Izuku liked Himiko's old apartment more than the one she had moved into. The new one was too big and polished. It had no signs of life and worst of all it was a gift from All for One. A shiny coffin. Himiko was laying next to him in the bed that was just barely wide enough for two and looking at him.

"Whatcha thinking?"

"… this is a dream." Izuku said.

"I'm flattered."

"No. This is… literally a dream. You're still… here. With me." Izuku said and touched her.

Himiko felt… warm and real.

"Guess so. Ya wanna call Tsu and Todoroki here and make this a four-way?"

"No." Izuku said and pulled Himiko into a hug: "Let me stay like this. Just… a little longer. I've missed you."

"Why?" Himiko said.

She sounded… sad.

"… I don't know… Why? Why did you have to go? You could have stayed. With… me." Izuku said.

"Ya know why. For what it's worth I miss ya too."

"This is a dream. You only say that because that's what I want to hear…"

"What else ya wanna hear me say? That yer dick doesn't look like a wood elf? Cuz it does."

"… that's… I didn't need to hear that."

"Too bad, Izuku-Izuku. Blame the green pubes."

Izuku sighed.

"… you know why I miss you. I told you… and you ran. Come back. I miss you. I love you."

Even in his dreams he couldn't make Himiko stay. She got up and was suddenly fully dressed.

"Never say that. It hurts too much when ya don't." Himiko said.

And just like that she was gone. Izuku ran after her but behind closed doors there was only darkness. Still, he called after her.

"Come back! Who hurt you?! Tell me!"

The bus driver drove over a crack in the road and the bump shook him awake. There were tears in his eyes and he wiped them away quickly. At least the bag in his lap covered his erection. Stupid dreams.

He heard snickering.

The whole class had gathered around Kirishima at the back of the bus and were looking at something in his tablet. When the class saw he was awake, they grinned.

"… what?" Izuku said.

"Congratulations on your parents getting back together." Todoroki said.

"… what?"

Kirishima's tablet was passed on to him.

No!

The latest issue of Heroes Uncovered had a picture of mom and All Might in his muscular form standing in front of his house. All Might had thrown his arm on mom's shoulder and mom was giggling like a schoolgirl. A black line was drawn over mom's eyes for all the good that did. Izuku hid behind the tablet for as long as he could.

"I knew it! I fucking knew it!" Shinsou said.

"Their Quirks are very similar even if their looks are not." Tokoyami agreed.

"Don't worry. We won't tell anyone." Tsu said.

Kirishima grinned when he got his tablet back.

"Lucky us getting two celebrity kids in our class. Right, honey?" Kirishima said and nudged Bakugou who was sitting next to him.

Bakugou just growled and looked more pissed off than usual. Izuku sighed and sank deeper into his seat. This was his life now, huh?

The commotion was enough to wake up even Aizawa-sensei who gave them an annoyed look.

"Quiet down. What are you all making a ruckus for?"

Kirishima gave Aizawa-sensei his tablet and for a moment Aizawa-sensei almost looked surprised. He gave Izuku a look he couldn't quite decipher and then gave Kirishima back his tablet.

"If this leaves the bus, I'll make life very difficult for every last one of you. Understand?" Aizawa-sensei said.

"Yes, Aizawa-sensei." They said in unison.

The bus did a surprise stop and Aizawa-sensei told them to get out. All he could see was trees and rough terrain. Horrible suspicion made Izuku's stomach cramp and it only got worse when he saw two pro-heroes waiting for them at the bus stop. Both looked like they had just quit their jobs at a futuristic maid-cafe.

"Yo, crazy kid. You know them?" Shinsou whispered.

"Mandalay and Pixie-bob. They are…"

Mandalay and Pixie-bob struck a pose.

"Welcome, U.A class A-1! We are the prettier half of the Pussycats!" They said in unison.

"Thank you, Mandalay and Pixie-bob." Aizawa-sensei said when he walked up to them: "My students will be in your care."

"We'll take excellent care of them. Will you mind if I keep one?" Pixie-bob said.

Shinsou raised his hand.

"… uh, Aizawa-sensei. We're not at the compound yet."

"Excellent observation, my sleep deprived friend. You know what would wipe the sand from your eyes? A refreshing hike in the woods." Mandalay said and grinned at Aizawa-sensei: "You agree, Eraserhead?"

"Do what you got to do." Aizawa-sensei said.

"Look sharp everyone." Pixie-bob said.

