Izuku shivered as he stood with his arms wrapped tightly around his torso, quaking beneath the bite of the icy night air.

Apparently while being a devil granted certain night-related powers (mainly night vision), that did not extend to ignoring the chilling temperatures of the night.

Or the burning in his eyes at having to wake up at the ungodly time of four in the morning.

But that was irrelevant. Because Gremory ordered him here at this time, telling him it was of the utmost importance - and Izuku wasn't keen on finding out what happened if he didn't follow her orders.

He hated the fact that he was little more than a piece of property now more than anything in the world - but what could he even do about it?

He was a devil. It wasn't like things would suddenly be able to go back to the way they were before. They never would.

He was a slave, and all he could do was accept his fate.

Easier fucking said than done.

"Oh, you're here!"

Izuku tensed. He wasn't alone anymore, and there was only one person who would bother coming to a random park in the middle of Kuoh at this time of night.

Gremory looked pleasantly surprised by his punctuality. "Good morning, Izuku!" She said cheerily, as though she were reuniting with an old acquaintance and not talking to her slave, "I'm sure you're wondering why I requested your presence here at such an… odd time."

Requested. Right. As if he had any choice in the matter.

Maybe she thought it was amusing that he was her slave. Maybe she could tell he hated his life even more now, and was just mocking him.

He shrugged awkwardly. Was he even allowed to speak without explicit permission? Kiba and the others seemed to be able to talk freely, but they all seemed like they were Gremory's friends - something he certainly was not. And he was a pawn, too; she probably had zero interest in him doing anything other than exactly what he was told.

Gremory hummed. "Well," she continued, unbothered by his mediocre response, "To put it simply, we'll be training. I can't have any of the members of my peerage unable to fight, and you certainly are not up to standard - no offense. We'll also work on attempting to unlock your sacred gear, but we can work on that later."

Izuku gulped, even as he hesitantly nodded along to her words. That didn't sound good. He was just about the weakest person in the world.

She clapped her hands together. "Alright. First up, push-ups! Drop and give me one-hundred!"

He blinked in surprise (and disbelief). A hundred push-ups? Did she not see how thin he was the night she slept in his bed? She must have had to strip him, so how in the world did Gremory think he could do ten push-ups, let alone a hundred?!

Gremory giggled at the gobsmacked expression on his face. "Don't look so shocked," she teased, "That's honestly not that much. Devils are naturally stronger than humans, so this should really be no issue for you! Heck, I'd be disappointed if you couldn't do it!"

Oh. So this was another test, then. A hundred push-ups or he failed - and Izuku really didn't want to know what happened if he failed. Would she just kill him for good? He didn't have much going for him in terms of usefulness to her, even with some supposed Sacred Gear, so maybe if she felt like he was too weak she'd just get rid of him.

That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

But there was always the chance that she just started torturing him or something on a whim - he remembered how she wiped out those three fallen angels two nights ago, shuddering slightly at the idea of her doing that to him.

So he dropped to his stomach and started counting.

The first push-up was surprisingly easy, followed by the second, third, fourth, and soon enough he was at ten without even breaking a sweat - which nearly made him panic for a moment at his newfound strength, before quickly remembering Gremory's words. He probably couldn't have even gotten through thirty push-ups over the course of a day before, but now he was flying past that number on his way to one-hundred.

Forty-four, forty-five, forty-six…

Maybe the fact that it was dark out helped, too? He remembered feeling… different after the sun went down yesterday - in a good way, of course. Perhaps devils were naturally stronger at night in the same way they were weaker during the day?

Whatever the reason, the challenge Gremory had set for him was almost too easy.

And she seemed to agree. "Hmm…" she hummed, a semi-pleased look in her eyes as she watched him (not that he could see), "Hold on."

Izuku froze at her words. Did he mess something up already? Was he taking too long? He was over halfway done, but who knew how demanding she would be when–

"Oof!" Izuku grunted as he felt something heavy drop onto his back, sending him right back into the dirt.

Gremory giggled, and he dimly realized that what had dropped onto him was her body. "You can keep going now," she said, holding back a laugh at the mortified expression on his face, "You were going too quick! If you can do, uh, however many you've done so far, you can do however many you have left with me on your back! What number are you at?"

"S-S-Sixty-two…" Izuku whimpered, face as red as Gremory's hair. Why was she on his back? For extra weight? Seriously? This was one of the most embarrassing things he'd ever done.

She brightened up at his response. "So you do have a voice!" The redhead hummed. "And here I was thinking you'd gone mute overnight!"

