"Oh, so good of you to finally join us, Midoriya," his homeroom teacher said sarcastically as the boy pulled open the door, stepping into the classroom and flinching back as the entire class turned to look at him, "Finally recovered from your…accident?"

"Y-yes sir," Izuku nodded.

"Good, because you have detention," the man scoffed, making Izuku's eyes go wide, "You're late, and you hurt another student earlier, so make sure to meet me after class."

"I…yes sensei," the teen muttered, heading towards his desk.

He stared blankly at the floor as he walked, not noticing the foot that shot out as he passed. His ankle struck the leg, the grinning boy who was trying to trip him suddenly shrieking as his leg was wrenched backwards, sending him slamming into his desk.

"Midoriya!" the teacher shouted, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I-I…N-nothing, sensei!" Izuku squeaked, "I was just heading to my desk!"

"Then what did you do to Yoroshi? Why is he holding onto his leg and crying?!"

"N-nothing!" Izuku replied, looking down at the other boy, who was in fact gripping his leg tightly, tears dripping from his eyes, "I was just walking!"

"Double detention! In fact, double detention for the rest of the week!" the teacher yelled, "Now get to your seat!"

"Y-yes, Sensei," the teen muttered as he hurried down the aisle, tears pricking at his eyes, "I'm sorry."

"I was wondering where you were," the cloaked figure hummed as he entered the classroom, making both Izuku and the teacher watching him start, "Come, there is much we must discuss."

"Who are you?" the teacher asked, jumping to his feet as he glared at the man, "And Midoriya isn't going anywhere! He's in detention!"

"Oh?" the man hummed, "Why?"

"Because he was late and fought with several of his classmates!" the teacher growled, "Now get out!"

"Did you do it on purpose, young one?" the man asked as he turned to Izuku, the teen shaking his head vigorously.

"N-no! I just…It was an accident," Izuku mumbled, looking away.

"Ah, I see," the man sighed, before turning to the teacher, "Well, as it was an accident, I do believe there is no need to, for lack of a better word, punish, him."

"Huh?" the teacher blinked, his eyes going unfocussed for a moment, "What are you saying?"

"Let him go," the man replied, his voice suddenly sounding strange, as though it was layered on top of itself, "There are more important things for this young one to do than sit around here."

"There are?" the teacher hummed, his face going slack, "Right, there are. Midoriya, you're dismissed."

"S-sensei?" Izuku said slowly.

"I said you're dismissed!" the man suddenly barked, seeming to come back to his senses, "Get out of here! Now!"

"Y-yes Sensei!" the teen sputtered, grabbing his bag, and stuffing his books into it, quickly hurrying out of the room.

He let out a sigh as he walked down the corridor, starting at the sudden voice beside him.

"What happened?"

Izuku jumped, looking at the cloaked figure as he walked beside him.

"I…I don't know," Izuku answered, looking back at his feet, "I just…I pushed Kacchan and he…he went flying! It was so strange!"

"And why did you push him?"

"He was about to attack me," Izuku blinked. He hadn't meant to say that, but he just felt like he could completely trust this man that he'd barely met, the feeling strangely comforting, "He was…he was about to use his quirk on me."

"And his quirk is?"

"H-he can make explosions with the sweat on his palms," Izuku mumbled, "It's kind of like nitro-glycerine."

"I see," the man sighed, "That is worrying. How long has this been going on?"

"Years," Izuku muttered, "Since…since I was diagnosed quirkless. Kacchan…he thinks that I'm weak, so he beats me up."

"Then we need to put a stop to that," the man replied, "First, I think you should tell your mother."

"I can't do that!" Izuku gasped, "If I tell on him then he won't be able to get into UA! And it's not like anyone would believe the quirkless Deku anyway."

"Hmm," the man sighed, "How unfortunate. What would you prefer to do?"

"I…I don't know. Just…keep on like before?"

"Then that is your choice," the man replied softly, "However, there is something else I think you should do."

"There is?" Izuku asked, looking up at the hooded man, "What?"

"For lack of a better word, train."

