Endeavor chose to stand, rather than sit with Izuku. Perhaps he was in a serious headspace, or didn't want to bother with pleasantries, or maybe he just wanted to feel intimidating. Izuku theorized, however, that he knew he was too well-built for their chairs. In any case, Izuku still made tea for the man, to which he accepted in begrudging silence.

His mother was still at work, so he was alone in the house with the man. It wouldn't have been as uncomfortable if he wasn't in his sweats, or even if he wore socks. It was very awkward to have company while underdressed. Rushing to his room to change seemed worse, however; leaving the busiest hero in the business waiting spelled disaster. He chose instead to place himself on the opposite side of his kitchen's island so the man couldn't judge his lazy outfit.

Izuku leaned onto his elbows, propping himself up against the counter in a casual manner. Endeavor stood ramrod straight, the hand not holding his tea flat against his thigh. Izuku's stomach was doing flips, but he kept his lips tight and quiet. Men like Endeavor could smell your fear.

"Don't get cold feet, kid. He's big and strong, but he won't bully you in your own home." Five said, puffing on his ghost cigar. Izuku couldn't help the way his eyes automatically flicked to the side when he appeared, grabbing Endeavor's silent curiosity.

"So… you wanted answers? Ask me anything." Izuku started, hoping he'd forget his little twitch.

"Do you know why I'm here?"

"Uh… probably the bridge? I'm more curious as to how you know where I live." Izuku said, feigning confidence. Endeavor didn't seem amused, however.

"Your entire legal file is in the third row from the back of my top cabinet. Even if I didn't have that, I just asked Shoto. Bribed him with a deluxe order from that Soba place he loves."

Ah. Izuku had forgotten about that.

"This dude gives me the creeps." Five said. Izuku gave him an imperceptible nod. Endeavor was an odd character, for sure.

"A-alright. So… the bridge, then?"

"Yes. Are you aware of how many laws you broke?" He asked, cutting straight to the heart of his anxiety. Izuku winced, trying to recall what he'd done exactly. It was a bit of a blurr.

"At least eight separate acts of unlawful quirk activation, four of which were acted upon others without their express consent. Beyond that, you severely damaged the integrity of the bridge with your final stunt, destroying federal property. You could even be accused of impersonating a hero, with your promises to Ms. Tatsumi. It's one thing to have freak activations on your record; of which you have none officially, thanks to meddling. It's another to consciously use them on national television."

Every word felt like a punch to the gut, each sentence hitting harder than the last. Not even another sip of tea could moisten his tongue. His hand twitched, uncontrolled and nervous. A little tea spilled on the table. Neither mentioned it. Izuku swallowed.

"So? Are you going to take me in?" He asked. Endeavor blinked, his tea cup pausing on its way to his lips.

"What? You secured over four lives and saved eight. It would take a monster of a lawyer to argue your actions weren't in the best interest of everyone involved. You are in the green. Thank me later. It did take me throwing my weight around, after all. Some of the sticklers really weren't happy with you; the compromise is that it'll go on your record. I don't care much for your vigilantism, however. What I'm interested in is your method."

It was like a one-two punch. He stresses him out over legal repercussions, then switches up and starts hounding him on secrets. Izuku looked around; there was no way to escape. The only window was in his room, and he could never outrace Endeavor in his state.

"Fuck. This guy's talking about One for All." Five said. "He's onto us, man."

"...Methods?" Izuku asked, his mind racing to find an appropriate excuse.

"Indeed." Endeavor began, pouring the rest of his tea down his throat. "Your quirk is Smokescreen. You emit a non-carbon based gas via micro tunnels in your bronchioles. It is not sentient ropes. Explain."

Setting the cup down, he crossed his arms. Izuku struggled to read him. His eyes gave off the impression of genuine curiosity, but every other facet of his body screamed suspicion. His shoulders were taut, his deltoids bulging in his civilian clothes. Endeavor did not fidget, nor did he look anywhere but Izuku's own eyes. He was as stiff as they came, but for a slight twinkling in the eye.

