Part 8

Past—Before Summer Camp.

"Study group?" Hawks asked, idly twirling a feather in his fingers. He was pale, with dark rings around his eyes like bruises, but he was alert, sitting upright, and talking, which was an improvement over some Mondays, so they pressed on with their plan.

"Yeah, we should start a study group since our finals are coming up," Izuku said, wishing that he wasn't the one having to suggest their plan. He wasn't very good at lying, but Hawks did need help with his grades, so it wasn't a complete lie. "We can have snacks and maybe play a few games afterwards if it goes well!"

Hawks frowned, eyes growing distant. Uneasiness churned in Izuku's stomach, but he kept his expression neutral. If Hawks got even a smidge suspicious about why he was bringing this up, he wouldn't agree.

"Sure, I guess. I could definitely use the extra study time. My grades have been really bad," Hawks smiled ruefully, but something in his expression rang false. "Where are we going to study?"

"We were hoping we could go to your house, since it's the only one close to school," Yaoyorozu said with a smile. If she was nervous, she didn't show it. "Plus, your house is close to a train station, so it'll be easy for everyone to get home."

"I don't know…" Hawks said, something in his expression flickering as he fell further back into the fake front he put up around other people. It'd been a while since he'd used it on them, so seeing it hurt. "My parents are really strict, and they don't usually like having people over."

Izuku clamped down on the wave of concern and forced himself not to say anything, to keep his face from showing the anxiety he felt for his friend, and waited. He'd ruin everything if he spoke now. Mercifully, Hawks wasn't looking at him.

"I suppose we could meet at Midoriya's house," Yaoyorozu said, frowning as if in deep thought. "Everyone else's house is too far away."

There was an awkward pause, where Izuku knew he was supposed to jump in and make up an excuse of some kind, but his mind was completely blank.

"Didn't you say that your mom was having bad headaches, though?" Uraraka said, with a glance at Izuku's face. "I wouldn't want to trouble her if she's not feeling well."

Nodding his head, Izuku stared down at his scarred fingers so he wouldn't have to lie to Hawks's face. He let some of his anxiety creep through into his face and voice, knowing that Hawks would probably interpret it as concern for his mother. "Y-yeah. Normally it would be no problem, but she's been sensitive to noise, so…"

"Well, in that case, I suppose it would be fine at my house," Hawks said slowly, looking uncertain. "Just—my parents get home at nine, so we'll have to end it before then."

"Perfect!" Uraraka said, clapping her hands excitedly. "What kind of snacks do you like, Hawks?"

"Uhhh-" Hawks looked like he regretted agreeing, but they weren't going to give him the chance to change his mind.

"I'll bring drinks," Iida offered, one arm slicing through the air as he spoke. "Something delicious, but also nutritional and healthy to ensure that we feed our bodies as well as our minds."

"In that case, I'll bring dinner," Yaoyorozu said. "Something with chicken."

"Wait, we're doing dinner now? And if we're studying at my house, shouldn't I be the one getting the snacks?" Hawks asked, brows drawing together in confusion.

"You're studying together?" Kaminari asked, springing over to them with a desperate expression on his face. "Can I come too? Please? English is killing me."

Kaminari hadn't been part of the plan, but the general look of doom on his face meant there was no way there was no way they could turn him down, not without arousing Hawks's suspicion. They quickly decided to go straight to Hawks's house after school to study English and math, the two subjects that both Hawks and Kaminari were failing.

"Doesn't it strike you as strange that Hawks is failing English?" Iida asked, later that day as he and Izuku walked to the bathroom. "I've seen him teaching Kaminari and he sounded almost fluent."

"He said he's better at speaking it than reading or writing, but I agree," Izuku said, rubbing his aching arm. "It always throws me when I see his grades. He's so smart, it doesn't make sense. It's like he doesn't study at all."

"I don't feel good about this," Iida said quietly. "But I'm very concerned. I still think we should talk to Aizawa-"

"He won't believe us," Izuku said, surprised at how bitter he sounded. "If he's not suspicious that something's wrong yet, then us talking to him won't do any good either, not unless we have proof of some kind."

"I suppose you're right," Iida said, sighing. "I trust Aizawa. If we're still concerned after this, we need tell him what we know. I'm sure he'll start investigating himself, assuming he hasn't started already."