"I'm home!" Izuku called as he entered the apartment, his mother hurrying out of the kitchen as he kicked off his shoes.

"Izuku! What happened? The school called me and said you got into a fight!"

"It…It wasn't really a fight," Izuku mumbled, "I just pushed someone."

"You did?" Inko said, "Then why did they give you detention?"

"I don't know," the boy replied, "I'm going to go finish my homework now."

"Wait!"

Izuku paused as he passed his mother, looking at her in surprise.

"The school said you'd have detention for three hours, but you're home early," she said, "You aren't…you aren't skipping it, are you?"

"No!" Izuku shook his head, "The teacher dismissed me! I promise!"

"Why?" Inko asked.

"I…I guess they had more important things to do?" Izuku shrugged, before heading to his room, "I really need to finish my homework, mom. I have a whole week to catch up on."

"It is time."

The voice made Izuku jump, looking around his room in shock as he sat at his desk. He was almost done with all the homework he'd missed but had had to spend a good part of the evening doing it, the time pushing to midnight already. Thankfully, he seldom felt tired as of late, so it hadn't been too bad.

"H-hello?" Izuku called, looking around his room again.

"I am outside your window," the voice called, Izuku blinking as he walked over to the curtains, pulling them aside and almost screaming. Outside his window was the man, his hood pulled up as he stared into the room, his eyes seeming to glow in the shadows, "Calm yourself, young one. Come, it is time to train."

"H-how are you doing that?" Izuku asked, opening his window, and sticking his head out of it, he didn't remember there being a fire escape out there.

And there wasn't, the man seemed to be standing on air as he hovered outside the teen's window.

"A skill I, for lack of a better word, acquired, many years ago," the man replied, "Now come, it is time to train."

"Train? Now?" Izuku asked, "But it's midnight!"

"The perfect time for those of our, for lack of a better word, ilk," the man replied, "Now, no more arguing, it is time to train."

"I…" Izuku couldn't think of an excuse, simply sighing as he turned to his closet and began to change out of his pyjamas, pulling on a simple tracksuit before hurrying to the door.

He opened it after putting on his shoes to find the man standing outside, his cloak rustling in the slight breeze.

"Very good," he said, "Now come."

Izuku shivered slightly in the cool night air, looking up at the man as they stood on the roof of the building. They'd walked here from his apartment, barely five minutes away, and had been standing there for another ten. Izuku looked around at the night life below them, watching as drunken businessmen stumbled home, takeout in their hands as they laughed with their companions.

"This is your first test," the man said suddenly, making Izuku start as he pointed across the wide street, "You are to get from this roof to that one. How ever you wish."

"How ever I…?" Izuku asked, blinking as the man seemed to dissolve in front of his eyes, vanishing from sight.

Izuku looked around in panic, before he spotted the man reappear on the far roof, giving Izuku a slight wave before falling still.

"Get to the other roof?" Izuku muttered as he walked to the edge of the building, looking down at the street below. It was five stories down, making the teen swallow nervously, shaking himself out of his staring a moment later.

Slowly, Izuku backed away from the edge, walking almost the entire length of the building before stopping and turning around.

"Okay," the teen mumbled, "I can do this. Just like when I…I pushed Kacchan. I can do this."

Izuku began to run, heading straight for the edge. He felt himself pick up speed as his lungs began to burn, his head filling with thoughts of what would happen if he failed. Would he splat on the ground like a rotten tomato? Or would he just break his bones? He could apparently heal himself now, but would that be enough? What if he died? What would his mother think if she found out her son had sneaked out at night to supposedly kill himself?!

Izuku's feet dug into the gravel on the top of the roof, the teen skidding across it as he tried to stop, fingers scrabbling through the grit. He stopped just shy of the edge, letting out a wrenching sob as he lay there. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest and his ears, the teen letting out another sob as he slammed his fist into the roof. He couldn't do it. He just…he couldn't do it.

