The ride back to the school is noisy, chaotic, and exhilarating.

It feels especially crazy when random appendages keep accidentally exploding from my skin. Wings burst from my back to choke me on my shirt or slap Todoroki's head; arms grow like spider legs to pat Kirishima's still flat hair, shake Aoyama's hand, and entice Mina into some sort of elaborate hand game; daisies carpet my arms and fireflies circle my head.

Sensei, predictably, is less than impressed.

"Rin, control yourself."

I try.

"C'est beau!" the sparkling blond exclaims loudly. "We are a perfect pair!"

Sensei, red-eyed, turns in his seat and glares.

Unable not to laugh as my hand turns its normal shade, I grin shamelessly up at my dark-haired guardian.

"No sunglasses?"

If anything, he looks even more annoyed.

Pinching his nose, Sensei gestures sharply for me to move. I do, light rippling across my skin the moment he turns away. I immediately sprout dragonfly wings that smack against Mina's face and Todoroki's head. Toru, beside the pink girl, squeaks and pulls on them, giggling as they dissolve and fall away into glittering dust. I stumble past them both, laughing, nearly skipping through the moving bus to collapse onto the seat beside Sensei. I curl readily into his side, pawing pretentiously at his capture weapon.

"Sensei!"

"Rin," he repeats, staring upward and adding a drop to each eyes. He blinks and puts them away, making some silent prayer for help. After he drapes his arm across my shoulders, fingers squeezing as he pulls me close and sighs. "Control yourself."

"But where are your cat glasses?"

"Not here," he grumps, and I can't help but giggle all the harder.

If he put them on, there was absolutely no way I'd ever manage to stop.

"But Sensei, I passed," I manage, unable to smother the grin still splitting my face. "I… I really passed."

"I know," he says, sounding somehow both exasperated and amused. His eyes slide towards me, eyebrow hitching. "Did you doubt it?"

"I… I dunno," I answer honestly. "Maybe? I just… I didn't really think about it, does that even make sense? Not until we were actually there, and then suddenly you were gone and I… I thought more that you might be watching, and I… I didn't want to let you down or Toru, cause she wanted me there, and it was weird but it was nice and- and-."

Sensei snorts as I trail off and I squirm, flustered, until he squeezes again.

"Is that why you decided to fly off a building side with Kirishima in your arms screaming?"

I flush hotly.

"I-No!"

He spares me a look before his lip twitches upward in that stupid, teasing grin.

I groan, stuffing my face into the warm fabric of his hero uniform.

"Sensei!"

He chuckles, hand sliding from my shoulder to my hair, dragging through the long strands familiarly.

It's comforting and warm and... and nice.

And I melt against him boneless.

"Toru-chan and I made fifteenth and sixteenth," I mutter a few minutes into the silence. I look up and pull slightly against his shirt, smiling when I draw back his eye. "Sensei, we were the first in our class to get through the first part."

"I noticed."

"It was awful waiting though," I wrinkle my nose at the memory. "Once you were inside you couldn't go back out and nobody came for… for forever. Toru kept saying they would, but it didn't feel like it. She also said I shouldn't hate the new kid. I told her I don't, and I mean, it isn't that I hate him, it's just that he's not Mineta, and then she said that she was glad Mineta-kun wasn't here and that Kou-Kouda? Yeah, that Kouda was ten, no twenty times better!"

Sensei blinks blandly.

I wait for a beat for his response and then frown.

"You're supposed to agree with me," I tell him sourly.

"I think that is a conversation for the couch," he says with a hint of amusement.

I groan.

"But Senseiiiiiii," I whine, dragging the end out.

"And when the others arrived?"

I purse my lips, fully seeing his attempt at changing subjects.

"It was great," I tell him with the flattest tone I can manage. "How was your time with the obnoxious clown lady?"

Sensei actually frowns, expression instantly disapproving.

"Ms. Joke."

"You're not actually dating her, are you?" I ask, the light fully dying from my skin as I glower.

Sensei's disapproval grows. He narrows his eyes and levels me with one of his sterner stares. I twitch in the seat before crossing my arms and glancing away.

Marry me!

Weirdo.

"We will discuss it later," he says with an edge that makes me scowl.

"Of course we will," I growl, rolling my eyes. "Should I start a list?"

"If you need to," he says, unmoved, though I can hear the underlying warning. "You can also spend some time breathing because we are not going to start a clearly emotional discussion on a bus filled with your peers. You can contain your curiosity and disrespect until we get home."

"Fine," I huff, glowering.

Sensei raises an eyebrow and stares.

