Zero and Specter are forced to socialize. Nezu has puzzled out their identities. And Izuku gets to introduce his childhood best friend to his Ochako!

To be honest, Ochako's temper was wearing thin, no matter how hard she tried to keep it under wraps. Eraser was clearly stalling. Once they hit lunch, the time he promised they'd get their costumes, he came up to them with an 'offer'. Of course he did, another fucking stalling tactic and she was sick of it.

Unfortunately, she agreed with Deku; it was working because Eraser was right and she hated it. His offer was simple: stick around one more day and he'd have their costumes repaired by the Support Department at UA. How he convinced them to do that was anyone's guess, but he had it in writing from the Headmaster himself, Nezu, so…fine. After a quick coded talk with Izuku, the two of them agreed. Only because she didn't have any more favors to call in for getting the costume repaired, especially not the helmets…she'd burned her last favors three months ago when they finally busted that one black market weapons ring in Fukuoka. Granted, that bust nearly got them caught by Hawks, but they'd managed to evade the scraggly birdman by throwing a couple cars at him and disappearing into the sewers. Squeaky clean bastard wouldn't follow them down there, she'd been sure of it.

But they couldn't keep doing this. The longer they were here, the more likely their hideout got taken and she didn't wanna fight anyone who wasn't a criminal off for such prime real estate. She felt terrible if she did anymore…nowadays, the two of them had the means to live slightly better than most on the street, so of course she'd rather let them have what they need. But they couldn't afford to risk getting a real apartment; too many questions asked, so they stuck to their warehouse.

It made her laugh, how people didn't realize they literally lived in the meeting warehouse they used. Deku had said it was so obvious no one would think of it, and he was right. Still, there was always the risk someone else came in while it lay vacant, so they needed to get back. Plus…Eri was getting too attached.

They'd already agreed…Eri needed a home, a good home. Stability. A chance to recover from what she went through, and most of all, a chance to have a childhood. That wasn't something Deku or her could provide. Just because they were street kids and got all their education from libraries doesn't mean they weren't aware of what they were. At this point, Ochako knew the two of them were damaged goods, and Eri needed something better. Enter, Eraserhead.

Deku and her were, admittedly, pretty snarky to him, and yeah, he was ticking her off, but…she respected him. He was a good hero. She knew he was. He was a good man. A bit of a dick to his students it seemed, but they all seemed to like him anyway, so she'd take that as a good sign. And his Quirk was uniquely suited for dealing with Eri's. Plus Present Mic, being high profile as he was, meant that they'd be way too hard for any possible remnant from the Hassaikai to go after. Not that they expected they'd get out, or even know where Eri went. Deku and her were great at hiding their tracks. Only way to survive as long as they had, with the stuff they did.

Either way, Eri needed to bond with Eraser and Mic, not two teenage disasters like her and Deku. Staying another night would exacerbate it, and she feared making Eri cry. One look in Deku's eyes and she knew he felt the same. But…they needed their costumes, and they couldn't afford to get them repaired right now, so…ugh. They took the deal.

But they absofuckinglutely said no to eating lunch in that damned cafeteria. Hell no. They'd stay in this classroom and just skip lunch, wasn't the first time. Or well, that had been the plan, but unfortunately, Kacchan apparently said fuck that and went to the lunchroom, got food for both Deku and her and even a plate for Eri, as well as his own, dragged his desk back to where they were sitting and said he was eating with them.

Which meant the entire fucking class followed him like lost little ducklings! This was not what she wanted and she was getting really frustrated. Too many people, too many questions, not enough room to breathe, not to mention she couldn't eat anyways because she was wearing a mask for a reason.

Deku tried to explain this to Kacchan quietly, but the blonde replied that they had nothing to fear from the class, no one would say a word. He emphasized it with a solid glare at the entire group, every member agreeing to keep their mouths shut…and dammit, Eri was being cute and asking if she'd eat with her and fucking hell why, fiiinnneee!

Ochako refused to take the hat off, but she removed the mask at the same time Deku did. It took every fiber of her not inconsiderable willpower to not flinch when she heard the choked off gasps and saw other members of the class flinch…whether it was at Deku's scars or hers, she didn't know and didn't care. Deku was as uncomfortable as she was, his shoulders hunched as she pressed hers into his, drawing comfort from his strength as he drew from hers.

