Waking up in an almost completely empty room with an endless maze of halls and rooms with the occasional window revealing a similarly limitless black and purple chasm outside wasn't a normal thing.
However, over the past decade Oboro had become rather used to the muted cream walls and dark hardwood floor, familiar enough with some of the twists and turns the markings he gouged into the walls were no longer landmarks but footnotes of his first years here.
Raising from where he laid Oboro stretched wondering how long Kuro had been inactive because he felt more refreshed than on average.
Oboro looked around the small room he'd ducked into, he hadn't had much time to see it when he felt Kuro slipping under and rushed to make a bed appear.
Technically Oboro didn't need to since the times before he could manifest stuff in the maze didn't leave him worse for wear without one, but he mainly did it to still feel at least still somewhat human.
Oboro nearly thought he'd ever question such a think but that was before the building collapse and the potato bastard himself.
Leaving the small room Oboro allowed his mind to wander back to that time as he started his walk through the corridors for the day.
It was such a good day at the start, a three way call between him, Hisashi, and Shouta where the two of them were teasing Shouta about... something, Oboro was fifty percent it was about how Shouta had picked the same agency as an older recently graduated student he denied having a crush on.
It had been too long to remember the exact details of it when he had chosen to prioritize other memories to keep from completely losing himself in this place.
And most of that day it was just another one of his internship, until nightfall and he was heading over with his mentor to surprise Shouta with the three of them going to supper together.
Then there was a building collapse and the surprise was ruined as they met up with Shouta and his mentor on the scene, his memory of the night wasn't quite the best though he could remember his horror as the building shifted again with him and Shouta still inside getting a kid out of the building.
He was tired and couldn't do anything strong enough to get all three of them out in time and in a split moment decision he forced the kid into Shouta's arms and forced both of them out of the building as fast as he could with his quirk.
The building came down on him the next second so recall of what happened next was very hazy though he really hoped he at least managed to smile one last time for Shouta, he'd hate for his best friend's to not at least have the comfort of his last face being a happy one.
Then the next time he was fully conscious he was strapped down to a table with potato bastard talking his mad scientist about how he was reacting well to the new quirk and their failed capture of Shouta wouldn't be a total waste.
To say it wasn't the best thing to wake up to would be an understatement, still tied for worst on his list of bad ways to start a day.
The shock of his circumstances had kept him from freaking out right away and let him play-along as a loyal little Nomu he had become due to them giving him a quirk called Shadow pass.
One that changed his physical appearance, he had avoided manifesting a mirror in fear of seeing solid pale green eyes, swirling lavender-gray smoke and corpse-like complexion instead of himself.
Shortly after his 'orientation' potato bastard explained what Oboro's job was going to be.
He was going to be the babysitter to a very traumatized young boy covered in many large dismembered hands, one the potato bastard planned to expose him to violent criminals and let the boy kill them.
Yeah, no.
Fuck all of that.
Oboro had tried to run back to U.A. with Tenko once he thought it was safe.
Unfortunately, the two bastards had planned for this, and he was sent straight back to the mad man's lab then restrained.
Oboro woke up again locked in a room and he learned of Kurogiri taking over for him after potato bastard 'made' him to take over his body, and that said room he was in was a sort of mental prison to keep him.
It took him a week to break out by ramming a wall over and over again and he tried to run away with Tenko again, only for the boy stare at him shocked before he started crying and rambling about something.
An outcome the bastards again seemed to predict, and he was teleported back to the mad man's lab, he tried to put up a better fight, but potato bastard was just too strong for him, and he was forced into unconsciousness.
When he woke up again it was in these halls and they were simply too strong to be broken through despite his efforts, he spent most of the first three years practically going crazy as he searched for a way out of this maze.
He'd figured out to make constructs in this mind space of his, not that it helped him much in the situation but at least it helped him from going completely crazy from the lack of anything here other than himself.
Going even more disheartened over the years as he watched Tenko by manifesting a T.V. connected to Kurogiri's senses, only watch on helplessly as the boy was being molded into a violent man by potato bastard's manipulation and rooting for Tenko every time the quirk messing with Tenko's mind was broken and yelling for the kid to run.
He never did, too overwhelmed to try and his heart broke the few times Tenko had stared at Kurogiri and saying his name with horror.
However, after trying and failing for about thirteen years he'd all but given up and wandered more out of habit, checking in on Tenko and Kurogiri periodically just to hear someone else's voice.
Honestly at that point he felt more like a ghost wandering around in his own body than someone trapped in their body.
Then Tenko decided to try and level up on his own, so he hired on Deku, and at first, he felt sorry for the kid for getting dragged into this, but then he saw how Tenko was calming down somewhat with having that wasn't a piece of shit around.
Oboro had started carrying around a watch just so he could make sure to watch the two of them talking, then one day he saw that the kid brought in a pair of shoes which perfectly fit Tenko and realized that Deku had to know more than he thought.
And was just as horrified as Deku was when Deku's eyes met Kurogiri's, understanding that one wrong word and Deku would be completely erased and started raising pure hell in the maze, Kurogiri would hear him no matter what, but he didn't relent.