Unable to keep his gaze, I glare at the floor.

"Fine," I repeat, sullenly.

"I would suggest," he says slowly, "that you pull out your phone and text Hitoshi."

I send him a dirty look.

And then, reaching down, I pull my phone from my bag and immediately open it to my contacts.

"I'm going to message Yamada-sensei," I tell him sourly. "At least he'll care that I passed."

Sensei, if anything, looks less impressed.

He doesn't say anything though, and I take the moment to lean against him harder, and if it's perhaps a little more than necessary, well he doesn't mention it. So I type out a quick message.

Hi Sensei. I passed.

I send another to Aunt Nemuri before pulling up Shinsou's contact.

I debate what I'm going to say for only a moment.

Hitoshi! Hitoshi! I passed! Did you? How did you do? Did you make it?

Aunt Nemuri's response comes first. It's a selfie of her grinning at the camera and throwing out a peace sign. I don't recognize the room, so I can only assume it's her living room with a large gray couch and sea green walls. Underneath, a small message appears.

Great job Rin-chan! I'm so proud of you! I knew you could do it!

I smile and perk, immediately waving the phone over towards Sensei's face.

"Look! Look!"

Sensei releases an amused puff of air and holds my hand still long enough to see the message. His lips thin, however, when he sees the picture. I don't pay much attention to it though, distracted instead by Shinsou and Yamada-sensei's replies.

I switch to the blonde's first.

Way to go Glow Worm! :P Ya'll want some takeout to Tuesday?

I blink at that, surprised.

"Sensei?" I ask.

"Yes?"

"Yamada-sensei wants to know if we want takeout Tuesday."

"Do you?"

I grin, trying to do the one with all teeth like he does. A change from the many different flavors of chicken and veggies?

Absolutely.

"Yes!"

I hurriedly pull the message back up and send my response.

Yes! Thank you!

I switch quickly to Shinsou's and grin.

Congrats. Yeah, I passed.

I squeal.

Sensei sighs.

"Rin," he says warningly when my skin turns blindingly bright.

"Sorry! Sorry!" I squeak, immediately concentrating to make it go away. I twist in the seat as well, turning so I can lean my back against his side and pulling his arm over my chest. I grin and hug it closely with one arm and with the other immediately type out my reply.

YAY! See! I knew you could do it! Are you excited? I'm excited! I can't stop glowing, Sensei's kinda getting annoyed by it and he made me move. Hitoshi! You're gonna be a hero!

"I'm not getting that arm back, am I?" Sensei huffs, not bothering to move.

"No way," I reply, leaning my head back to grin at him. "It's mine now!"

My phone dings and I quickly open the newest message.

Yeah. It's just hard to believe.

I pause at the oddly flat statement. Not that he ever giggles or anything, but it seems lacking.

Is something wrong? I type back, eyebrows furrowing. I had expected him to be… happier.

No, it's fine. You sound excited. Are you driving Sensei batty?

I try to imagine Sensei with my shadow wings. It's surprisingly easy, hunched in a corner and scowling at his class for waking him from a nap.

No! He's beside me, I think he's trying to sleep, but I stole his arm and I keep glowing and I think his eyes might hurt cause he got annoyed and used them. But Hitoshi! You don't sound happy. What's wrong? Was someone mean to you? There was a mean guy from the beach at mine, he kept saying mean things that Toru told me to ignore. Did someone do that to you too?

I wait, lips twitching down as the seconds take longer and longer and the little read check appears at the bottom.

Someone was mean to you?

I scowl and type out a new message.

Stop that! We're talking about you.

The three little dots appear instantly. Impatiently, I wait for his response.

I'm just disappointed, nobody is being mean. Even though everyone passed, I won't get my license until after I acquire enough hero hours. Vlad-sensei says he should be able to help me get them in a few weeks, but it's just aggravating because even though I'm in the program, I'm still so far behind.

I frown at that.

He… He wasn't going to get his license?

My phone dings before I can consider it much further though.

Now what are you talking about? Did someone hurt you? Did you tell Sensei?

I read over his previous message again before furrowing my brows.

"Sensei?"

"Yes," he sighs tiredly, obviously exasperated.

"Shinsou-kun passed, but he said that he won't be able to get his license."

"No, he doesn't have enough hours."

"Why?" I ask quietly, twisting in my seat to look up at him.

Sensei doesn't open his eyes, dark hair hanging around his scruffy face in a mess of waves that looks like it needs to be brushed. But with his eyes closed, I can't help but notice how young he looks. How peaceful.