Izuku tried to imagine a teacher, any teacher, even one as good as Aizawa, intervening and couldn't. He'd been ignored too many times by teachers to believe that one would actually do something. He wanted to believe, and he really looked up to Aizawa, but he just couldn't picture it. And he didn't want to put it to the test with Aizawa.

Hawks was good at hiding it, but something was wrong, and the wrongness was slowly clicking into place in Izuku's mind with horrible certainty. The strange bruises and injuries, the constant exhaustion, the things he had said at Izuku's house while he was sick, it was all coming together to paint a tapestry of pain and neglect.

Izuku knew that Endeavor was abusive and that was why Todoroki didn't know so many things that Izuku had always assumed was common knowledge, why he had never had any friends growing up. Todoroki had told him that his father considered such things 'beneath him' and 'a useless waste of time that could be spent training.' However, despite Endeavor's best efforts, Todoroki still knew what Disney was and had a basic level of pop culture, albeit a lacking one.

Izuku knew why Todoroki didn't know those things and it was terrible. So, why didn't Hawks?

Why did Hawks flinch, just slightly, when someone touched him? Why did he come back to school after every weekend exhausted and hiding bruises? Something wasn't right. Why did no one else see it but them?

Izuku wanted to help him, but he had no idea how to do it. He didn't even have any real proof that something was wrong. Izuku only knew about Endeavor because Todoroki had told him; he doubted Hawks would do the same.

He wondered if Hawks would ask for help if he really needed it. Then he remembered Hawks's face the instant before the nomu had grabbed him and doubted that Hawks would ask for help at all.

"If he doesn't tell us anything and we're still worried, let's talk to Aizawa tomorrow," Izuku said, clenching his fist. He didn't like it, but maybe he was just letting his bad experiences with teachers and adults in general cloud his judgement. Maybe Aizawa really was different. "If that doesn't work… I don't know what to do."

"Aizawa-sensei will listen to us," Iida said, with such confidence that Izuku almost believed him. "Midoriya… have you had bad experiences with teachers in the past?"

Izuku nodded, seeing no point in denying it. "I—I was bullied a lot before UA. None of the teachers ever believed me or did anything to stop it."

"I'm sorry that happened to you," Iida said, pausing in front of the bathroom door to clasp Izuku's shoulder. "But this is going to be different. Aizawa-sensei is a hero. He'll listen and intervene on Hawks's behalf, if it is truly necessary."

"You're right," Izuku said, trying his best to believe it. I hope you're right.

Present—The Midoriya household

Izuku was getting a drink of water from the kitchen when he heard the front door unlock and swing open slowly. He froze for a split second, mind racing, before setting the cup down as quietly as he could and pulling out his cellphone.

"Someone just broke into my apartment," He typed, crouching down low and keeping his eyes on the dark entryway, adrenaline flooding his body.

The response came back at once. Having an insomniac as a teacher was really amazing, sometimes. "Sending police and backup now. Try to get out of the apartment, but if it's not possible, you are authorized to defend yourself. On my way."

Relief rippled through him. He sent a quick text to his mother, warning her of the danger even though she probably wouldn't see it in time, before tucking his phone in his pocket and edging closer.

A lone figure stepped into the dim light coming from the nightlights in the living room and kitchen, wearing a black and red kabuki mask that obscured his entire face except for his mouth and a long, black trench coat with a high collar. The man was almost as tall as All Might, but his body was lithe, and he didn't look particularly strong.

If he was by himself, Izuku could try to take him down before he had a chance to use his quirk, but Izuku couldn't risk his mom. He had to get her out of the apartment somehow.

Izuku crawled along the floor to the hallway that led to the bedrooms, but the man moved quicker. He was in the hallway before Izuku could reach it, stopping just short of the first door. Izuku watched as the man pulled something out of his pocket and placed it down on the floor in. He fiddled with it for a few seconds before standing and turning back the way he had come.

A moment later, the man slipped out the door with a soft click, leaving Izuku alone in the kitchen. He waited a few seconds in case the man came back, but then he heard a familiar click as the door was locked from the outside.

The man had slipped in, left something near the bedrooms, and left without a trace.

