dad. Tartarus. Why was he being summoned so suddenly? I knew he would tell me everything once he was back, assuming he was legally able to, but I still couldn't help the knots forming in my stomach.

"Hey is that a new costume Uraraka?"

I blinked and shook my head, just be here. Be a kid, be a student in training with your friends for fuck's sake. I joined in the complimenting Ura's new look, and as much as she was blushing about it, she seemed more confident overall. No doubt she had learned a lot during her study. And thankfully hadn't had it interrupted by random assholes kidnapping her. I shook my head again. Present. Be in the damn present!

Mina was checking out the various new parts of Ura's costume when something fell out. Something small. Something All Might shaped. Wait… wasn't that the gift Ura got from Izuku at the christmas party? I winced and Mina squealed as the penny dropped in her head as well. Ura had scrambled to pick it up and hide it, her cheeks already aflame. But the damage was done.

"It isn't like that!"

I bit my lip. She had it bad.

She shook her head at me and the bouncing Mina. "No really, it isn't, I promise."

And as much as it confused me, I believed her. Maybe it was more of a good-luck charm to her now, or something to simply help keep her feeling safe? Not sure. Regardless, she clearly hadn't quite figured it out herself yet. And she was allowed as much time to do that as she needed. Mina pouted of course, but as she returned to sorting her own costume, I went over and put an arm around Ura's shoulders.

"Nothing wrong with him being important to you."

She blushed again and nodded. "I know, I know… I'm just not sure I'm ready for anything like what you and Todoroki have."

I smiled. "Makes sense, we all go at different paces."

"Are you and Todoroki doing okay?" She asked, clearly keen to shift the spotlight elsewhere.

And suddenly the room had gone very quiet.

I blinked and looked at them all, something going unsaid between at least Jiro and Mina as they exchanged a look and leaned in.

"Uh yeah… Everything's… great? Why are you all looking at me like you're expecting news?"

"Come on!" Mina threw her hands up. "You spent a week at that agency together, did you sneak in to his room at any point or vice versa?" She waggled her brows and my blush betrayed my want of a poker face. She gasped. "You did!"

"No I… Well I… We… There was no sneaking." I laughed and covered my face, knowing full-well nothing about our trajectory from the lobby to the elevator could be deemed 'stealthy'.

Mina squealed. "But there was… other things?"

I bit my lip.

She screeched. "Jiro, I told you so! Couldn't keep their hands off each other!"

Jiro chuckled behind her hand. "I mean it's hardly surprising, they've been going out a while now and they can barely keep their eyes off each other anyway."

"Give me this win, dammit!" Mina laughed, clapping. "Details!"

Momo shook her head. "We should not pry into this ladies, this is between Alex and Todoroki."

"Were you safe?" Mina cackled and I couldn't help but snort along with her, loving the fact my zany friend had stumbled onto hitting the nail on the head, because of course she had. Mina stopped short. "Wait… Seriously?"

"Mina just–"

"You… You did the… And with him… And you were… OH MY GOD!"

And then I ran out of the changing room.


And there we have it! Thanks for reading, faving, following and reviewing! I didn't get any pings on my email for reviews this month but was thrilled to see a couple when I checked anyway! Maybe they're updating the system? No idea. But anyway, Shoutouts below! Love talking with you folks. See you next month/year haha! Have a good one folks!

SHOUTOUTS:

HarleKing31: They have indeed learned! Growth! Progress! Whooooop! Haha, I enjoyed writing this section a lot tbh as it was a fun way to show their progress in terms of teamwork as well as trust and all that jazz. Thanks for chiming in again!

Zigashigaku: Yeah I haven't been getting notifications either, so I was super happy to see that you had actually read this month haha, but in all honesty only just checked as things have been mental on my end of things. But still! Glad you enjoyed the "what if" scenario. I had a lot of fun writing it, and actually the set up was one of the first things I wrote for this story way back when ^-^ thanks for sticking with me all this way haha, and still reviewing! Cya next time!