He trembled, and not because of the cold anymore. It looked like he royally messed up. "S-Sorry…"

"You don't have to apologize, Izuku!" Gremory said, her tone light and unbothered, "There's no need to be shy!"

Izuku just nodded silently, a little more preoccupied with trying to ignore the fact that she was sitting on his back… and the fact that he could feel some of the girl's, ah, 'shapely curves' pressing into his back.

What had his life come to?

His arms trembled like crazy as he tried to finish the rest of his push-ups, though most of that was because he was nervous as hell at having Gremory on his back and was terrified of what would happen if he dropped her.

But somehow, the actual weight wasn't that bad. Izuku was pretty sure he was going to burst into flames with how hot his face was, but even as the temperature steadily increased around him (for some reason) he simply continued doing his push-ups.

Ninety-six, ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine…

Izuku froze at the apex of his final push-up. "I-I'm done," he stammered out quietly, letting out a sigh of relief as Gremory finally removed herself from his back.

As he slowly stood up, he could see that she was nodding in approval. "Good work!" She clapped her hands together. "Next up, we're going for a run. You're wearing sneakers, right?"

"Y-Yes…" He hid a quiet sigh. Why did he have to do this?

Oh well. What right did he have to protest when this was simply a master ordering their slave to work?

The answer was absolutely none.

At least running was something he was okay at.

–

He thought he was, at least.

But Gremory decided that he wasn't going fast enough - or maybe that she wasn't going fast enough behind him on her bicycle, so she told him that he had to stay ahead of her bicycle or else.

Izuku wasn't keen on finding out what that 'or else' meant, but she was riding her bike really fast now. He could hear the chain of the bicycle being stressed as Gremory pushed it to its limit, the sound of wheels bouncing down the cobbled path they were on flooding his ears.

He didn't know how he hadn't been run over yet. If not due to the fact that he shouldn't have been able to run this fast for so long (he had basically been in a dead sprint for the past ten minutes), then because he should have tripped over his feet long ago.

His lungs burned, his legs ached, and he was really regretting skipping breakfast. His stomach churned angrily, and all of a sudden Izuku was starting to fear something coming back up the way it came–

"Enough!" Gremory's voice cut sharply through his internal monologue instantly, and not a moment too soon. Her bike skidded to a stop along the path as Izuku stumbled along for a few more shaky steps, finally coming to a stop as he fell into the wet grass beside them. "That's five miles."

Izuku bit back a groan as her words hit him, gasping for air like a fish out of water. Five miles?! No wonder he felt like garbage. It wouldn't shock him in the slightest if that was the most he'd ever run in his life.

He blinked as Gremory shoved something into his arms. "Here," she said, "Drink up. You look like you're about to pass out."

Izuku looked down at his lap to see that she had given him a small metal water bottle. It didn't look like she had tampered with it or anything, but that didn't stop him from fearing the absolute worst. What if she put tabasco sauce inside, or something? Or worse?

Still, she clearly expected him to drink it, so he didn't have much of a choice.

He bowed his head as he sat in the grass, each blade moistened by the morning dew. "T-Thanks," he mumbled, bringing the bottle to his lips after a moment. If nothing else, it certainly tasted like water. But who knew what Gremory could have done to it (even if she probably didn't have a reason to put something in it, that hadn't stopped anyone from being mean to him before)?

She waved him off. "No worries," she replied easily, "I'm not going to let one of my precious servants become ill under my watch!"

Izuku flinched at her words. She really liked to remind him of the fact that he was her slave, huh?

He just sipped the water bottle again, mind alight with misery. Why did everything terrible in the world have to happen to him? He gave up on all of his dreams, shouldn't that have been enough?

Guess not.

–

Rias frowned softly as she looked down at her exhausted pawn, unsure of how to proceed. Something was clearly wrong - that much was obvious by the troubled look on his face.

"Is something on your mind, Izuku?" She asked friendlily, "You can tell me - I won't bite!"

Izuku hesitated. He was not about to speak his mind about what was really bothering him, no siree - for all he knew she'd just get angry at his ungratefulness at being given a second chance at life or something. However, there was a nagging question in his mind, and it might be enough to satiate Gremory's curiosity.

"I– uh– um–" He stammered like a broken car engine. "I g-g-guess I'm just a l-little c-confused on w-why I have to train, hah…"

Rias snapped her fingers. "Oh, shoot!" She grumbled, "I knew I forgot something!"