Not good, Izuku thought, casting one last look at the door before creeping into the hallway to investigate what the man had left. Please don't be what I think it is, please don't be—

Izuku stared down at the small, rectangular device with yellow numbers blinking at him and felt his stomach lurch. A bomb. The man had snuck into the apartment and left a bomb.

He pulled out his phone and called Aizawa, mind whirling with what he knew about bombs. They'd never actually covered how to defuse a bomb at UA, not even in their emergency response training.

The phone stopped ringing. "I'm ten minutes away," Aizawa said, sounding breathless. "Report."

"The intruder planted a bomb in our apartment and left. The timer is at one minute and fifteen seconds," Izuku said, voice steady despite his growing fear. "If I tell you what it looks like can you walk me through disarming it?"

"Doubtful," Aizawa answered bluntly. "You need to get your mom and everyone you can away from the building-"

"There's not enough time," Izuku knelt down, drawing in a slow breath. "I'm going to try and get it away from the building. They thought we'd be asleep, so it's probably doesn't have a motion trigger."

Aizawa was silent on the line, but Izuku didn't wait for a response. He carefully grabbed the bomb and lifted it a few inches off the ground, breath freezing in his chest.

When he didn't immediately trigger an explosion, he stood up and moved as quickly as he dared toward the door.

"Use your best judgment," Aizawa said, then cursed under his breath at Izuku's slightly hysterical laugh. "You've already moved it, haven't you?"

"S-sorry," Izuku said, swallowing hard.

"You're doing fine. Once you're outside of your apartment, you need to throw it as high into the air as you can," Aizawa said, voice coming in muffled. "The intruder might still be nearby, but the police should be there soon. Don't hang up."

Izuku didn't need to be told twice. He reached the front door and tried to unlock the door, but the lock didn't budge. All of the color drained from his face. He tried again, but no matter how hard he tried to turn the lock, it wouldn't move. Activating Full Cowl, Izuku carefully cradled the bomb to his chest and attempted it again, but nothing worked.

Growing desperate as the numbers ticked down before his eyes, he slammed his leg into the door, hoping to kick the door down. A loud thud echoed throughout the apartment, but his kick didn't even leave a dent, and now his leg was throbbing in pain.

"What's happening? Aizawa demanded.

"I can't get the door open," Izuku said in disbelief, punching the door with as much power as he could without breaking his arm. His punch bounced off uselessly against the door. "He must have used some kind of quirk on the door. Nothing I do is working."

Aizawa let out another muffled curse. "Go to the fire escape."

"Y-yeah," Izuku said, already moving to his room.

The door to his mother's room creaked open. "Izuku?" She asked, stepping out into the hall. She rubbed her eyes blearily, but her eyes widened at the grim expression on Izuku's face.

"Grab your mattress and get into the bathtub," Izuku shouted, diving for his window.

Twenty seconds left. Izuku reached the window and tried to open it, but it was as stuck, just like the door. Muttering a curse that would probably get him grounded, Izuku grit his teeth and aimed a kick not at the window, but the wall. Whatever quirk had been used on the door and window hadn't affected the wall, because it exploded outward with the force of his kick.

He didn't waste any time. He activated One for All at one hundred percent in his arm and flung the bomb high into the air with every ounce of force he could muster. The bomb disappeared into the dark for a single moment before exploding in the night sky, momentarily blinding him.

Nearby windows shattered and Izuku was pushed back by the force of the explosion, but the window to Izuku's room didn't even crack.

Police sirens blared in the distance. Izuku glanced down at his arm and stared at it in shock. It was shattered, he could tell by the pain, but it wasn't broken. Not like when he'd first started using it.

Progress, Izuku thought, stumbling away from the hole in the wall he'd made to find his mother.

"—Midoriya, Midoriya are you still there? If you blew yourself up, so help me-" It was rare to hear Aizawa sound so frazzled. Or so angry.

"Y-yeah, I'm still here," Izuku said, feeling a little giddy now that the adrenaline wasn't surging through his body. "Do you know if renter's insurance covers bombs?"

Aizawa chuckled quietly. "Most normal insurance policies cover villain attacks, but when you enrolled in UA, you were put under a special insurance policy for heroes."

"Oh, that makes sense," Izuku said, thinking of all the medical bills he'd had since joining UA. "I think I shattered my arm, but it's not broken." He might have sounded a little too proud and excited about that, but considering the number of times he'd broken his body using his power, Izuku thought he had an excuse.