Izuku's own gaze was unsteady. He tried to match Endeavor's own, but his confidence was like ice in a fireplace. His only comfort was the fact that Five never faded away, giving him needed company.

"Hmm…" Five hummed, snapping his fingers. "What's your cover story again? Didn't Nighteye give him a whole spiel about the specifics of your power?"

Izuku's eyes widened a fraction, his mind thrown back into the moment. Nighteye and him had worked on their cover story for situations like this, but it'd been ages. Sasami's version and Endeavor's were different, if his memory was accurate. He couldn't be sure what the man believed. Sasami required the intricacies, Endeavor the outcome. Cross referencing them just made his brain hurt.

"W-well, Smokescreen was the only thing I could really use back then. The bridge was so… hectic… that I guess my quirk realized smoke wasn't enough. Blackwhip—that's what I've been calling it—just awakened on its own. It's a survival response, I guess."

Endeavor said nothing for a moment, but his prim shoulders slouched a bit.

"It'd be hypocritical to say dual quirks didn't exist. Shoto is a prime example. I'm struggling to connect the dots on these abilities of yours, however. How does… Blackwhip work in any way with Smokescreen? It seems like two very different powers…"

Izuku bit the inside of his lip, his eyes slipping past the man's shoulder. Fuck. What was it they said exactly?

"They're actually pretty similar, scientifically…. Uhm, like—they come from the same place. I got a pool of energy in my stomach, and I can manipulate it to do some weird things. It just so happens that it can manifest like this." Izuku spit out, still not looking the man in the eyes. He didn't like what he imagined them as.

Endeavor paused here, unfurling his arms. Placing his palms flat on the kitchen island, he leaned forward, getting far closer to Izuku than was comfortable.

"A pool of energy, ah? I distinctly remember a different phrasing. An exponential stamina converter, right? Quite the powerful little ability you claim to have."

"Dude, you're fucking toast." Five whispered. Izuku wanted to tell him to shove it, but he couldn't lash out without piling even more suspicions on top of himself.

"I—uh, well, it's as you said. Exponential. The more I put in, the more I get out, ya know? After a certain point, it just feels like a big… pool of energy." He choked out. The lie tasted poorly on his tongue, but Endeavor leaned back, thoughtful.

"I suppose that's quite… fascinating. You should be thankful your mentor has such a complex quirk; you wouldn't fit in among my sidekicks. All we do is manipulate heat." He said, sounding off handed but the glint in his eyes more glaring than ever. Even though it was an obvious pivot, Izuku couldn't help but fall over himself to correct the man.

"No, no! I've appreciated all the help you've given me with propelling. Simple abilities require complex solutions, right? I would still be struggling to get off the ground with my quirk if it wasn't for your generosity." Izuku said. Endeavor huffed, pleased. He leaned all the way off the island, sliding back into that military posture he was so comfortable in.

"It's good that you're thankful. Perhaps that means I will continue to see you visit my home? I am… very interested in your continued growth."

"Say no, say no, say no!" Five whisper-shouted in his ear, even as Endeavor stared down at him with clear expectation. Izuku wasn't sure what he wanted, but he knew he didn't have much of a choice regardless. He nodded.

"Y-y-yeah… O-of course, sir. I'll give Shoto a message when I'm ready. It might—it might be a while, though. Blackwhip is very new to me; I was only able to activate it in the nick of time when Ms. Tatsumi was in danger. I haven't even talked to Nighteye about it yet." Izuku said. Endeavor's face soured a bit at the mention of Tatsumi, and only grew colder alongside Nighteye's.

"Ah yes, the bridge. Myself and Nighteye have been working together on that case for some time; it's a shame that we couldn't prevent such destruction before it was too late. I'm just glad the bridge still stands; I thought it was going down after the tanker blew up."

Izuku sputtered, confused. It was like three quick bashes to the head, each more surprising than the last. Endeavor and Nighteye had been working together? And what tanker was he talking about? Surely the oil tanker he'd sensed on the bridge hadn't actually gone off while he was unconscious. Most concerning of all, however…

"Wait, what do you mean you've been working on that case for a while?" Izuku asked, voice strained. How do you follow the case of a bombing before it happens? The implications sounded… conspiratorial.