And that's when she saw it. That split-haired teenager, sitting across the room, staring at her with a blank gaze. The one who called her a thief. Which, yeah, she had been, but vigilante was better anyways and he said it so accusingly so fuck him, and fuck his staring.

She set her chopsticks down and met his gaze, narrowing her eyes. "You got a problem?" she demanded, making it clear who she was directing her comment at. Deku followed her gaze, his hands flexing as he shifted into a defensive posture, just in case the boy got pissy at her for calling him out.

"No," the teenager said softly, but didn't elaborate further which pissed Ochako off more.

"Then why you starin' at me, huh?"

He had the audacity to shrug. "I was merely considering how odd it was that we had something in common, that's all."

"The fuck you talkin' about?"

With one hand, he gestured to the scar on his face, and then pointed towards her shoulder. She let her gaze follow his finger, looking down to see the slightly oversized tracksuit had slipped enough that her neck and shoulder were visible, the burn scar now clear to anyone who looked. She flushed, anger and embarrassment in equal measure, as she tugged the tracksuit back up to cover the mark. She felt Deku's hand reach over and take her free one in his, squeezing her hand tightly to try and calm her now racing heart.

She looked down at her food, picking her chopsticks back up and muttering, "It's rude to stare."

"My apologies," the other teen said, his tone as flat as it had been. God, he was just making it worse, her temper fraying further and further. She didn't want any of this. She just wanted to go back to their cubby and hide from the world, she was fucking done.

Deku tapped on the back of her hand…two taps, three taps, two taps, one. Asking if she wanted to escape. She shook her head no. It was partly a lie…she did want to escape, but she knew they couldn't. She'd put up with this for now. But Eraser was not keeping them any further than tomorrow. Soon as they had their costumes back, they were fucking gone, and never dealing with this stupid school again.

Shouta left the vigilantes alone in the classroom, trusting in Bakugo to keep them in line (at least a little), making his way to Nezu's office. The door, as always slid open before he could reach the door handle (to his eternal annoyance). He didn't bother reacting, looking at Nezu with a firm gaze.

"Ah, Aizawa, what can I do for you?" the rat asked, smiling calmly at him.

"You already know what I'm here for. Do you have anything?" Shouta asked, not wanting to beat around the bush.

"If you mean the identities of Specter and Zero, well, Specter was rather easy considering the revealed name of 'Izuku' and connection to Katsuki Bakugo." Nezu pulled out a file folder, sliding it across the desk to where Shouta reached down, picking it up and flipping it open to reveal a tiny green-haired child, sans the scar, one that was very clearly Specter's visage. "Izuku Midoriya, Quirk: Pull, the ability to swiftly pull small objects towards him. He is the son of Inko Midoriya, nine years old before he was assumed to be dead. Inko Midoriya was found, beaten and bloody, in the living room of her small house. There were clear signs of a struggle; broken glass, blood spatter, etc, but no sign of the son. One of his backpacks and some clothing was missing, but nothing else was ever found."

Nezu gestured vaguely in the direction of Shouta's classroom. "The Bakugo's spared no expense in trying to find the child. Mr. and Mrs. Bakugo were known friends of Inko Midoriya. As for his father, Hisashi Midoriya, he worked in the United States as an Executive Vice President for one of many of the Yaoyorozu corporations satellite companies. He was also killed, and though it is not entirely clear why, prior to his death he reported an attempt by a mafia group to 'shake him down', demanding he cut them into a deal which he refused. The police however, decided it was low priority and let it slide. Two days later, Mrs. Midoriya was slain, her son went missing, and Mr. Midoriya never returned to the office."

Shouta took in a deep, bracing breath. "That…" he shook his head, "Nevermind. What about Zero?"

"Well, you gave very little information, but I had a thought. As their records indicate, Specter and Zero both have an extreme distaste for organized crime. This childhood incident explains Specter's hatred, so I operated under the same assumption that she had some incident prior to her debut as Zero involving organized crime. Luckily, searching for children going missing or being listed as dead due to 'accidents' isn't that terribly high, and I found a possible match, especially once adding on the 'Chako' nickname." Nezu pushed another file across the table, the picture showing a small girl with chubby cheeks, short brown hair in a bob cut, and a gap-toothed smile that he could possibly see as matching Zero.