"Congratulations, problem child," Aizawa said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Stay on the alert. If the person who planted the bomb is still around, they'll know they failed. The police should be there any minute but be ready in case they come back."

"Right," Izuku clenched his fist and glanced down at his shattered arm, which was beginning to bruise from the force of the toss. It was progress. It was.

He stared guiltily at the hole in the wall for a moment longer, then walked out of his room and down the hall to his mother's room. "Mom?" He called out, stopping at the threshold of her room to glance back out at the living room.

"Izuku, are you okay? What was that noise?" She asked, voice wavering slightly.

"Umm…" Izuku winced and ran a hand through his hair. "There—there was a bomb, so I had to get it out of the apartment."

"A bomb?! Are you sure you're okay?" Inko demanded, sounding breathless. "The crash sounded so close and then there was an explosion farther away-"

"Um, the first one was, uh, me," Izuku said, trying to see how much he could move his injured arm. He'd definitely messed it up again. "I couldn't get the door or the window to open, so I had to—er…"

There was a moment of silence.

"Please tell me you didn't punch a hole in the wall," Inko said, voice resigned.

"I didn't punch a hole in the wall," Izuku wheedled, shuffling his feet. "I kicked it."

His mother sighed.

"Aizawa said that UA has insurance to cover the damage," Izuku said, picturing the wall in his mind. He froze, sudden horror flooding through him as he realized what had been on the wall he'd smashed into smithereens. "My collectable All Might calendar!" He gasped.

Inko let out a watery laugh. "That's what you're worried about?"

"It was a limited-edition calendar," Izuku said miserably. "It was signed."

"You know All Might," Inko said reasonably. "He could sign anything you want."

It was true, but Izuku rarely asked All Might to sign anything for him. All Might already knew Izuku was a super fan and had started covertly giving him merchandise since the start of the term, all signed and some including little doodles. All Might had also had started leaving notes in Izuku's locker, some encouraging notes, others requests to meet him somewhere or random jokes that he had found amusing. Izuku had a whole scrapbook hidden away under his bed.

However, the greatest treasure was just being able to sit down and talk to All Might, which was more wonderful than he could ever have dreamed of. There was no need to ask for anything else.

He heard the front door open.

"Mom, stay in there no matter what," Izuku said, before calmly walking into the living room.

The intruder spotted him and surged forward, but Izuku was faster. He slammed into the man and tackled him to the ground. The two of them wrestled on the ground, the man writhing violently in an attempt to buck Izuku off his back, but Izuku held tight and tried to pin the man down.

The man managed to slam Izuku into one of the walls with a loud thud, knocking a picture from the wall that hit Izuku's head. One hand was wrenched free from Izuku's grip and immediately punched him in the face, breaking Izuku's nose with a sickening crunch. As Izuku wheeled back, the man grabbed him by the hair and managed to throw him off and stand. Before the man could do more than take a single step toward him, Izuku lashed out with a kick, knocking him to the ground. Before the man could recover, Izuku punched the man in the face as hard as he dared, causing him to slump limply to the floor.

Izuku fell to his knees next to the intruder and searched for weapons before pulling the man's hands behind his back and tying them together with one of the throw blankets from the couch. Once that was done, Izuku sagged with relief and pressed a hand to his nose experimentally. Broken, but he had guessed as much. It could have been worse, though. All things considered, that had been easier than he had thought—

"Izuku?" Inko stepped out into the hallway from her bedroom, eyes shining with alarm. Her eyes widened. "Izuku, behind you!"

He whirled around, but it was too late. Something slammed into him with the force of a freight train, but instead of being thrown forward, he was pulled backwards with bone jarring force.

He slammed him into the wall of the living room, his head ricocheting off it with a violent thud. Stars exploding in his vision, but before he could recover, he was shoved to the floor and pinned down.

Gritting his teeth, Izuku activated Full Cowl and managed to get up despite the heavy weight pushing him down. He lunged forward, feeling as if he was wading through molasses, and swung a punch at the second man who had entered the apartment unnoticed. The man ducked under the swing and stretched out a hand and the force pushing against him increased.