Endeavor's sour face somehow got worse, a vein in his neck popping as his shoulders tensed.

"I can not share more than the bare minimum, as it's an ongoing investigation. Just—just be wary. Without the big guy, the little men that scurry around in the dark are getting bolder than ever." He said, turning away. Izuku felt a shiver go down his spine as Endeavor excused himself, walking back to the exit of his apartment.

"W-wait, by "big guy" did you mean—"

"All Might. I don't know how many times it'll take to remind you, boy, but the Era of Peace is over, and shit's already hit the fan." Endeavor said, pausing at the threshold. He didn't look back. "You and Shoto are the hope of the future. Don't forget."

With that, Endeavor shut the door behind him, leaving Izuku alone to his thoughts.

[x]

The first steps Izuku took into the warehouse were loud. Nothing he did was out of the ordinary. He opened the door, closed it, and walked in like it was a normal day, yet the shutting door echoed across the building, his footsteps bouncing off the walls.

When Nighteye and Gran Torino turned to him, he shuddered. Despite them being the only other people in the facility, their focused attention felt nauseating, like an athlete weathering the weight of a stadium's attention. Their stares were heavy, but their words were silent. Izuku endured the long march across the complex in silence, neither recieving nor giving greetings. His guts felt slimy, his thoughts slick as many worries and concerns slipped right over him.

He hadn't spoken to Nighteye much, bar confirming his health and their next meeting. Nighteye, in return, had yet to question his quirk or choice of action. It was a silent promise, their lack of communication. Today would be the day he explained it all in full.

So, when he stood before Nighteye, he should've known what to say. His little vacation had lasted almost a month at this point, and he'd had three of those weeks to think of what to say.

Still, when he arrived, his tongue was shy, his throat parched. What was he to say? It was obvious to them he'd unlocked another quirk of One for All. What went unnoticed was everything else. How did he explain something so intimate as Danger Sense, or Seven's gift of Float? How did he explain the intimate dreams of the castle, of meeting the past vestiges? How did he explain that while he'd since lost that ability, he'd come to acquire the single spirit of Five? How does Izuku explain that he now lived in his head rent free?

Words were hard to come by. Izuku liked to think he was smart, but his intelligence wasn't flowery, it was analytical. He could be creative, but his skill set was around combining separate ideas, rather than forming them. There were a million things he could say, but only one thing came to mind as easy.

"Hey, Gran?" Izuku asked, turning to the older man.

Lately, he'd had less and less reason to speak with him. Despite his exceptional skill and experience, Nighteye was just a more natural teacher for Izuku. Nowadays, Nighteye was both more forthcoming and instructional than Gran ever was. Still, the older man had saved Izuku's life, and for that, he'd always hold Izuku's respect.

"Yeah, brat?" He replied, looking surprised at the attention.

"Since you've kind've taken a backseat in my training, would you be willing to give pointers to my friend? Just occasionally—on the weekends or holidays or whenever." Izuku asked. Gran Torino blinked.

"Huh? He asked, unreadable. Izuku flushed, feeling very awkward very fast.

"Well, of course you don't have to! But I've been practicing with her a lot in my spare time, and she isn't really good at self-direction or control, and-and—I was just hoping—"

"Sure, I guess. Is she your girlfriend?"

Izuku's blush exploded across his face, but his sudden excitement exceeded his embarrassment.

"Wait, really? I totally thought you'd be like "No, can't you see I want to retire?" Izuku said, laughing. Gran Torino huffed. Off to the side, Nighteye's face tightened, his features pulled toward its center.

"Great job dodging that question, kid. Better than your dodgeball work, to be honest. But on a real note, I'm bored as hell. Being Mirai's little assistant isn't as glamorous as you'd think."