Slowly, he got to his feet, staggering towards the door of the rooftop, opening it and stumbling through. He walked slowly down the stairs, hand over his mouth as the fear and adrenaline began to wear off, making him feel sick. He stumbled out into the street, making his way across the road when the pedestrian light turned green, walking through the lobby of the other building as he headed for the stairs. He trudged up to the roof, pushing open the door to see the figure waiting for him.

"I…I'm sorry," he sobbed, tears returning to his eyes as he stood behind the man, "I…I couldn't do it."

"What do you mean?" the man asked, turning to look at him, "You made it to the other roof, did you not?"

"W-what?" Izuku muttered, staring at the man in shock, "B-but I didn't…didn't use your…my…the quirk!"

"And that is the exact reason for this lesson," the man hummed, "Quirks are not everything. They never have been. It is just people have seemed to forget that over the years."

"B-but quirks are-," Izuku started, being cut off by the man.

"Not everything," the man said flatly, "And you have learnt that tonight. You realized, almost too late might I add, that your quirk would not be enough to complete the task. And so, you took the safer and more logical option. You have, for lack of a better word, passed."

Izuku stared at the man in shock, before he nodded slowly, walking up to stand beside him. After a moment, the man held out something in his hand, Izuku looking at the thermos in confusion.

"You probably burnt quite a bit of blood in your panic," the man said, "So drink."

"I…yes sir," Izuku replied, taking the thermos.

"Please," the man hummed, "Call me Sire."

It had been a week since Izuku had returned to school. Since the "fight" with Bakugo. Since his…his Sire had been coming to retrieve him from detention every day. Whatever the man was doing had the teacher on duty dismiss Izuku almost instantly, letting the boy go home to finish his homework, before coming to get him at midnight.

Somehow, despite his new nocturnal schedule, Izuku barely felt tired, able to catch a few hours rest after eating supper with his mother, finishing his homework, and midnight. His Sire had explained that it was only natural, as they needed far less sleep than the average person, and that he would adapt to it soon enough.

"DEKU!" the shout made him jump, Izuku spinning in his heel just in time to see Bakugo launching himself down the alley they were in with explosions, his hands shooting forwards to grab the green-haired teen.

Izuku dodged to the side, thankful for the lessons in fighting his Sire had already begun, starting with what the man had said was most important, knowing how not to get hit. He ducked and weaved around the surprisingly slow attacks of the blond, feeling the blood inside him bubble slightly as he sped up, darting behind Bakugo as the blond went for a larger explosion.

"QUIT RUNNING AWAY YOU FUCKING NERD!" the boy screamed, turning around and glaring at Izuku, "You two! Grab him so I can give him the beating he deserves!"

"Why?" Izuku asked, darting out of range of the other two, "Why do you need to beat me up, Kacchan?"

"Cause of that shit you pulled at the start of the week!" Bakugo snarled, jumping at Izuku again, "If people hear that you threw me across a room, then they'll think I'm weak!"

"N-no they won't!" Izuku shouted as he continued to avoid the explosions as best he could, almost getting clipped by one, "It was just a fluke!"

"FLUKE MY ASS!" the teen roared, "I'm going to kill you! I can't let people say that the quirkless fuck beat me up!"

"Q-quirks aren't everything!" Izuku blurted, making the blond freeze as he was about to punch Izuku in the face.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Bakugo hissed as he glared at the other teen.

"Quirks…" Izuku muttered, "T-they aren't everything."

"BULLSHIT!" Bakugo roared, "You're only saying that because you're a quirkless freak! A worthless Deku!"

"A child who has more potential for Heroism in his little finger than you will ever have in your life," the deep voice said from behind Bakugo, the blond freezing again, before slowly turning around to look at the tall, cloaked figure looming behind him.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Bakugo growled.

"Leave," the man said, his voice sounding strange as he spoke, "Now. And I won't report your Villainy. This time."

"Right," Bakugo said, blinking as his face went slack, turning away from the man and stomping down the alleyway.

"Hey! Bakugo, where are you going?" one of his lackeys shouted as they followed after him.

"I…thank you, Sire," Izuku muttered quietly, "You saved me."

"That I did," the man nodded, "However, I believe it is beyond time I began teaching you how to save yourself."