Digging his heels in and bracing himself, Izuku bent his knees, ramped up Full Cowl, and leaped. Whatever the man's quirk was slammed into him as if Izuku had thrown himself into a concrete wall, but it wasn't enough to stop him. He kicked the man in the face and the force pressing against him cut off abruptly. As the man crashed to the ground, Izuku rolled to a stop, his shoulder and elbow colliding with one of the walls with enough force to smash through it.

As Izuku pulled his arm out of the wall, the two men stumbled to their feet. As Izuku watched, the second man untied the hands of the first, who took a menacing step toward Izuku. To Izuku's horror, the second intruder stared at him hatefully for a moment before turning away from him and started walking down the hallway.

"Mom, run!" Izuku shouted, lunging forward, but the first man intercepted him and shoved Izuku back.

His mother squeaked as the man marched confidently in her direction, but instead of running, she stood her ground and sent dozens upon dozens of small items hurtling at the man. Izuku had time to see one of his limited edition All Might figurines hurtling in the air before he was tackled and thrown into the coffee table. His head bounced against the wood as the table collapsed underneath him.

Izuku's assailant wrapped his hands around his throat, clamping down with unnatural strength. His good arm was pinned under his back, so Izuku did the only thing he could; he headbutted him.

The man reeled back, blood gushing out of his broken nose as Izuku gasped for breath, realizing after a moment that the spots dancing across his eyes wasn't just due to the lack of oxygen. If he didn't have a concussion before, he had one now.

His mother screamed. Izuku stumbled dizzily to his feet, but before he could move, Eraser Head crashed through the living room window and the front door burst open, half a dozen police officers spilling inside.

Eraser Head was at Izuku's side in an instant, scarf wrapping around the man Izuku had headbutted. His eyes blazed crimson in the darkness, expression furious. "Are you okay?" He asked, placing a steadying hand on Izuku's shoulder when he saw Izuku sway shakily on his feet.

"My mom-" Izuku said, trying futilely to tug himself out of his teacher's grip.

"They've got her," Aizawa said, pulling Izuku closer as two police officers cuffed the man Izuku had been fighting while two more ran down the hallway. Once the man was secured by the police, Aizawa released the man from his capture scarf and turned his full attention onto Izuku. "Injuries?"

"My arm is fractured, I have a broken nose, and I might have a concussion," Izuku admitted, heart pounding in his chest as Aizawa forced him to sit down on the couch instead of rushing to his mother like he wanted to. "I need to see-"

"Izuku!" Inko gasped, rushing to his side. "You're bleeding."

"I'm fine," Izuku said, slumping into the couch cushions the moment he saw that she was uninjured. "I heard you shout-"

Inko's face paled. "Oh, Izuku, it was terrible. I didn't mean to-"

"Did he hurt you?" Izuku demanded, grabbing her hand and glancing her up and down.

Aizawa knelt next to them. "Are you hurt anywhere, Mrs. Midoriya?"

"N-no," Inko said, eyes watering. "But—but-"

The police brought out the other attacker from the hallway on a stretcher, hands cuffed, bloodied and bruised. Blood was streaming profusely from the man's face. Something had pierced the man's left eye, leaving something yellow and smeared with blood protruding from it. Izuku stared in astonishment, feeling nauseous as he realized the yellow something was actually a tiny yellow boot.

"Is that my-" He asked faintly.

"Just part of the leg," Inko said, burying her head in her hands. "And the—the boot. The rest of it broke off before- urk."

Aizawa was surprising kind about the fact that Izuku's mother threw up on his shoes. The police officers, for their part, looked morbidly impressed. It wasn't every day a villain was taken down by a single mother and an All Might figurine, after all.

Past—Hawks's Apartment. Before Summer Camp.

Hawks wasn't sure why he had decided to scatter a few feathers outside his apartment to keep watch, but he had in a moment of unusual paranoia, which was why he sensed the Commission agents walking toward the door of his apartment.

"Oh no," Hawks said, the breath catching in his throat. He was on his feet before he knew it. "You have to hide."

"What?" Todoroki asked in confusion, glancing up from his English homework.

Todoroki, Midoriya, Yaoyorozu, Uraraka, Iida, and Kaminari were all scattered around the rectangular glass coffee table in Hawks's living room, some seated on the sofa, others on pillows on the floor. Seeing the panicked expression on Hawks's face, they all clambered to their feet, eyes alert and searching for signs of danger.