"Ochako Uraraka, Quirk: Zero Gravity, allowing her to affect the gravity of an object. Her parents, Miu and Katashi Uraraka, had a construction company in Mie Prefecture. Shortly after All Might's retirement, a Yakuza gang started performing protection rackets in that area. Now, we can't be sure the Uraraka's were chosen for such shakedowns, but a mysterious house fire took hold one night, burning both adults to death. Ochako's body was never found, but the wall near her bedroom collapsed entirely. There were signs of foul play; the front door was barred from the outside, all the windows appear to have been barred, etc."

Nezu shrugged as Shouta looked at him. "I am 95% certain these are the correct identities. The age matches, the photos are similar, the burns on Zero could have been caused by said house fire, the Quirks even would make sense for how they do what they do. And with both of them having ties to organized crime causing the deaths of their families, well…the motive is right there after all."

Shouta let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He took one more glance at the files, brows furrowed. "So…they were nine when this happened to them."

Nezu nodded solemnly. "It appears so."

"...nine years old and forced to flee to the streets to survive. If Midoriya assumed the Yakuza were after him, it explains why he didn't go to the Bakugo's."

Nezu nodded again, steepling his paws. "Yes, I saw the conversation he had with young Bakugo. He repeatedly expressed fear about putting them in danger, which if he thinks he's being hunted, then that must be the danger he fears for them."

Shouta rubbed at his face. "...nine years old," he murmured to himself, hoping that by repeating it it'd be less awful.

Nezu let silence fill the room for a few moments before speaking softly. "What are your plans then?"

"I…I don't think I can make them stay," he admitted reluctantly. "They are already at the end of their patience with us, it's obvious. I conned another night out of them, but if I push it any further I fear they'll snap and flee."

"Hmm. And have you floated the idea of them staying to them?"

Shouta shook his head. "No. I don't think they trust me enough for that. I…was going to tell them they had a place to crash if they needed it, but that's the most I feel I can get away with."

Nezu nodded absently, less in agreement and more in acknowledgment. "I see. Well, I will trust your judgment on that. That said, I suspect it does not surprise you to know I have already started filling out the paperwork for the Vigilante Reform Program."

Shouta snorted. "Good luck with that."

"Oh no, you misunderstand. I'm merely going to keep it on hand for when you convince them."

"You really overestimate how much they like me."

Nezu shook his head slowly, a genuine smile crossing his face. "No, Aizawa, it's not that. I just believe you'll do whatever it takes to help those children. And I think they'll see that. Eventually."

Shouta wished he had the same confidence Nezu did. He knew his talents and his abilities, and while he was more than willing to try and help them, he feared they'd spurn any help he offered. Knowing what he knew now? These two children weren't just saving people…they were on a quest for revenge. And he wasn't sure how to change that path. He shook his head. He had to get through tonight first, so for now, he took the copy of the files Nezu had offered to him and with a nod, he left the office. He wasn't about to lie to Specter or Zero…he'd show them this information, confirm its veracity, and see if that helped or hindered his trust attempts.

Izuku wasn't entirely surprised that Katsuki refused to go home at the end of the day. He couldn't say he was happy about it…the whole point of him going into hiding was to keep his best friend out of danger, but the damned bomb boy was too stubborn! He'd convinced Eraser to let him come along with them for 'a few hours' so he could still talk to Izuku and…okay, Izuku wanted to be mad, he wanted to be so mad, but…he also really missed his best friend. And honestly, he kinda wanted to introduce him to Ochako. Properly, not hiding in the classroom while Ochako slowly lost her temper with the students.

Luckily lunch had ended without too many more problems, the students realizing the best they'd get from either Izuku or Ochako anymore was now a hum or a grunt. It helped that Katsuki was basically playing middleman, nearly snarling at anyone who tried to bug them. Izuku appreciated that. Still…he wasn't as keen on Katsuki following them after school.

Somehow Katsuki came up with some excuse for his parents, and Izuku would deny till the day he died how much it ached to hear Auntie Mitsuki's voice over the phone, the fond yet bewildering snippy commentary that Katsuki and her would shoot back and forth, yet still end with 'I love yous'...it had been seven years since he'd heard that voice and it still hurt to hear, because that led to him hearing his Mom's voice too and he wanted that gone. Shoved it down, buried it deep, his fists clenched as he sat in the backseat of Eraser's car once more, stuck in the middle between Katsuki and Ochako.