"That's awesome! I'll tell her and we can work out the details together some other time, but for now—"

"Now it's time for you to explain, Izuku Midoriya, what happened on that damn bridge." Nighteye interrupted, cutting Izuku off. His excitement dimmed, replaced by the begrudging feeling of acceptance.

"Fine—yeah. Shouldn't you be the one starting, though, since you've apparently been on the case for "awhile?" Izuku asked. Nighteye blinked at him, surprised.

"How did you know about that? That—that's top secret information. Only the elite in the Commision and Hero rankings know about that."

"Well, Endeavor spilled the beans when he swung by my house, trying to figure out how I have two quirks. Scared the crap out of me; heaven forbid he figure out I have four— or is it five, if we count the super-strength?

Both men gagged, with Nighteye going as far as doubling over. Gran Torino's eyes flew open as he spun on him, stern lips flapping open and closed like a fish.

"W-what the fuck did you just say? Four? Hold on now—back that up, what!?" He said as Nighteye recovered, standing up straight.

"It's… complicated. First off, could you please explain the investigation?" Izuku asked. Nighteye coughed into a fist, adjusting the tightness on his tie.

"W-well, it'd be unlawful for me to reveal such confidential—" He began, before Gran Torino cut him off.

"C'mon, brat. The kid's a victim. Throw him a bone." He said, shuffling so that he stood beside Izuku instead of Nighteye. Izuku nodded.

Nighteye didn't say anything, at first. Izuku watched as the man seemed to waver; between what, he didn't know. He dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief, wiping away beads of sweat from his forehead. His weight shifted back and forth, unable to stand still as the two shorter males scrutinized him.

Finally, he sighed. Shoving one hand in his pocket, he waved the two over towards the locker room with the other.

"I'm not sure this is… something you'd want to hear, Izuku. Before anything—before your training, or my explanation, I'd like to know how you're feeling. You've had a month to yourself; have you been feeling better?"

That was a question, for sure. What did Nighteye quantify as feeling better? Physically, he was raring to go. Now that he could somewhat control Danger Sense, life had regained its color. With new quirks also came new enthusiasm for practice. Given how restless his body felt, he was itching to get back into the full swing of things.

Emotionally was a whole other story. His heart was a mess of a thousand and one afflictions, many contradictory and paradoxical. He felt free, after months of imprisonment in his own head. It was amazing to be back in control, to walk without the weight of his cranium dragging him down.

That didn't mean that other things had stopped pulling him down. No, in reality, it felt like the shackles of responsibility had tightened, the chains thickening. Setsuna'd almost lost her life. He'd almost lost his. No matter how many times that happened, it never got easier. Sleep was hard to come by, with the thoughts whirling around his head. Mentally, he was running on empty, and he was due for an oil change soon.

"Hey, kid, the man's waiting for your answer." Five said, sliding into his peripherals. And then there was One for All, which hosted its own web of conflictions. A shudder ran down his body as his left elbow itched, the nub of his deltoid burning.

"The headaches won't be a problem anymore, I promise. They were a consequence of… a lack of control." Izuku said, rubbing his nub. Scratching it did little to stop the phantom pains, but most times a massage helped. This was not one of those times. Izuku couldn't see Nighteye's face, but he got the impression that he'd raised an eyebrow.

"Oh… well that is quite fortunate. What, pray tell, were they a consequence of?" Nighteye asked.

"After you explain the bridge. I almost—I almost died, Sir. Endeavor wasn't going to explain, so I hoped you would." Izuku said as they stopped in front of the locker room door. Nighteye swung it open, gesturing for Izuku to enter.

"Give and take. I will answer your questions with the same extensiveness as you do mine. Get dressed."

Izuku went inside, throwing his bag to the side. It was like the elementary locker room he used to visit for gym class. A couple of lockers, a stone divot for changing your shoes, and a dedicated shower in the corner. Nighteye followed behind him. The lock was minimalist, given the lack of important items he stored in here, but still took him a second to fiddle with. In the meantime, Nighteye started.

"Since what I want doesn't involve state secrets, I will begin. What did you mean by four quirks? I only saw those black ropes and Smokescreen on the news recordings."