Suddenly the ground started moving under them and threw them off the edge of the cliff. Izuku didn't have time to even scream when he started falling into the forest below them. He activated One for All and hit the ground legs first no worse for the wear. Tsu landed next to him nimbly like a large cat. The way Todoroki slowed down his fall by grabbing the tree branches reminded Izuku too much of how Dabi had moved. Tokoyami's Quirk Dark Shadow took care of him and Shinsou and brought them down safely. For a moment Dark Shadow looked like a large bird of prey before hiding again inside Tokoyami.

"We'll be seeing you at the compound! Aim to the base of the mountain and be quick! No supper for those who aren't there by half past twelve!" Mandalay shouted from the edge of the cliff.

"Everyone all right?" Todoroki said.

"I'll be once we get out of here. I'm not built for outdoors." Shinsou said.

"… we just have to hike to the compound. We've had worse." Izuku said.

"Thanks for jinxing it, crazy kid."

"What do we do about the monsters?" Tsu said.

"… monsters? What monsters?" Izuku said.

Tsu pointed at a sign that had been planted into the ground.

Beware the monsters.

"Somebody's idea of a joke, surely." Tokoyami said.

"I still think we need to choose someone to leave behind when the monsters attack, so the others can escape. Any volunteers?" Shinsou said.

All eyes were on Shinsou.

"Some friends you are." Shinsou said.

"It would be a noble sacrifice." Tokoyami said.

"We'd even lie that you died like a hero." Todoroki said.

"Oh no you won't, lover boy. When I go, you're coming with me. I'd like to die happy."

"Shinsou, when I die, you'll have been dead for months." Todoroki said.

"… come on, guys. Don't fight. We just have to…" Izuku said.

There was a rustling in the woods and a four-legged monster made of clay stepped out of the forest. Izuku had long since stopped questioning anything he saw and just got ready to fight. Leave it to U.A to find real monsters for them to fight.

The clock was closer to six when they finally made it to the compound bruised and tired. Shinsou had had it the worst. His Quirk had been useless against the clay monsters and he wasn't as fit as the others. Mandalay and Pixie-bob were waiting for them at the parking lot looking well-fed and rested.

"You guys are late." Mandalay said.

"We had to carry a lot of useless weight." Todoroki said.

Shinsou had to lean to Izuku for support just to stay up.

"… screw you, lover boy. Screw you." Shinsou panted.

"You guys are looking pretty cool all roughed up. Maybe I'll nab one of you for myself when you graduate." Pixie-bob said.

Izuku hadn't known that Tokoyami could blush. Shinsou had just enough strength to grin.

"So, this is what it feels like to be you, crazy kid."

"… what?"

"Just let me enjoy this. I've made peace with the fact I'm just a side-character in your sex-romp, crazy kid." Shinsou said.

"Well, the good news is that you get to eat. That was just a motivational lie." Mandalay said.

"It was?" Todoroki said.

"You think we'd starve you?" Mandalay said.

Pixie-bob whispered something in Mandalay's ear and she suddenly looked at Todoroki with new eyes.

After making sure he could stand Izuku pushed Shinsou away and did some stretching exercises to prevent cramps when he noticed a sullen boy in a cap behind Mandalay.

"… sorry, but is he your son?" Izuku said.

"Neither of us is married." Pixie-bob said.

"And the desperation starts to show. This is my nephew Kouta." Mandalay said and pushed Kouta closer to Izuku: "Go say hi."

"… I'm Izuku. It's nice to…" Izuku said.

Kouta punched him in the balls like they owed him money and something exploded behind Izuku's eyes.

"Holy shit, crazy kid. Did that hurt?" Shinsou said.

"… hate you, Shinsou. Hate you… so much." Izuku gasped while reeling on the ground.

Todoroki stepped up to Kouta.

"What do you think you're… Aah! My balls!"

After nut punching Todoroki, Kouta flipped them off and stomped away. Everyone was too shocked to stop him. The others collected the bags while Izuku and Todoroki were laying on the ground in fetal position praying there wasn't too much permanent damage.

In a just world that would have been the end of the day but Izuku had begged and pestered Aizawa-sensei until he had allowed him to take part in the remedy lessons to make up for skipping the terms exams. When he was finally allowed to go to sleep after midnight he wished Aizawa-sensei had said no.

"Midoriya."

In his sleep deprived state, he though the voice was a hallucination until Mandalay tapped him on the shoulder.

"Midoriya. Can I have a moment of your time?" Mandalay said.

