-next day, school, school hallway, no one's perspective-

"Good morning, Iida-kun!" Uraraka waved, skipping to him cheerfully.

"Good morning!" he replied.

"Has Izumi-chan arrived yet?"

"No. But I think that if she did, the boy from class 1-B would also be with her."

Right on cue, a flash of golden lights appeared, startling students in the hallway. Izumi and Grey were now there, now walking to their classrooms while holding cups of coffee in their hands, having a conversation that would seem random and strange for the people who don't follow.

"-who puts an engagement ring inside a cake?" Izumi asked, incredulous.

"Wha- it's romantic!" Grey cried.

"Oh, please," she rolled her eyes as she looked back at him. "If it's anything, it's a choking hazard. Oh! Hey, morning Iida-kun, Uraraka-san!" she waved at them, and they did back at her, though a little confused. She continued her conversation. "I swear, men act as though there's some cosmic reward for crazy proposals.'' she took a sip and threw the empty cup in the trash that was coming her way. "What a woman really wants is a man down on one knee, tears in his eyes, ring in his hand."

"My dad's proposal to my mother was very romantic," he said defensively. "Before she went psycho, that is."

"Hmmm, I heard," they stopped in front of her classroom. "A balloon ride is lovely," she agreed, but shook her head, "but not in February."

Grey's smile dropped, he considered this. "My old man did say her hand was shaking so much from the cold, it was difficult getting that ring on."

She giggled as she flicked his forehead with her fingers, making him flinch. "It was a sign."

The green haired girl opened the classroom door, and made eye contact with a certain blonde that made her entire body freeze. Seemed like he just arrived, too. "H-hi Kacchan, g-good morning!" She stuttered nervously, and Katsuki grunted in response before looking away from her face to glare at the boy behind her.

Grey glared back for a few heartbeats before smiling at her. He said in a chirping way, "Hey, so do you think you can spare some time with me on an outing this weekend? You know, to have fun outside with just the two of us."

Everyone, and Katsuki, immediately knew what he was implying. The blonde really just wanted to blast that winning smirk off Grey's face.

Izumi sighed, then rolled her eyes and turned to him, momentarily forgetting Katsuki in front of her. "Grey, I love you, but my affection for you doesn't go so far where I would just let you take me on a date."

Katsuki gaped at her when he heard her tone towards him. He wasn't imagining things. She really treated Grey much differently than everyone else. Even her body language said otherwise.

She went on, "You should know by now as I've been rejecting the the boys my mom set me up with for years. So whether your offer is related to a fancy ride, or up in space, or on a kids slide, my answer is still "no"."

"What about that All Might amusement park?" He quickly said, "I know you always wanted to go there, but was busy," he looked at the people behind her, and said carefully, " for reasons."

"Ahh, smart. It's tempting, I'll admit." she smiled sweetly at him. "But, I ain't a shallow-minded bimbo. So, nah."

"But—"

"Nope!" She closed the door to his face. "See you later, Grey." She turned to her gaping classmates and smiled warmly. "Good morning, everyone," she greeted. Quickly slipping passed Katsuki, not sparing a glance.

"Morning, Izumi. Was that Grey asking you out?" Jirou asked as Izumi dropped her bag to her seat.

"Yeah." she sighed heavily. "I guess he thought I needed a break when he noticed how rotten my days were this week."

"That's so sweet of him!" Ashido squealed. "Why don't you accept?"

She shook her head. "I... just don't have any interest in those kinds of things. Besides, i'm always busy with… things, and training."

"Hmmm,"

She blinked, confused. "What?"

"Is a childhood friend the only thing you can think of him as?"

"Uhh… He is also my best friend—" the girls stared at her incredulously. "Um, brother from another mother?"

"Kero, Izumi-Chan," Asui said, "How long have you been blind?"

That startled her. "Eh?" What were they talking about?

"I may not have known Nakamura-San, long," Yaoyorozu said, putting a handon her cheek, "but I feel bad for him, now."

"Ah, me, too,"

"Same,"

"Really, now,"

While Izumi was completely confused by the girl's reactions, Katsuki had smirked unconsciously. The nerd isn't aware of Grey's feelings as she doesn't take him seriously. He didn't know why, but he felt the tanned skin boy hadn't completely beaten him.