Izuku grabbed some sweats out of his locker as he pondered what he wanted to say, walking over to the shower stall to change.

"Well, four might be a bit of a stretch. The first two are obvious. Smokescreen and Blackwhip. The third is a passive ability, like a sixth sense. The fourth is something I know I have, I just can't use. I only figured out I had it, like, a couple days ago." He said, slipping out of his jeans and shirt. Through the cracks in the stall door, he heard Nighteye mumble to himself, before clearing her throat.

"My turn. How does the bridge factor into your current investigation?" Izuku continued, slipping on a pink tank top.

"I presume you've heard of the bomb threats coming in across the country? Well, myself, Endeavor, and two other heroes have been investigating them since that bus incident with Endeavor. It seems the bridge was their first concrete act of terrorism."

"W-wait, what do you mean by "their?" Izuku asked, his ears latching onto that word like a starving man does food. "Their" was a big word. It was accusatory, it was specific. Izuku's gut rolled as he pulled on some shorts, almost losing his balance. Nighteye was slow to respond.

"It's just a theory…" He mumbled, almost inaudible to Izuku.

"Huh?"

"I mean that it's a… strong suspicion of mine, that the terrorism is organized. I suppose we could say you're one of the witnesses to the Crow's first act of war."

The name struck out to Izuku like a hot brand, searing itself onto his cerebral cortex. The Crow. Even the name by itself made his guts twist against each other. In his mind's eye, he remembered the image of a crow when he'd once visited the countryside. It'd been a large, black shadow over some carrion in the road, picking at rotten entrails. His fingers fumbled over one another as he failed to tie his sneakers correctly, forcing him to do it again.

He didn't know what to say. The Crows, if they were real, had already hurt many people. They'd already spit at his feet, insulting him and someone he cared for with their careless attack. His cheeks flushed as a sudden indignation filled him, his mind slipping back to memories of the bridge.

"Calling me a witness feels… reductive, sir. My friend lost her leg. I guess she is getting it back, but she won't be alright for a long time." Izuku said, venom ghosting over his tongue. They'd nearly died; they weren't witnesses, they were victims, like Gran Torino said.

When Nighteye mumbled something, however, Izuku's heart softened. A slight guilt seized him, reminding him that nothing good comes from being rude.

"Could you repeat that, please?" He said, finished changing.

"...I'm sorry. I visited you in the hospital before you woke up; I guess the bandages weren't enough of a reminder of what you went through." Nighteye said, quiet as Izuku opened the stall door. He looked tired. Now that Izuku actually got a good look at him, he realized the man appeared older. The inklings of crows feet were creeping around his eyes, laugh lines sticking to his cheeks where they once didn't.

Nighteye stared right back, his eyes unable to meet his. Izuku felt bad for calling him out; the man must've gone through a lot of stress worrying over him. The bubbling of guilt only grew when he noticed how the man's gaze rested over the corner of his jaw. Izuku touched it casually, rubbing a thumb against it while the knuckle of his fingers rested against his jaw. Nighteye looked away.

"You're alright, sir. It was… scary, but I can't blame you for not stopping it before it happened. It was a total freak accident." Izuku said. Nighteye said nothing as they rejoined Gran on the main floor of the training facility.

Izuku's eyes widened as he took in the warehouse. Arriving, he hadn't noticed how revamped the obstacle course was, or how a new forklift rested in the corner.

"Wait, Sir, are you forklift certified?" Izuku asked, to which Nighteye cracked a grim smile.

"Sorry, Izuku, but we skipped my turn for a question. What were the two quirks you didn't name earlier? The third and fourth one, specifically." Nighteye said as they came to a stop beside Gran Torino, who was loading the baseball launching machine.

"Oh," Izuku said, feeling his nose scrunch as he realized Gran Torino was right beside them. He wasn't sure the older man was going to appreciate this. Seven had been his friend in life, if he remembered right. "Well…"

"Come on now. I answered your questions fair and square. Do they not have names?" Nighteye said, cutting him off. Izuku gulped, shaking his head.