There was finally someone that could help Tenko, and he wasn't going to let the potato bastard's puppet do something to stop him, though he knew there wasn't much he could do but scream at Kurogiri about all the reasons they shouldn't.
That Tenko needed Deku's help and they both knew it, that he had to see how badly the potato bastard was crippling Tenko into someone that would die young without Deku's help.
Then to his surprise, Kurogiri did.
In all those years Kurogiri and he had never agreed on anything, mainly because he insisted that Kurogiri go against potato bastard and help him save Tenko and give him back control of his body.
Admittedly, two things that were directly against the potato bastard's orders and something he previously thought Kurogiri would ever do.
But here he was, probably going against potato bastard's wishes to do what was best for Tenko.
It was miniscule choice and wasn't much in grand scheme of things considering the thirteen years of ignoring him before now, but Oboro had to know why, why now was Kurogiri willing to do this?
And Oboro tried to have a conversation with Kurogiri asking about why he listened to him and was even more surprised when Kurogiri answered him.
"My first order is to protect Master Tomura, it is... my prime directive."
It took him a minute to understand what Kurogiri meant, but he did and then asked why was Kurogiri answering him instead of ignoring him like usual.
"You, weren't quite in the mood to speak with me."
Oboro crossed his arms and hung his head, because Kurogiri had a point.
Him screaming and demanding Kurogiri to go against orders was hardly a real conversation, and Oboro hadn't done much more than that, him cursing Kurogiri out was the only other time he could remember speaking to Kurogiri.
If he was in Kurogiri's position, yeah, he wouldn't be jumping at the chance to talk with a guy constantly cursing him out or telling him to give up control of his body.
Then he was struck with the idea that despite literally sharing a body with Kurogiri for years that he knew very little about him, mainly from his refusal to see Kurogiri as anything other than potato bastard's puppet.
Which was kind of sucky of him looking back at it now, because he was being super unfair to Kuro, like he probably wouldn't be able to react better given what he was going through, especially at his age but he still felt crappy about it.
Kuro was made by the potato bastard to replace him, but he wasn't much older mentally speaking than he was and as weird as it to consider Kuro wasn't a parasite but an unexpected roommate.
And Oboro was sucking hard at this body roommate thing.
So Oboro began asking Kuro more to get to knew him better, and he was surprised to find out how much they had in common when it came to their interests, more importantly though he realized that Kuro also cared about Tenko outside it simply being orders.
Which was fair, Oboro had only watched the boy grow up behind a screen and he was attached to the kid, it would take someone deeply heartless to raise a kid only to not give a damn about them.
But the potato bastard really was living up to his name.
Potato bastard hadn't taken away a lot of Kuro's freedom when it came to Tenko and left other things rather loosely defined, hence why Kuro could text Deku about what was going on behind the scenes.
There were also a lot of rules regarding him too, which were kind of fair given he'd tried to take Tenko away twice before and fought him back.
Oboro really wished that whoever smashed potato bastard into a mashed potato had given him brain damage that would kill the man eventually.
Oboro was brought out of his reminiscing by his watch going off and he raced over to the closest room and forced a T.V, remote and couch into existence, then turned it on and settled in.
The sight on the screen made something warm build in Oboro's chest and he was a bit jealous that Kuro got to see this more often than he did.
Tenko, was eagerly awaiting Deku to appear, looking far more alive than Oboro had ever seen him.
Joy and mirth clearly making Tenko look so much better than he used to, the wrinkles and dry patches were even getting better because Tenko wasn't carrying nearly as much anger now that he had some proper outlets for it.
Tenko was also wearing the hoodie he got from Deku again, Tenko practically lived in it now a days and only would change if it was for work, Tenko got blood on it and freaked out about it ruining the pattern and never wore it during work again.
Realizing that Tenko had his sketch book and leaned forward to try and get a better look at the pages.
Knowing that Tenko was enjoying creating more than destroying something just gave him even more hope that maybe when all of this was over that he might be able to help Tenko live a slightly more normal life.
Seconds later Deku appeared and Tenko practically lit up upon seeing him, like a dog with their tail wagging behind them.
And as much as Oboro loved seeing Tenko so happy over getting to hang out and game with someone his heart twisted with a bittersweet feeling watching them.
Tenko was just so happy to be the focus of anyone's attention, and it just spoke to the volumes of isolation Tenko endured with just the potato bastard and mad doctor to talk to and Kuro's limited ability to interact with him.
Oboro's eyes slid over to Deku, and he couldn't help feeling grateful for the kid to have come into their lives.
Deku, despite knowing the risks was working to help Tenko slowly get out of potato bastard's shadow, and albeit unintentionally helped him to be on better terms with Kuro.
And perhaps it was selfish to push this off onto a kid, but he desperately hoped that Deku might find a way to get Tenko out where he had failed.
Until then, Oboro would simply watch on through Kuro's eyes as the two boys grew before them.
Oboro: Hey.
Kurogiri:...
Oboro: It's your boy
Kurogiri:...
Oboro: I'm sorry, I've been living under a rock for over ten years.
Edit: I have a character key up on Ao3 now and its connected to story on Ao3 so it won't be that hard to find, I'd crosspost it but as its a list it wouldn't follow posting rules here, https archive of our works 49419613 this should work to help you if you search it the search bar.