"… sure."

"I'm sorry what Kouta did. You okay?"

"I'll live. It's…"

Okay? Like hell it was. Kouta had almost sterilized him. Maybe Todoroki was right, and he was too quick to apologize and make everything his fault.

"Shouldn't Kouta be the one… to apologize?" Izuku said.

"I tried but he's… going through tough times." Mandalay said and looked shifted her weight from one foot to another: "Have you heard of the hero duo Water Horse?"

"… yes."

He'd also heard how they died. Messily. The only consolation was that their killer hadn't walked away unscratched. Small mercy since the murderer was still at large.

"They were Kouta's parents."

An ugly pain hit Izuku in the chest and suddenly it was hard to stay mad at Kouta.

"… and he's your nephew so… My condolences. It… must have been… terrible." Izuku said.

Sometimes language felt more like barrier than a bridge. It always failed you when you needed it the most. Telling how sorry you were… sounded like a useless platitude.

"It was, but it hit Kouta the worst. No one should lose their parents like that." Mandalay said and looked away: "This… is asking a lot but… could you talk to him?"

"… me?"

"I know it's none of your business, but… you had problems of your own recently and… maybe he'd open up to you more."

Izuku was too shocked to speak and could only stare at Mandalay. This was insane. What kind of a person asked a seventeen-year-old they'd just met to… play therapist for their nephew?

Then he understood.

What kind of a person asked help from a seventeen-year-old they'd just met? A desperate one. For a moment Mandalay looked like mom. He saw the same fear that had plagued mom for years. Someone they loved was in pain and… they were powerless to help.

"… I can't promise anything… but I'll try."

Mandalay smiled.

"Thank you."

Izuku tiptoed to the sleeping area and fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. He dreamed of a… door. He knocked it and Nana opened it.

"Hi, Izuku. Come on in." Nana said and let him in.

Nana was dressed in her hero outfit and looked out of place in the apartment. The apartment was… nice. It was well furnished and had a nice view, but… it was too big. Too big for one person. It was meant for a family. He saw three pairs of shoes. One of them belonged to Nana. The others to a man and a… child. The man's and child's shoes were covered in dust and cobwebs.

"… what is this place?"

"A refuge. All the ghosts in your mind have one. This was my home. You want some tea?"

"… sure."

Nana sat him down and brought them tea.

"Sorry I cut in on your dreams about Toga, but I sensed you needed help and I haven't really been giving much, have I?"

"… I… I don't dream about Hi… Toga."

Nana just smiled sadly.

"It's about the boy. Kouta. Isn't it?" Nana said.

"… yes."

"Are you sure you're up to this? Good intentions only take you so far if you don't know what you're doing. You could do more harm then good." Nana said.

"… I… maybe I can say something that… would make him ready to ask for help."

"There should have been help offered. There is counseling for relatives of dead heroes." Nana said.

"Offering help… doesn't do much good if you don't take it."

Izuku sipped his tea.

"… how do heroes do it? Have… people in their lives? When there are villains who could…"

"Worried about your mother?" Nana said.

"… I… that's… Water Horse had me thinking… what would mom do if something happened to me or All Might. Or... something happened... to her?"

"No need to sound so ashamed. Even with teamwork and training this is a dangerous job. That's something that we all need to think about. You think All Might made a mistake for going out with your mom?"

"… I want them to be happy. They deserve to be happy… but Stain told… we know All for One is out there."

Nana looked at her tea.

"I'm happy… that Toshinori found someone. That he allowed himself to be happy. And he'd die before let anything happen to her. You know him."

"... yeah." Izuku said.

"To be honest most villains aren't… really villains. Just people with poor impulse control who can't get their shit together. All heroes need to do is show up and they fold like a wet towel."

"But there are real villains." Izuku said.

"Yes. They are rare. Very rare. But they do exist. There are the professionals who just treat it as a job. They'll knock you around, but they won't kill you if they can help it. Longer sentences when they get caught. Then there are those who have been hurt. Badly. They lash out because that's the only way they can deal with the pain. The breed that need help more than an ass kicking but in a way they're the most dangerous. You can never be sure what they think of next."

Nana fell quiet for a while.

"Then there's All for One and the freak who killed Water Horse. The ones who do it for the thrill. Who like the power that comes from hurting people."

Izuku thought of Bakugou and Endeavor. He thought of the moment he'd broken Bakugou's hand. He thought which of the three categories Toga fell in. She sure as hell wasn't in it for the money.

