Neito creeps out of his room early morning to apologize before class. Todoroki spots him first. Todoroki shuffles over to the bakusquad, who are currently debating about cutlery, and taps Sero's shoulder. He motions them all to where Neito is half-hiding in the hallway because he's not about to waltz into the common room. All four of the bakusquad's faces light up as if they're somehow happy to see Neito and they zip across the room.

"Heya! Man, you had us worried!" Kaminari says. "You hid out in your room all last night so we didn't even see a whisker of you. Sho told us you were okay, but it's better to see you in person!"

Before he loses his nerve, Neito snaps into a bow and says, "I'm so sorry about the, I mean, Shadowmaster. I really am. I didn't mean for that to happen."

"No worries," Kirishima says in what might be the most understanding tone he's ever spoken to Neito in. "We know how Dark Shadow is. Honestly, you got it worse than us." And his eyebrows dip down, probably replaying the incident and definitely thinking of the things Shadowmaster said and maybe thinking it's his place to be Neito's psychologist like Todoroki, so Neito apologizes again and escapes hastily. And then adds "running away so often lately" to his list of things to berate himself for.

Neito has two days off school to recover. He insisted on doing all his homework despite Vlad's protest for him to take a full break. This morning Neito finishes his schoolwork too quick and wanders the dorm like a wraith in a ghost town until noon. His classmates bombard him with texts and Itsuka requires photographic evidence of Neito eating well. (Okay, so Neito accidentally skips meals sometimes. Not that big of a deal. Saying so aloud gets him a big-sis-fist to the head though.)

Then lunch is over and he's got to wait for school to end. Though Neito has no plans to go to B dorms this evening. No, he can't face his classmates. Not today. He's more stable than yesterday, but still an ugly wreck. He certainly won't hang out in A's common room either, but he'll be much happier knowing the dorm is bustling with life even if he's not partaking in active socializing.

Neito picks up a small stack of his newest comics and sets to reading in the common room. The first comic is excellent. It's called The Deep about a family of sea explorers before the age of quirks. Or maybe they do have quirk-like powers, since they can utilize special navigation devices because of their bloodline. The other comics are good too.

Then one stabs him right where it hurts. Injury over injury. A secondary character looses control of her superpower and goes on a destructive rampage. Dang it. Does even a comic book have to remind Neito of what he's done? He snaps it shut and flops on his back with a groan.

Small footsteps approach him. Neito snaps upright. His head throbs with his quick movement, and he winces and rubs his temples. A small white-haired girl nervously blinks big ruby eyes at him. Eri. The girl with the stockpiling Rewind quirk he tried to copy two weeks ago.

"Are…" Eri swallows, and fidgets, "Are you hurt?"

Neito stops rubbing his head. "No."

Neito is good at handling children. And no, it's not just because he follows his number one rule, Avoidance. He's been the unspoken babysitter of younger children at the parties Mom attended, so Neito knows how to persuade their bratty little selves and humor their demands. And Eri is quite unlike usual children—she's quiet, shy, and conscientious (too much so). Neito's not capable of dealing with something difficult today. So he grabs The Deep and begins to reread it, hoping Eri will wander away.

And especially as an overloud voice says, "Heyyyy!" and a tall guy with spiky blonde hair and blue button eyes swaggers into the room. Mirio Togata. The third-year who lost his Permeation quirk in the raid to save Eri. He's become super-protective big-brother figure to Eri. And behind Togata is Mr. Aizawa. Neito instinctively straightens up a bit and stacks his comics.

Mr. Aizawa heads to the kitchen. "Eri, want an apple?" he calls.

Eri nods silently. "Yes, please!" Togata shouts for her. Then he realizes how near Eri is to Neito. "Hey Eri! Don't get too close. That's the Dark Corner of UA!" Togata laughs. He's teasing—there's not malice in his voice. And sure, Neito didn't make the best impression if Togata's only seen him jabbing at Class A. But Togata doesn't have to call him the Dark Side of UA. Again. Neito may respect Togata's exceptional (ex)quirk skill and sympathize that he lost that quirk, but Neito has no interest to socialize with him.

Eri shifts her eyes between them. "But…"

"What is it, Eri?" Togata bends down.

"But he's not…a bad guy?" Eri says.

Normally Neito would immediately say, "Of course I am not. I'm a hero on the straight path of justice." He doesn't feel worthy to say that of himself right now.