"You and your classmates did internships as well as hero classes with All Might once a week," Sensei says. "While that was for training purposes, it also counted towards the experience hours needed. UA curriculum is set up to push you through the material at a faster pace than most other schools, which is why it's so competitive."

"But Shinsou-kun did an internship," I point out, confused. "He did it with you."

"He did, but that was only a week. You've been doing training courses at least once a week for months."

"But what about all the time you worked with him this summer?" I ask.

"Most of that doesn't count because of the lack of active time spent patrolling or working in scenarios with peers. It would have been classified as tutoring more than anything, but that isn't on the list of acceptable alternatives. It will work out fine though, Vlad has already arranged enough activities after school to allow him to catch up."

"Oh," I mutter, looking back at the screen when it dings.

Rin?

I frown and consider my answer.

Sorry, I was asking Sensei why all the time this summer didn't work. He said it was considered tutoring.

The check for read pops up the moment the message is sent.

His response is just as immediate.

I know. Stop avoiding the question.

Question? I respond teasingly. What question?

Who was mean? I'm not sure I trust your definition of mean. Are you hurt?

I pout at that.

How rude.

No! I'm not hurt. And what do you mean you don't trust my definition! Mean is when people aren't nice! He said I was trash and told me he wished I was expelled!

I send the message, and then instantly regret it.

Sinking a little in my seat, I quickly type out something less… just less.

Shinsou, however, responds before I get a chance.

Have you mentioned that to Sensei? Cause that's annoying. People shouldn't just randomly come up to you and say crap like that. Do you even know this guy? You said he was at the beach. Don't tell me he was involved in that stupid bush nonsense…

I frown and glance at the hand still draped across my front.

I don't open my mouth though.

No. We met at the party. He said he found Yamada-sensei after he got hurt… And Yamada-sensei got hurt because of me.

Shinsou's response is a scowling emoji followed quickly by three very angry-looking ones.

I blink at them.

You made a mistake. Did Present Mic forgive you?

I nod, before realizing he can't see it, and then timidly, type in the message yes.

Then he's an idiot. I still think you should talk to Sensei about it. But he's wrong, you deserve your spot in the hero course just as much as anyone else there. And he's trash if he's saying stupid shit like that about people he doesn't even know.

I smile fondly at the message, almost hearing his annoyance in every word.

Thank you, I write back quickly.

Yeah, whatever. Don't make this sappy.

My skin brightens.

"Rin," Sensei warns.

I extinguish it quickly and lean back against him, smiling shyly as I crane my head back towards the dark-haired hero.

"Sorry Sensei."

He doesn't even open his eyes.

"Hn."

.

.

.

The apartment is quiet in comparison to the day.

Quiet, cozy, and warm.

Home.

I sink onto my side of the couch and sigh in relief at it, at the familiar smells, at Miska's comforting purr, and the softness of her fur beneath my fingers. It's easy to doze there, a blanket thrown over my legs and my hair spilling over the arm of the couch. The sound of water and dishes a distant lullaby.

I don't remember falling asleep.

Only the touch of warm, damp fingers on my cheek when I wake.

"Sensei?" I mumble, blinking slowly up at the dark-haired man.

Looking far more relaxed than he has in weeks, he smiles—not that stupid one, but the tiny one reserved just for us. I can't help but glow, my skin brightening to a dusky gold beneath his fingers.

"Don't fall asleep out here, you have a bed for that."

I flush and laugh, wiggling under the blanket and curling my toes. He raises an eyebrow, still bent forward.

"Okay."

He lets out a short huff of amusement, his hand moving to rub Miska's ears. She purrs, stretches out, and bumps her head against him, clearly begging for more.

"Remember classes start tomorrow, do you have everything ready? Is your bag packed?"

I wrinkle my nose.

"Mostly."

He chuckles, straightening, and offers a look.

"Get it done before eight."

I huff and watch as he walks away.

As soon as he's out of sight, I turn to Miska and roll my eyes.

"Get it done before eight," I mime in a much higher voice. The cat looks at me oddly and I make a face. "He thinks he knows everything."

Miska doesn't reply, so I kiss her nose and roll her over onto the couch. She rolls pliably, legs flailing in the air, and I can't help but laugh at the dirty look she sends me when she gets stuck between the cushions.

Packing for school takes almost no time, like not even five minutes. I stuff my bag with notebooks, pens, and extra clothes, just in case as Sensei would say. It's barely enough to occupy myself, and when I finish, I fall onto my bed and sigh.

School.

I grimace at the thought of it.