"… what do you do when… they notice you?"

Nana sighed and there was pain that was beyond tears.

"I had a family once. A husband and a son. Then All for One came. That's his M.O. He strikes when One for All has just been passed on. When the new successor is weak and the old one grows weaker. My husband… he died, and I started wondering. Would my son ever be safe with me? What if something happened to me? I tried to lure All for One out, but he stayed in the shadows. Mocking me. Sometimes... he even called me in the middle of the night."

"… what did you do?"

"I gave my son up for adoption. I was sure it was the right decision but lately I've been wondering."

Something about the sadness in Nana voice roused something in him… and suddenly something clicked.

"… what did you mean that Tomura was just another victim of All for One?" Izuku said.

The way Nana turned her head told him everything.

"Tomura is… your son. No. Your grandson."

Nana snorted.

"Do I look that old?"

"No! You… uh… look really young."

Nana sighed.

"I'm not in the mood for ass kissing, Izuku. Never thought you'd turn out to be this sharp. Even Toshinori doesn't know."

Izuku put down his cup.

"… about Tomura…"

"Yes." Nana said: "I still love him. He's all that is left of my son. I guess you can relate."

"… I…"

"You still love that girl, you poor boy." Nana said and smiled sadly: "It's not fair. I know. We should be allowed to choose who we love. Even One for All still loves his brother. He'd never be able to muster so much hate otherwise."

"… I don't know what to do." Izuku said.

"I wish I could help you, but… See other people. Try not to think about her. Concentrate on heroics." Nana said.

"How… do you just stop loving someone?"

Nana got up and hugged him. It was a dream, but she felt real.

"I'm sorry, Izuku. You didn't deserve any of this. Toshinori isn't the only one who deserves happiness. You need to wake up now."

"… huh?"

Aizawa-sensei slammed open the door to the sleeping quarters.

"Wake up everyone!"

The schoolyear had been spent honing technique, so the summer camp concentrated on building up power. Izuku spent the day pushing his limits with One for All while trying to preserve enough energy to stay awake when the remedial lectures began in the evening.

During a brief break he tried to call All Might and tell him about Tomura but there was no signal. He wished there was someone else he could tell about Tomura but there would have been too many questions how he found it out. Coming up with the answer in a dream sounded crazy even to him.

Tsu offered him a water-bottle.

"You okay? You looked a little sluggish." Tsu said.

Izuku took a sip of water.

"... just tired. Slept only five hours last night."

"You don't have to take part in the remedial lessons. You know that, right? No one thinks you're a loser."

Izuku smiled.

"You guys aren't leaving me behind that easily."

"Just be careful. Promise?" Tsu said.

"I promise."

When they started preparing for dinner, Izuku noticed Kouta sneaking off on his own. This was as good moment as any. He glanced at Mandalay who nodded in response.

Following Kouta took him up a mountain path and he found Kouta sitting on a rock staring at the forest.

"What do you want?" Kouta said without looking at him.

"… you're not hungry?"

"Go away."

"… I… your aunt asked me to talk to you and…"

Kouta threw a rock at him.

"I don't want to talk to you! Stupid hero wannabe!"

Why was talking to people so much easier to everyone else?

"… you hate heroes?" Izuku said.

"If they hadn't… mom and dad would still be… Was their stupid job more important than me?!"

Tears started forming in Kouta's eyes and he wiped them away.

"… Kouta… I don't know what to say."

"Then why did auntie ask you to talk to me?"

"… I… lost someone too… and it hurts. You're angry and in pain and you just want to hurt something. Anything." Izuku said and clenched his fist.

For the first time it looked like he had gotten Kouta's attention. He could relate to the anger seeping from his words. Or he'd just scared the boy enough that he didn't dare to say anything.

"You just want to hurt whoever hurt you. Worse. Harder. Like they hurt you. But…"

Izuku forced himself to calm down. He was an angry person, but he'd be damned before he let his anger control him.

"But… if you just bottle it up… it won't make the pain go away. You just end up hurting yourself more… and the people close to you. There are still people who care about you and want to help you."

Kouta fell quiet and looked at the forest.

"… go away." He finally said.

Izuku nodded. He'd done what he could. Pushing it would just make Kouta reel away. Hopefully he'd given Kouta something to think about. He was half way back to the compound when the sirens started howling. The loudspeakers came to life and carried Aizawa-sensei's voice all through out the camp.

"The faculty is under attack by villains! Everyone! Get inside!"

Kouta!