—12:50 pm, classroom,

"You can decide if you want to wear your costume or not this time. Because there are probably costumes that limit your abilities, too. The trading will take place off campus, so we're taking a bus. Start getting ready."

Aizawa Sensei ended with that, and everyone started to get up, retrieving their cases from their display. Her costume was torn and ripped from combat training, so she sent it to the support company to get it fixed. Turns out, the reason why her costume was styled like a rabbit in the first place was because Grey had been altering her sketches. She caught him red handed not too long ago discussing with a girl from the support department to style her next costume into a cat!

Oh that damn jackass got a real smack in the head for that.

"Rescue training," Izumi murmured to herself. Even though it was not necessary, she figured she might as well bring her stuff (weapons-She got approval after much persuasion) just in case she gets chased unnecessary by a certain blonde, and to assure Grey that she had her equipment at her disposal. It may get her a couple of unwanted stares, yes, but she didn't want people to think Grey was her bodyguard of some kind if he fought with the blonde in front of them. In a way, it was true, but the deal was he'd protect her from Katsuki only.

Izumi quickly followed the girl's to their changing room as she didn't want to be approached by Tododroki again. She could tell he wanted to speak with her in private, and it was related to Grey.

She did a bit of a background check on him, believing that it was 'better safe than sorry'. It was a relief to know that they never met in person, so the strongest boy in her class didn't hold a grudge against Grey. However… she...inadvertently found something else….something disturbing about his past. A secret, maybe. And it involved a hospitalized mother, an abusive father, and neglected children.

The report didn't go into detail as to what exactly happened or why since witnesses and statements were limited, but all causes and blames were pointed to Endeavor, or Todoroki Enji. It wasn't a well known report in the precinct as it was kept a low profile from the public since it involved the number 2 hero. Mainly because the cops can't do anything since he had the money to escape jail and services and maybe win a court trial.

But...Izumi felt that she shouldn't ignore him or avoid him forever just because he was interested in her tanned friend.

"Izumi, I've been wondering, are you really childhood friends with Bakugou- kun?" Uraraka asked her, concerned as they entered the girl's changing room "I mean, I know that there's nothing going on between the two of you, but… was there something more deeper about your relationship in the past?"

"Eh?" she tilted her head in confusion.

"Ah, me, too. I thought it was strange." Ashido agreed, she looked at Izumi. "Bakugou says all sorts of harsh and mean things to people, including you. But since the beginning of school, he's always looked at you in a different way. The girls have a theory he has a crush on you, but he's in denial, or doesn't realise it himself."

Izumi gaped, and laughed. They looked at her confused. "No, I think not. He definitely has no feeling for me...I hope. " She whispered the last part. "Uh. you see.. He's having difficulty ...accepting that i was a girl this whole time."

"Kero?" Asui tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"umm...Since we were kids...and up till the end of junior high…" she tried to explain, and flushed from embarrassment, "I was cross-dressing..."

…

…

…

" EEEEHHHHH!?" All of them cried.

"What does that mean?"

"Izu-chan! Was someone forcing you?!"

"Midoriya-san, does Bakugou-san have any involvement with this action?"

"Wahh! Izu-chan, how were you able to pull it off for so long?!"

Izumi raised her hands, feeling overwhelmed with the questions asked. "No one was forcing me! It had to be done! Kacchan just forgot about my existence as a female, and treated me as a trash mal-" she stopped herself. Crap, she said stuff that was supposed to stay hidden, and made Katsuki a kind of Villain in her life. "Uh, I mean-"

"Forgot your existence as a female, you say?" Uraraka said darkly, a red aura was radiating from her.

Ah…

Oh shit.

"That would wound every girl's dignity as a woman," Yaoyorozu agreed, her face darkening.

"And treated you like trash?" Ashido gritted her teeth. "Bakugou really doesn't deserve Izumi-chan."

"Agreed," the rest of the girls chorused.

"Eh, eh !? wait, wait, It's not his fault," she cried, god she didn't want people to have a grudge against Katsuki (as it was too soon even though it was inevitable). "Kacchan forgot because he got into an accident. It's a little complicated to explain why it happened, and why he kept forgetting...but...it's my fault he got into that accident in the first place…"

"Izumi-chan, Kero," Asui said, pitying her friend, and so did the other girls.