"Well, our Phantom Thief here is…hmm, a troll!" Togata says. Neito flips his comic page quickly. And papercuts both his middle and index finger. He clenches his thumb over his fingers and continues reading left-handed to tune out Togata. Mr. Aizawa steps out with a tray of fancy-cut apples. Eri sits on the nearest couch and eats them with little crunches. She stops crunching entirely and Togata says, "What is it, Eri?"

Neito senses eyes on him and glances up. Eri is pointing at him and Mr. Aizawa and Togata are looking. Neito stiffens. What, he can't even sit out here? "I'm minding my own business, not bothering or trolling anybody while I occupy a small space of the common room," he says. "Apologies if that's offensive."

Eri mumbles something. Togata bends into a seven-shape to listen. Then he waves at Neito. "Eri invited you for snacks! Come on over. Apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? You could really use it methinks!"

Neito absolutely wants to tell Togata to shove it and then stalk off to his room. But Eri's looking at him hopefully and shyly so he's not about to upset her. Neito sets down his comic and steps over. He grabs an apple piece and steps back to eat it slowly. Eri stares. Ah, where are his manners?

"Thanks, Eri. It tastes good," Neito says. And it does. Sweet and crunchy and it's nice to eat with her. Eri's eyes gleam and she nods before nibbling again. Come to think of it, another time he saw her, she was eating apples too. "Are apples your favorite food?" Eri nods. "Do you like apple deserts?" Eri tips her head and glances at Togata.

"Candy apples are a type of apple desert," Togata explains.

Eri brightens up. "Do we…have any candy apples?"

"Aw man, sorry Eri. We ran out," Togata says.

Eri droops. "Don't look down, child," Neito says before he thinks (which is alarmingly normal for him, on consideration). "Yours truly can bake up the best french apple tart you've tasted. Thanks to Sato and his baking hobby there's ingredients." Neito doesn't want to get involved with children today—and despite her good behavior especially not Eri since neither Togata nor Mr. Aizawa trust him with her—but it would be good to escape his own mind for a while.

He half-expects Togata to laugh away his offer and refuse food from the Dark Side of UA. But Togata bends down to Eri and says excitedly, "Did you hear that, Eri? This nice gentleman offered to make you an apple desert! What do you say?"

Eri twitches a foot, her red eyes gleaming again, and says, "Thank…you. Very."

Togata rolls up his sleeves. "So, baker! What do we do?" And so Neito gets roped into making a french apple tart while an annoying Togata flits around his shoulders cracking unfunny jokes and the more well-behaved Eri hangs back politely and watches eagerly and Mr. Aizawa unobtrusively works on school things out in the common room.

Togata also interrogates Neito. How'd he learn to bake (tutors gave him a few lessons and the rest is self-taught), is he left-handed (he's ambidextrous), is he really in Class A right now (temporarily and that is not any of your business), what comic books does he like and what does his quirk do and what's his hero name and inspiration for it and on and on.

It amazes Neito how Togata talks joyfully about heroes. Togata lost his quirk. The one he trained so hard to be able to live up to his Lemillion hero name, to save a million people with it. Yet Togata is one of the most perpetually upbeat people Neito's met. And somehow, even though Neito doesn't like him, he can't help but feel buoyed up from his depressive state when he's around Togata. No wonder Eri likes Togata.

Midway through the tart making, Togata says Neito doesn't seem to be laughing near as much as Togata remembers, especially when he said something about Class A and Neito did nothing. Neito says there simply isn't anything that's going to make him laugh at the moment.

Togata looks like he took that as a personal challenge. "Nothing will make you laugh? I'll remedy that right quick!"

And for the rest of the tart making, Togata commences to be a comedian buffoon. Smearing his face in flour patterns, making food puns, moving ridiculously. It's so juvenile and simplex and not even the genre of humor Neito likes at any time. But after a while of it, Neito bursts into laughter. Dang it.

"POWERRRRRR!" Mirio cheers, posing with a cheesy grin and an arm stretched out. "You. Laughed!"

Neito rubs away his own wide smile. "Because you're so juvenile and unfunny."

"Exactly the point! A laugh is a laugh as a giraffe is a giraffe!" Togata says. And…he seems genuinely delighted about his accomplishment and Neito's mood improvement. Togata keeps up his buffoonery and forces a couple more unwilling laughs from Neito.