Ochako gripped his hand tightly, tap tap tapping on the back. Asking if he was okay, if he needed a distraction. He didn't. Nothing she could do right then, he just had to shove it down again, and he told her as much, fingertips stroking the back of her hand, a gentle tug on her thumb. She gave him a sad smile…she didn't bother scolding him for shoving the distressing memories into a closet and locking them away; it was her goto solution to emotions other than anger as well, so she couldn't be hypocritical about it.

They made it to Eraser's house without issue, Present Mic already there and apparently cooking based on the smells on the air, and the sound of the blonde singing to himself. Eraser excused himself to go check on his husband, leaving the three teenagers and one attached child awkwardly standing in the living room.

Ochako took Eri from Izuku's arms and went to sit on the couch, giving Izuku the look, so he knew she'd be ready whenever he was. With a sigh, he gestured for Katsuki to follow, flopping down beside Ochako and absently wrapping one arm around her shoulder, Ochako leaning into his side with a soft hum. Katsuki stared at them for a moment, before stomping over to the armchair next to the couch and dropping into it, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees as he looked expectantly at Izuku.

Izuku carefully looked towards the dining room, not seeing Eraser or Mic visible, but already knowing Eraser was probably listening. Still…didn't do him any good to know their names or whatever, so fine. He'd be honest with Katsuki, at least enough to introduce Ochako.

"So…Kacchan, Ochako. Ochako, Kacchan," he began, only to get withering stares from both sides. He rolled his eyes. "You already know about Kacchan, Mochi, don't give me that. Kacchan, this is Ochako, and as you already know, Zero."

"And your girlfriend?" Katsuki asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

He flushed slightly…he didn't think it'd be as embarrassing to admit it to Katsuki (he hadn't hid it from Mic or Eraser), but for some reason, Katsuki being his best friend growing up, Izuku wanted Katsuki's approval. "Well…yeah, but that's not all she is!"

"Obviously," Katsuki drawled, waving one hand dismissively. His gaze turned to meet the firm stare of Ochako. "So, you good to the nerd?"

"Of course I am. Not that it's any of your business," she replied.

"It is my business, because he's my best friend!"

"And he's my boyfriend and my current best friend, so deal with it!"

"Oh god," Izuku groaned, facepalming as the two began to snip at each other.

Katsuki snorted. "Chill out Deku. We're just setting expectations."

"Yeah. It's fine. I already know all about you anyways, thanks to Deku. He talked about you a lot," Ochako remarked.

Katsuki sat up just a bit, his perpetual scowl twitching for a moment. "Yeah? What'd he say?"

"That you were loud, obnoxious, arrogant, rude," as she began to count things off on her fingers, Izuku stared at her with wide, fearful eyes, her smile growing as she continued on, "determined, brave, strong, and going to become a great hero. Did I miss anything?"

"Obviously he forgot to tell you I'm gonna be Number One…but yeah, sounds about right," Katsuki replied, leaning back in the armchair with a smirk on his face. Izuku let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

She smirked at him, rolling her eyes before turning back to snuggle into Izuku's side closer. His own smirk faded slightly as he looked over the two of them, and the small child in Ochako's lap. "So, who's the squirt?"

"Her name is Eri, and you heard your chatty red-haired classmate about where she came from," Ochako replied. The Eri in question didn't seem inclined to speak herself, more concerned with looking at Katsuki with a combination of fascination and trepidation.

Katsuki nodded absently. "Yeah, Ei's pretty loud sometimes."

Izuku blinked, arching an eyebrow at his old friend's fond tone. "Ei? That his name?"

Katsuki froze for just the briefest of seconds, before relaxing with a wave of his hand. "Yeah, Eijiro. You know how it is, spend months on end in a class with a buncha fucking hero nuts, you get along with some of them."

Izuku hummed. Years of having to study how people acted combined with his admittedly out of date knowledge on Katsuki's tells told him that there was more to it than that, but…he kept his own secrets after all. He wasn't going to pry after Katsuki's.

"So…gonna tell me what the fuck happened to you?" Katsuki asked, narrowing his eyes at Izuku.