"You have to hide," Hawks repeated, staring at all of the snacks and the cups strewn on the coffee table in dismay. "I—I'll explain later, but they can't find you here. You need to hide in one of the bedrooms until they're gone-"

"Hawks, we're not going to leave you alone if you're in danger-" Izuku said, body tense as if he was preparing himself for a fight.

"I'm not-" Hawks broke off, the lie dying on his lips at the looks on his friends'—classmates, don't fool yourself—faces. "I need you to trust me and hide. I'll—I'll try to explain later, but they can't find you here and you can't fight them. Promise me you'll stay hidden, okay?"

They looked like they wanted to argue, but surprisingly, it was Todoroki who took charge. "How much time do we have? Do we have time to clean up?"

"Yes," Hawks said, so relieved he could have cried. "We have to hurry, they're almost to this floor-"

"Is it your parents coming?" Uraraka asked in confusion, but she was already moving to help clean up the mess and hide all the evidence. "Surely if we explain-"

"Not my parents," Hawks said, tossing unopened bags of snacks behind the couch and out of sight. "And if they found out you were here, I'd be withdrawn from UA and you'd never see me again."

Izuku froze for a moment, two cups of soda in his hands, and stared at Hawks's in shock, before hurriedly dumping the drinks down the kitchen sink and tossing them in the trash. "I think that's everything," he said, still looking wildly concerned.

Great, one more thing to explain, Hawks thought, suppressing a groan.

"I think we got everything," Iida said, surveying the room with a critical eye.

One problem at a time, Hawks decided, knowing that his slip up was going to have dire consequences later, but not nearly as bad as what would happen if the Commission knew he'd invited his classmates over. He grabbed the trash bag out of the garbage can just in case and ushered everyone into his bedroom. Of all the stupid things I could have done. What was I thinking?

"I'll explain everything, just stay hidden no matter what and don't make a noise, okay?" Hawks said, tossing the garbage bag into an empty corner.

He saw them looking around the near empty room and grit his teeth. He stepped out into the hall and started to, shut the door, but before he could, Todoroki stopped him.

"Are they going to hurt you?" He asked.

Hawks swallowed. "No," he said, not sure if he was lying or telling the truth. It depended on their mood and why they had come.

The answer didn't seem to fully satisfy Todoroki, but he let go of the door and allowed Hawks to close it without another word of protest. Sighing in relief, Hawks quickly checked over the apartment one last time, replaced the trash bag in the garbage can, and absently adjusted the pillows on the couch. Once he was sure everything was back in place, he allowed himself a second to compose himself.

Today had been an absolute disaster, so he supposed a surprise visit from his Handler was just par for the course.

The moment he'd opened the door to let his classmates inside, Hawks had realized that they had set up the study session as an excuse to visit his apartment out of misplaced concern. They thought his parents were abusing him after seeing the injuries he'd come to school with and his fevered ramblings at Midoriya's house. Hawks had known that they were getting suspicious, he just hadn't thought that they'd actually try to look into it.

No one from the Commission had ever come during a weekday. Had they seen his classmates? No, they wouldn't have come if that was the case, wouldn't risk being seen. They would have waited until his classmates left and dragged him back to the Commission without a word. Something else was going on.

Hawks flinched at the knock at the door, even though he'd been expecting it. Rubbing his sweaty palms on his pants, he let out a long exhale and opened the door.

It was his main handler, who he only knew as Black, and a female corrections officer he didn't recognize, both dressed in crisp suits and holding briefcases. The angry glare he got from Black told him that this wasn't a house call.

Izuku glanced at Yaoyorozu, who was crouched down beside him at the door to Hawks's room, and slowly twisted the doorknob. He slid the door open an inch at a time, until it was just wide enough for Yaoyorozu to slide the small device she had made through. As soon as she pulled her hand back, Izuku shut the door and slide on the earphones that Yaoyorozu had created a few minutes before.

Static burst to life in Izuku's ears, along with a voice he didn't recognize.

"…summer camp after all," A male voice drawled, something about his tone setting warning bells off in Izuku's head. "All Might isn't going, but we want an agent on the ground."