She changed the subject. "Anyway, things are different now. I'm not going to be meek and let him do what he wants." She opened her locker. "Yeah, I- What the-?"

Her P.E clothes weren't there. Instead, was her work clothes. The same V-neck white blouse, the same black pants and high knee boots. Even the black diamond earring stud she left in her drawer back at home.

Atop the clothes was a note.

Hey, Kitty!

I know you don't have your costume right now, and since it would be so boring to see you wear your school tracksuit, I took the liberty to bring this! Have fun~!

From: Your stalker, Grey. Tee hee~

…

Didn't that smartass say he didn't want her to be seen wearing this in front of people who weren't her co-workers? What the heck was he doing?

Hagakure took a look. "Oh my! Are you going punk like, Izumi?"

She shook her head with disbelief. "That son of a-Ugh!"

-Boys changing room-

A note was stuck on his locker.

Heed my warning, porcupine.

With a growl, he tore the note off and blew it into many pieces with his quirk.

"Whoa! Bakubro, what the hell!? Kirishima pointed at him, disapprovingly.

"Shut it, shitty hair."

"Did someone pull a prank on you," Sero asked, as he saw the note that was stuck on his locker, but didn't see what was written on it as it was blown up.

"Yeah," he scowled. "That f***king tanned skin from the class next door."

"Oh, you mean Grey?" Kaminari flinched when his peers whipped their heads to him suddenly. "Um...He is your childhood friend right?"

"Haaaaaa!?" Katsuki slammed his locker shut. "The hell you say you f**ker?"

Isn't Midoriya your childhood friend? Doesn't that also apply to Grey as he knew—"

"That shitface appeared out of nowhere one day during middle school, and Deku knew him from before, but had kept it a secret from me for no reason."

"Eh, really?"

"Why would she do that?"

"Was she not in good terms with Bakugou back then?"

Well, that last part was true.

"He seems to be very protective about her, from what I observed," Iida said, some who noticed this agreed.

"Well it can't be helped," Mineta drooled as he laughed softly, and it was creepy. "Midoriya is very cute in a sweet sort of way. I feel...She's simply too adorable to be left alone."

Katsuki's eyes twitched looking at the small boy. "For some reason when you say that, it reeks of something illegal."

"I agree," the rest of the boys nodded their heads.

"HUH?" Mineta looked back and forth between his peers, offended.

"But anyway, Grey really seems like a manly sort of guy," Kirishima said, grinning. "I mean, he got into U.A through recommendations, right?"

"Yeah," Kaminari agreed. "I met the guy just yesterday for lunch. He seems pretty cool and laid back. And Midoriya was right, he does seem like a player. Did you know he calls her "Kitten", and she just lets him get away with it?"

"Don't get deceived by him," Todoroki warned, as he finished changing into his costume. "He's not someone you should get chummy with just because he's Midoriya's childhood friend."

Sero's smile melted away. "What do you mean?"

"Come to think of it, Todoroki seemed to know Grey." Kaminari pointed. "Have you met him before?"

"No," he replied in a calm manner. "But my father certainly has. Nakamura has a record." They were surprised by this. "I don't want to be the guy who tells a story and spreads a rumor, but in short, he is being watched by the police. He has 2 quirks, and the second one is disabled because of the quirk cancel choker he has on his neck. But even without it, he's dangerous. I don't know why Midoriya is close to that guy, but I agree he doesn't hold any ill intentions towards her. However," he closed his locker and turned to leave, "that doesn't mean you'll receive the same treatment as her when you're alone with him."

Everyone was silent. Especially Katsuki, he was very still. When Grey strangled him a few days back, warning him to stay away from Izumi… he was unable to use his quirk. Was that… the effect of his second quirk? But that choker should have canceled it out if that was the case, right?

Right?

"Oi, half-and-half," He said in a demanding tone, "What's his second quirk?"

The boy halted. "I don't know." He admitted. "I'm just as curious as you are, but it's classified intel which neither my father or I had gained access to. All I know is that for it to work, he needs to drink someone's blood."

Katsuki's blood ran cold.

I really wanted to kill you in your sleep each night, Grey had told him that, and he was dead serious about it…

Each night, then that would mean...every night?

Could it be that...he kept breaking into his house at night, and drank his blood… to disable his explosions!? His quirk?!

If that had been the case, then… all this time...

Katsuki had been in a vulnerable situation from the start.