Izuku glanced back to the kitchen, before looking back at Katsuki. "I don't think that's a good idea right now-"

"If you're worried about me figuring out who you are, here," Eraserhead walked around the corner, holding two manilla folders in hand and dropping them on the coffee table. Izuku narrowed his eyes at the hero, before Pulling them to his hand, flipping one open and staring in consternation at the image of his much younger freckled face staring back at him. Ochako, leaning on his shoulder, gently took the other folder and flipped it open, pursing her lips as she saw an image of herself when she was younger as well. Izuku looked up at Eraser with a suspicious look, the hero holding his hands up. "You were the one who had that talk with Bakugo in the open. Nezu has cameras everywhere on that goddamned campus. He figured your identity out easily, and going off yours, puzzled hers out."

"How's knowing Deku's past figure me out?" Ochako asked, confusion evident in her tone.

Eraser shrugged. "You both have an extreme hatred of organized crime, and the suspicions of that involvement in what happened to Inko-"

"Don't say her name," Izuku snarled viciously, his tone a low, menacing growl. Eraser, to his credit, didn't flinch, but the odd look he gave Izuku made him uncomfortable. It wasn't scared or angry, it was…sympathetic. And Izuku didn't like that.

"-suspicions of what happened to your family," he paused to glance at Izuku, as if seeking permission. Izuku didn't respond, already feeling too strung out to say anything, but Eraser took that as good enough. "We assumed you had a similar background and, well, the fire made it seem likely."

Ochako seemed…not mollified by it, she clearly took issue that they figured her out, but she wasn't snapping so Izuku took that as a good sign. Not that he felt much better. He felt…exposed. He'd spent seven years hiding everything about himself, and now suddenly multiple people had seen his face and knew he was Specter, and now they knew who he had been in a prior life? If Nezu knew, he could tell anyone. He might trust Eraser enough to think he'd keep it quiet, but he knew little about Present Mic, much less Nezu.

It was like his thoughts were broadcast on his face, Eraserhead taking a seat on the other armchair as he looked at the two of them. "No ones going to report your identities to the heroes or the police," he assured, Izuku and Ochako both turning to stare at him. He held up his hands placatingly once more. "Look, I'll be as blunt and honest as I can. I want you to stick around. We want you to stick around. You're kids, no matter how much you say you aren't or act older, you deserve better than whatever hand you've been dealt. But-" he paused to take a deep breath, "I'm aware you won't stay. I get it. I've invaded your privacy, forced you to stay longer than you wanted, and you don't trust me. So I'm not going to try to make you stay, not with blackmail or anything of the sort."

"...then why bother diggin' up our past? It don't do you no good if you ain't using it," Ochako asked, suspicion writ plain on her face.

"Honestly? I'm worried about the two of you. Simple as that," Eraser replied, shrugging.

"You don't need to worry, we're doing just fine," Izuku said smoothly.

Eraser sighed. "I'm not going to argue with you about this. I worry because you're kids. Deal with it."

"Doesn't mean we like you digging up that which is already dead," Izuku's reply was low. He wasn't not a fan of how much Eraser kept pushing in the guise of 'worry'.

"I'm still not going to apologize."

Izuku rolled his eyes, feeling Ochako let out a huff of air as she leaned further into his shoulder. "Fine. Whatever. You keep this stuff to yourselves and we won't have any issues."

"Well they know your name anyways, so you gonna give me the fucking story or what?" Katsuki demanded, jumping into the conversation to Izuku's annoyance.

"I'd really rather not," he murmured, but the sparks coming from Katsuki's hands made him groan in exasperation, already knowing that was a sign of Katsuki starting to lose his patience. "Fuck it, fine. You already know the basics anyways. But I'm not violating Mochi's privacy-"

"Just…we'll tell you, and you'll all shut up about it, right?" she interrupted, still leaning into his side with her eyes resolutely closed, as if to say if she didn't see them she didn't have to deal with them.

"I keep my word. You know this," Eraser said quietly. "And Hizashi won't speak up either, right?"

Mic's voice called out from the kitchen. "Won't say a word unless I'm told it's okay by one of you! Also, dinner's done in ten minutes!"

Katsuki snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "We already made our fucking deal. I said I'd keep it quiet for now."

Ochako sighed this time, clearly getting really tired of sighing but deciding to just say fuck it. "Fine. It goes like this."