Not that I don't like UA, honestly it was probably the best school I'd ever been to. I'd met Sensei there and Shinsou and Yamada-sensei and my classmates. But… But school meant people, and it also meant eight hours of sitting at desks and doing math and-

And-

And I finger the tiny card in my pocket, the one I still hadn't really looked at. Crisp edges, thick layers, and a far too familiar face—mine.

I passed.

I passed.

I was… I had a Provisional Hero License.

I… I was going to be a hero.

Would Daddy hate it? Would he see me and remember the man that broke his jaw? Would Ryu snatch it and throw it as far as he could? Would Sora? Would it just be another thing for Kaito to hate about me?

Fuck heroes. Fuck your stupid quirk. Go be one if you want, it's not like you ever did shit for us anyways.

I sigh miserably into the comforter.

He hadn't been at the test.

It was probably horrible, but I almost wish he had. Secretly, I'd maybe even hoped he would be. At least then I'd have known where he was, I'd have known what he was doing—he couldn't hurt others if he was hurting me.

But he hadn't shown up, he hadn't come, hadn't tried to ruin everything again. There'd been no attack, no real one anyways, no one hurt—Mineta—no one dead—Yui-san… Shin…

Kaito…

Why?

Ryu managed to get custody of Kaito approximately three months before things fell apart.

And Mama...

My stomach churns nauseatingly.

I expect you to tell me when something's wrong.

I stand.

Scrubbing at my face and the tears welling there, I search for Sensei . It doesn't take long, especially when he's not in the Living Room. I head immediately for his door, knocking in three sharp raps despite it being half-open already.

He's sitting at his small desk in the corner. He looks up, frowning, eyebrows furrowed as he takes in my expression.

"Rin?"

I…

I hesitate.

What do I even say?

Are there even words for this?

Pulling at my fingers, I suck in a deep breath, lingering there in the doorway just a second more before taking a step in. Sensei merely waits, patient as I fumble for the words and expressions to explain any of the jumbled feelings swirling through my brain.

"Mama used to do my hair," I admit.

"Is she the one who taught you to braid?" Aunt Nemuri asks, voice soft.

"No, Kaito did. Mama brushed it though. She didn't like tangles; she said pretty girls shouldn't have tangles."

"Sensei… Why… Why do people become villains? Why did Kaito become a villain?"

Sensei pauses before pushing back the chair to stand. He crosses the room, hand automatically falling against my head, fingers sweeping through the loose strands still unraveled from earlier.

"Rin-"

"Do you know?" I ask, surprised at the desperation I can hear in my own voice, at the tremors in my fingers as they latch to his shirt. "Sensei, is there… Is there some- any reason? Sensei, he… he wasn't bad before! He wasn't cruel or mean or- or evil. He hated being mean. He- He used to braid my hair and he taught me to read and- and-!"

My guardian sighs as the words fail me again, steady arms pulling me close.

My lip trembles. Tears seep from my eyes.

"He- He loved me."

Sensei leans forward then, his rough thumb brushing under my eye. I sob and press forward, unable to stop the tears, dampening his shirt and more than likely stretching the fabric.

"Yes, I have some idea."

Some part of me forgets to breathe.

I snap back, staring wide-eyed up, and Sensei frowns, looking tired in a way I've never seen. Almost... sad. He doesn't smile, jaw set and hand lingering against my head.

"S-Sensei?"

"I've told you before that your brother is unwell."

I flinch.

"He- He wasn't-"

"I know," Sensei interrupts, cutting me off. He steps away, sweeping the few loose strands from his face back and rubbing his neck. He hesitates, barely a moment, before sighing heavily. I frown. "From what I've gathered of the investigation, something occurred while Kaito was in the foster home. Nothing conclusive's been brought forward, but whatever it was, we believe it affected his mental health severely. Your brother, Ryu, also admitted he was struggling even after getting custody."

"Struggling," I repeat, barely able to understand.

With what?

"Kaito would disappear sporadically without warning and prone to manic bursts of rage. We believe... We believe your mother's death was the catalyst for his criminal occupation."

I stare.

Catalyst?

Manic rages?

I suddenly remember his scar, thick and webbed and crawling up his cheek. Mutilated, a lot like Nikko...

Had...

"You think he was abused?" I realize, eyes widening in surprise.

Sensei nods slightly, gaze heavy.

Like me goes unsaid.

It feels... monumental.

Mind heavy with a thousand thoughts, I don't know what to say.

I don't know what to do.

I just... stare. Then, realizing what I'm doing, turn away. Sensei doesn't stop me. Doesn't call as I wander blankly about the house. A cup of water, an empty look at my packed bag.

Abused?

I don't know what to think.