"No, they have names… it's just…" He said, eyes flicking over to Gran Torino. As if sensing his attention, the stout old man turned around, irate.

"Just get it out already. Quit with the hold up." He said, waving his cane in his direction. Izuku sighed.

"Alright, well… Danger Sense is something I've had for a while. It informs me of, well, y'know, danger. At comfortable levels, I can feel any source of danger for myself or anyone else within a ten foot diameter. Since I never controlled it, however, the diameter has been closer to… fifty? At this point, any sensory input coming in from further than twenty feels like someone stabbing me behind the eyes." Izuku said, watching as Nighteye and Gran Torino's eyes widened.

"And? The other one?" Nighteye asked as Izuku inhaled, preparing himself.

"I can't use it yet, but… Float is the reason I unlocked the others so early. Seven came to me in the midst of a panic attack and gave it like it was some sort of gift. Ever since then, all of the vestige's quirks that were less strenuous than it seemed to have just… awakened within me. Nana jump started me, I guess."

Gran Torino's cane tipped over, clattering to the floor. He was staring at Izuku with such intensity that Iuzku's gut began swirling, One for All waking up alongside his nerves.

"Nana..?" He whispered.

[x]

When Izuku walked into the lecture hall, his mind was wondering. Explaining the quirks to Nighteye had been a hard, but not scary prospect. Trying to explain his litany of quirks to a specialist with decades of experience over him, however, was. Sasami proved to be an astounding resource in quirk theory, but the secrecy of One for All was never safe with her around.

On top of that, he was grappling with Nighteye's admissions. After Gran Torino had calmed down and Izuku's conditioning had begun, the game of questions had continued.

Nighteye asked about a dozen and one things pertaining to his quirk; its functions, its limits, everything. In return, Izuku had eventually squeezed out a proper explanation of the Crow. He couldn't say if he regretted it or not.

"Alright, fine. You shouldn't hear this. I don't want you to hear this. But your persistence only tells me you'd find out anyways, so I'll be transparent. Are you prepared for the consequences?" Nighteye'd asked. Izuku nodded with vigor, his curiosity peaking.

"We believe the bombs all lead back to a single organization composed of all the Yakuza, codename Crow. Without a functioning Ninth scaring gangs into corners, they're organizing at a macro level, growing stronger everyday. You may look around and think, "wow, things are finally turning around without the gang wars," but this is just the calm before the storm. And you, Izuku, are an underprepared bunker."

Following that declaration, Izuku got in what felt like the best burn of his life. The past few months of training had been underwhelming, his headaches disabling him from his true potential. Now equipped with a greater sense of self and restless muscles, he knew the future would be full of hard work. If he was to be a bunker, he'd prepare to weather a nuclear halocaust, not just a measly typhoon.

The exercise didn't erase the worry, though, nor the responsibility added to his shoulders.

It muddied his thoughts as he sat before Sasami, drowning the intricacies of his upcoming fib in quicksand. His mind felt like he was wading through muck, his boots stuck to the mud.

"Hey, are you in there, kid?" Sasami asked, breaking the silence. Izuku startled, surprised at her words.

"O-oh, sorry. It's been a… busy few weeks." Izuku said, rubbing his jaw. Sasami assented, tapping a finger against her gnarled eye.

"Oh yeah, I can imagine. Hey, at least we're twinning now. Shame the Todoroki boy doesn't come around anymore. We could be mistaken for triplets." She said, a strained laugh dropping on his ears like ceramic.

"Y-yeah. S-so…" Izuku said, trailing off. Sasami leaned back in her chair, the wood creaking against the cushion.

"So?" She repeated, waving her hand for him to continue.

"S-so… you saw the broadcast, right?" He asked. She closed her eye, tilting her head back.

"Mmhmm…" She hummed. Izuku's lips twitched down. She wasn't making this easy for him.

"W-well, I guess that means we're going to have to redraft the paper…"

"And why is that?"

"...Because my quirk expanded."

"At twelve years old. Remind me, how rare are quirk expansions?"