The tarts are baked and an eager Eri tries one. She doesn't say much, but her face lights up and she eats until Togata chuckles and gently tells her she can't eat too many or she'll get a stomachache. It was worth it to make the tarts.

Classes will be over soon, so Neito excuses himself and heads to his room to stay for the rest of the day. After class gets out, Neito texts his classmates' chat to explain he's staying at A dorms today because he's too tired (liar). The chat blows up. Firstly by Tetsu in the span of seconds.

RealSteel: whut? your not comming over?

RealSteel: why? are you sick?

RealSteel: answerr me, man!

RealSteel: ANSWER ME

philosophicalcopycat: No need for so much CAPSLOCK Tetsu. I told you, I'm resting. I'm fine.

BigSisFist: Neito, are you sure you feel all right?

SportyPiper: that's not fair Neito! We didn't all get to see you yesterday cuase of the old doc lady! You gotta come over!

solar-verdure: Don't be too forceful. We don't want Neito to overwork himself.

Mantis: Ibara's right.

Dinosauria-Spinosauria: But we're dying of boredom here, guys. It's bad enough we had no Phantom Thief during class. No one else is so amusing and flips out so hilariously to pranks. (Seriously, who else can go on a philosophical ramble the second after he's got the crap scared outta him?) Now we'll be deprived of him the whole day? Unacceptable.

Mr. Monster: You know very well that there will be no pranking Sir Monoma until he is recovered, Miss Tokage.

solar-verdure: Agreed, Jurota!

Monochrome_And pink: …

Iweldthings: don't just send a creepy ellipsis Shihai

monochrome_And pink: nOt creepy

monochrome_And pink: Just wanted to shoW that I'm hEre 0^0

pagehead: oh yeah like heck that's not scary either *shiver* *tooth chatter* *goosebumps*

Sizable: You're an inhabitant of the abyss. You are purposefully mysterious, you edgelord. Do not attempt to fool anybody, least of all us your classmates who've known you for months. A deaf and blind mole rat could sense you scheming all your dark vantablack schemes.

RealSteel: Yui whyd you talk so muchh in Tetsu but never in real life it's so weird bro I can never get usd to it but it's totally cool you do you!

SportyPiper: talk so much in *Tetsu lol :''D

Dinosauria-Spinosauria: Bwahahaha!

monochrome_And pink: :

spartandrill: Everybody get back on subject.

Cowgirl: That's rite! I'm worried abowt Neito. :(

Dinosauria-Spinosauria: Yeah, where's your salt and sass, copycat?

Dinosauria-Spinosauria: Don't tell me you got so salty you exorcised yourself.

BigSisFist: Setsuna

Cowgirl: :(

Dinosauria-Spinosauria: I'm trying smoke him out is all

Dinosauria-Spinosauria: sorry my bad Neito

spartandrill: If Setsuna scares you off, Neito, we can bunt her from the group chat. I'm not called a spartan for nothing.

SportyPiper: yes! [thumbs-up][thumbs-up]

Flexibilis: philosophicalcopycat you there? It's safe to come out. (Do not worry, no Setsuna Tokage's were actually harmed to accomplish this.)

SportyPiper: …did you just flip me off Setsuna?

SportyPiper: BigSisFist Mom! Setsuna flipped me off!

Dinosauria-Spinosauria: BigSisFist Mom! Kosei's looking at me mean! Make him stop!

spartandrill: what is this

Gluester: Don't know don't want to

bladebug: heh-heh!

monochrome_And pink: IT'S

ShroomDoom: ooh here it comes! :D

pagehead: *scary intense music*

monochrome_And pink: "A Mad Banquet of Darkness" ~king of edgelords

DragonDisciple: [facepalming-dragon-emoticon]

Flexibilis: …..probably safe to come out….

haunter4ever: be caaaarefulllllll what you sayyyyy Juzooooo

Flexibilis: philosophicalcopycat I give 0 guarantees

Neito clicks off the group chat just as a message from Tetsu beginning with "HEEEYYY NEITOOOO" pops up. He already said he's not coming to their dorms and that he feels just fine. He doesn't need to repeat himself. (As if refusing to see his classmates means he's anything but not just fine. Shadowmaster throttled him like a jar of soil and water and he's muddied and more messed-up than usual. Which is exactly why he can't go see them.)