It felt like the air had been suddenly sucked out of the room. Izuku stiffened, mind blanking as he struggled to comprehend what he'd just heard. It couldn't mean what it sounded like. It couldn't.

"It might be too late for me to go," Hawks said, sounding strangely subdued. "I already told my homeroom teacher that I wasn't going-"

"Eraser will let you go," The man said dismissively.

"—and I don't have a passing grade in several classes," Hawks said. "Are my previous orders to flunk my finals suspended?"

"Not to worry," The man replied. "We have it on good authority that remedial students will still be allowed to go. We expect your profile on Eraser finished by the end of summer camp. You'll probably be pulled from UA before the end of the second term, so use your time wisely. Failure to complete your mission will have a… negative impact on the Commission's plans for you. Understand?"

Commission? Surely the man couldn't mean the Hero Public Safety Commission, right? Izuku strained to hear Hawk's answer, but he didn't say anything.

"If you don't have anything concrete soon, we're going take a more aggressive stance with your training. Consider this a warning; continued failure in your mission will result in punishment and reprogramming. We wouldn't want that, now would we?"

"No," Hawks said tonelessly.

"Your continued failure is giving us graves concerns for your future," Another voice chimed in snidely. "If you fail to live up to your potential, then there's really no reason for us to continue to pour resources into you, is there?"

A chill ran down Izuku's spine. On the surface, the words seemed almost innocuous, but Izuku knew the words for what they were: a threat.

"I understand," Hawks said flatly. "I won't let the Commission down."

The first man snorted. "You'd better not, for your sake. You're expendable. If you don't perform to expectations, we won't have any need of you, get my drift? Good. Don't forget it."

"Before we go, a quick reminder of the consequences of failure," The second man's words were immediately followed by a sharp cry of pain. The man snorted derisively. "UA has made you soft. Don't forget, we own you."

"I know," Hawks said, sounding breathless. "I won't forget."

Todoroki was the only reason they didn't burst out of the room and attack the men who'd hurt Hawks. They listened tensely as footsteps walked away from the device Yaoyorozu had made and the front door opened. Something else was said, but the words were too quiet to be heard. The front door close with a slam and for a moment, the apartment was silent.

"What do we do?" Uraraka whispered, face drained of color.

No one had an answer. Hawks opened the bedroom door a few minutes later, pale and shaky. In his opened palm, sat the tiny audio device.

"How much did you hear?" Hawks asked tiredly.

"Enough," Todoroki said, eyes cold and body tensed and ready for a fight. "Who are you working for?"

Hawks looked away and ran a hand through his hair, a painful vulnerable in the slump of his shoulders and the pinched look in his eyes. A dark bruise was forming on his left arm and Izuku was once again struck by how unhealthy Hawks looked. He looked like someone who was slowly being eaten away by stress. Injury after injury with no chance for real recovery, countless sleepless nights, and constant stress was taking a heavy toll on his body. He was too thin, too tired.

The empty room. The apartment that looked more like something from IKEA than a space a family lived in. The little things that Hawks had let slip, like how he'd never been to a movie in theaters before, or the surprise on his face when someone showed they cared about him or touched him out of friendly affection. Hawks tried so hard to seem okay, but he wasn't. He really wasn't.

"Hawks," Izuku said, struck with a sudden wave of protectiveness. "Let us help you."

"I'll…I'll explain," Hawks said faintly. "Let's go sit down. I know that probably sounded bad, but I promise—I promise I'm not working for villains or anything."

Izuku glanced at Todoroki and knew he was thinking the same thing; villains weren't the only people capable of hurting someone.

You guys, someone made fanart for chapter 5! It's seriously so beautiful. HUGE thank you to velvtea for creating such gorgeous art fo this story. Be sure to check it out!

Big thank you to Sesshomarusama3, StandUpKeepMovingFoward and lovlydragonfly for leaving reviews on the last chapter! I appreciate all of you so much.

Fan art by Marieez velvtea:
/velvtea/status/1295192736090423296?s=20

Hope all of you enjoyed this chapter. I'm excited we're finally at the Commission reveal section of the flashbacks. I mentioned it quite a bit so it was really fun to finally write those scenes.

School has started back up for me and I have a pretty heavy workload, but I'm setting aside an hour or two every morning to write and so far it's going good!

The next update should be the 12th.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think :)