"A-are we including awakenings?"

She shook her head.

"Then they're r-relatively common among children ages five to seven."

"And you're twelve."

He nodded.

Sasami sighed, letting her chin fall back down to a normal height. She studied him, her eyes roaming around his figure. He fidgeted under her scrutiny, feeling how she was picking him apart and trying to solve a puzzle with half his pieces missing.

"...Your quirk is quite fascinating, isn't it." She said, the words coming from the back of her throat. She leaned forward, as if that would reveal another piece.

"E-Endeavor said the same thing, funnily enough…"

She backed off at that, her eyes narrowing.

"Endeavor says many things, much of which I find distasteful. Pray tell, what is his opinion on your future as a hero?" She asked, pivoting away from his quirk into the even more stressful topic of his future. It was like all adults were programmed with the sole directive of making his life harder.

"W-well, it might be wrong to say he holds me in high regard, but I-I think he might imagine I'll be a good one. He seems to consider me comparable to his son, and you've met Shoto. He oozes potential." Izuku said, stumbling throughout the sentence.

"Ah. So he thinks your assets lie in hero work more than scientific study. He clearly hasn't seen you in a lab, then." She said. Izuku bit his lip.

"I-I mean, not to toot my own horn, b-but I did save some people on that bridge. I really helped them. That's more than my thesis has ever done." He said, staring at desk.

"Of course. I'm not saying you wouldn't make a good hero. Rather, I just think you'd make a better quirk doctor. I mean, look at me." She said, perhaps unthoughtfully. Her quirk, alive and active in his nose, wrenched his face up, meeting her eyes. "I dropped out of the hero course, but here I am, doing more in a lab than I ever would've out in the field."

While her quirk forced him to look at her, he took the chance to observe her scar. At this point, he'd seen it a hundred times, but it still felt new everyday. Her appearance was just so jarring. A sudden curiosity overtook him, drowning his self control for a brief moment.

"Why'd you drop out?" He choked out, before a horrified hand slapped against his mouth. The second the words came out of his mouth, he regretted them. Sasami's body shuddered, freezing for a millisecond as her usual demeanor flickered. Her nose scrunched as her palms rested flat against the table, her tense shoulders setting into a deep straightness that reminded Izuku of a fighter.

Then, it evaporated. She was back to her normal, flighty but confident self. She choked out a fake laugh, sounding like sandpaper in his ears. He didn't laugh with her.

"Don't be silly, kiddo. It—It was my eye, of course. Depth perception is vital in the field, and the injury stole that from me. I took my disability check from the government and decided it was time for a career change. There are other ways to be useful, after all." She said, her voice honey and sweetness.

Izuku nodded at her, deciding it'd be safer to agree than to push further. Whatever opinions she had over her disability should stay off the table, it seemed. Perhaps it'd be good for her to talk to her father. It made him a little sad, though. He wondered what she'd be like as a hero.

"I-I suppose that can be true. Still, I plan on doing my best in both fields." Izuku said, going for diplomacy. Ms. Fujimaki frightened him when she got intense. The honey in her voice didn't seem to affect her lips, which remained slightly downturned.

"Perhaps you'll see my way one day. Anyways! Onto the lesson. Explain to me those tentacles, please."

Izuku gulped.

[x]

AN: I'm going bouldering today, and I've already signed my death liability paperwork, so I'm raring to go. Unfortunately, this means that I'm a little late on my writing schedule; 25 isn't quite done yet, despite my best efforts. So, now I'm backed up. I like to be three written chapters ahead, but now I'm not even two. I can't skip tuesday's upload, so I might end up skipping next friday's chapter so I can hard catch-up. That is, unless I absolutely crank that solja boy and catch up. It'll just depend on how easy the chapters start coming in the next week.

Review! I'm already startin' to think about the entrance exams, so I promise its around the corner. The next big surprises are gonna start with A and M, so I hope you're excited.

PS: I just got back from bouldering, that shit was hard. My hands feel like a zombie's; rotted and dry. Amazing sport; pros are crazy.