Neito hits the Do Not Disturb button his phone and leaves it on his desk. Then he plugs in a nightlight, turns out the main lights, and lies awake staring at the ceiling and trying to turn every imagined thud or rustle into a human being moving nearby (or ghost, that's fine too at this point) to solace himself.

Then there's a thud-thud-thud that can't be his imagination. Neito sits up.

"HEEEY MONOMAN!" Tetsu bellows.

Neito groans and digs fingers between his eyes. Of course they came over.

"…quieter, Tetsu, honestly!" Itsuka yell-whispers irritably. They're right outside his door. For a second Neito considers leaping from the balcony and fire-poling down the tree.

One of them knocks on his door. "What're we knocking for? He might run, so let's just bust in!" Tetsu says.

"You can't!" Pony and Ibara protest.

"Yeah," Juzo agrees. "And yer the one who shouted loud 'nough for half the dorm ta hear. Ya mighta scared im off."

"Neito, we do know you're in there," Itsuka says, bordering her impressive Big Sis voice. No point in delaying the inevitable, then. "Tetsu, no! And I'm sorry, but if you don't come out now Tetsu might—ah." She blinks her green eyes in surprise as Neito swings open the door.

Juzo flicks on the main lights. Neito sits back on his bed and opens his mouth to huff he should've expected them to charge over here.

Tetsu puts both hands on his shoulders. "You all right?"

Pony grabs his hand. "We were worried cause ya didn't come over."

"I…texted you all," Neito says dumbly, a little overwhelmed by their closeness and tangible concern.

"Yeah, that old lady's healing sure is tiring," Tetsu says. "But you had last night and all day today to sleep it off. Come on, you could've come over for ten minutes. Heck, I could've carried you to and from if you'd asked, man!"

Normally Neito would've feigned outrage at the indignity of the suggestion. Maybe laughed about Tetsu being a real-as-steel knight in shining armor. But for once, going against his core that constantly aches for company, Neito wants to hide somewhere as lonely and uninhabited as Danakil Depression until he settles.

He tries to curl away, but Tetsu and Pony don't budge. "I…I…" Freaking no. Neito's not going to cry again. And not in front of his classmates. Absolutely not. But it doesn't matter what he tells himself because he's already tearing up.

Tetsu yanks his hands back, mouth opening and closing wordlessly. "Oh Neito," Itsuka says quietly. She slides her arm over Neito's shoulder, pulling his forehead to rest on her shoulder. Juzo pats his arm. Pony holds his hand in both of hers.

With his hand that Pony's not clutching, Neito digs his palm into his face. He can't break down. He's already done too much of that. He doesn't deserve their comfort. He should be snapped at to shape up and quit whining. He should be ignored.

He pushes against Itsuka's shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asks.

"Don't—Don't—be so nice," he says lamely. "I-I really screwed up. I'm screwed up."

"Hey hey no," Itsuka starts, "you know we all—"

"Don't say we all m-make mistakes, that's stu-stupid." Neito hiccups. That's one of Itsuka's go-to phrases and he's rarely felt it more keenly untrue than now. He doesn't just make mistakes. He himself is a whole entire failure.

"Okay. I'll tell you something else then," Itsuka says mildly, and she puts a hand on the back of his head. "You're amazing. You care for us so much. You're always trying hard and you're infuriating and eccentric. And we all love you for it."

Tetsu clears his throat. "To-Totally! You're our bro, man. We wouldn't be Class B without you!"

"Mmhmmm." Ibara hums firmly. "I think of you as my dear family, despite our differences."

"You're not screwed up at all," Juzo says. "Yer a good guy and skilled fer sure."

"An it makes me real happy how ya care about us, Neito," Pony says. "I look up to ya."

Even now. Even now, they can say such kind things. "I—I love you guys so much," Neito says. The simple words don't describe the extent of it, but he knows they understand. So he stifles his cries and promises he'll become good enough to deserve to stay by them. Because it seems they're willing to stay by his side even when he's a worthless fool.

acosta perez jose ramiro: Thank you for your sympathy.

Yeah when a shadow monster screams out your feelings and rampages cause of them, it's pretty hard to ignore your issues. Poor Neito. But it'll be the start of him trying to work on it and (eventually) getting the help he needs.

Neia Cormae: Aww sorry for the tears but that makes me very happy my fic had the intended angstsy-feels impact! :) (Also read the summary for Sheep in Wolf's clothing and eeek I can feel the angst from it.)