She sighed. "Well, I guess now is as good a time as any…" Izuku's breath hitched as she sat down in the grass across from him, almost uncomfortably close (she was too pretty for him to not freak out, regardless of how afraid he was of her). "To devils like us, power is everything. If money makes the world go round for humans, then power is what does so for us."

Izuku really hated the way she said 'us'. He didn't care if it was correct - he'd probably never be able to come to terms with the fact that he wasn't even human anymore… not that he had any worth as either.

"Power can come in different forms," Rias explained, unaware of the severe mental turbulence Izuku was going through, "Sacred gears, devil power, physical strength - all are important. Power determines the hierarchy of devils in the underworld, with different tiers separating the wheat from the chaff, so to speak - for example, only high-class devils such as myself may have Evil Pieces and peerages. Devil peerages fight against each other in a battle known as rating games to confirm their strength over each other, often with advanced stakes, while some devils simply fight others for their ranks."

He wondered if she knew her visage darkened when she mentioned the rating games. There was probably a story there, but there was no way in hell Izuku was going to ask about that any time soon.

"But most of that likely won't concern you for a while." She brought Izuku back to reality as she continued. "Rather, most of our time will be spent dealing with strays and any other fallen angels in this town, as well as making pacts with humans that increase our strength."

"S-Strays?" Izuku repeated hesitantly.

Rias's eyes hardened. "Yes." Her tone was sharp. "Strays are devils who found their way away from their masters, either due to an unforeseen event, betrayal, or even killing them outright. Now, most low-class devils whose masters perish will simply seek out another King or attempt to become a high-ranking one themselves, but those who let their own selfish desires consume them and drive them to murder their masters are another story entirely. Their powers, unchecked by their King, will grow out of their control, corrupting their bodies and souls and posing a danger to the secrecy of devils to the mortal world and devils around them. We take those cases very seriously - death is the only appropriate cure for the monsters that they become."

Izuku gulped. "I– I s-see."

That seemed like a lot. He could understand why a devil wouldn't want to serve their master - see himself - but murder… murder was a lot. Even if he had hated the redhead girl in front of him with all his heart (and thought he had any chance of succeeding, which he didn't), he didn't think he could kill someone, even if he did it to obtain his freedom.

Not that it mattered. Apparently if he lost his master, he'd be hunted like a dog until he was killed.

So he was a slave forever. But he already knew that, didn't he?

It didn't mean he was okay with being reminded of that fact at every possible moment.

Rias frowned. It seemed like she may have made things worse, although she wasn't sure how. The look on Izuku's face was anything but reassuring, and he looked even more shaken than before asking his question.

Hmm. She'd have to try something different next time, then.

"Well then!" Rias clapped her hands together enthusiastically as she stood up, a bright (if somewhat forced) smile on her face as she looked down at him. "Let's get back to it! Next up, one-hundred sit-ups!"

She felt pretty guilty about the way he flinched, only to get into position for his next workout without so much as a peep.

But she steeled herself. This was for the best for both of them.

–

"Not too shabby!" Gremory nodded in approval at his exhausted form, chest heaving as he gasped for air while lying prone in the grass. "To be honest, you've far exceeded my expectations for today!"

Izuku was too tired to respond. He felt like he was going to pass out from exhaustion. Not only did they do a hundred push-ups, sit-ups, and a five-mile run, but he also had to do pull-ups, crunches, leg raises, and a million other exercises that helped Izuku discover muscles that he didn't even know he had - and made them burn.

"I expect you to go through this workout once per day," his master continued, sending a jolt of panic through his body, "It's important that you have a solid foundation before we expand on what sort of workouts you go through - even if you did better than I expected, you're still nowhere near where you need to be to be considered in adequate shape, even for a low-class devil. Speaking of which, I noticed you were far too thin to be healthy when we slept together. I'm not going to pry, but you need to be consuming way more calories than your current amount. You should not weigh less than me."

He wanted to protest. He wanted to tell Gremory that she was insane, and that there was no chance he could get through this sort of workout every day while also going to school and doing whatever else she bade him to do, and that it was his body that she was trying to dictate and he could eat as much or as little as he wanted.

But he didn't. Because he was her servant. Her slave. She could order him around as she pleased. If Izuku didn't like it, then his only other option was death.

But to be honest? That probably wasn't the worst fate in the world.

He'd died once already; how bad could the second time possibly be?

"O-Okay," he agreed quietly, "Got it."

Gremory turned her back towards him, sighing slightly and making Izuku freeze because he didn't really want her to start piling up the reasons that he was already a failure. "For the first week or so, I'll be here to assist you, but after that you should be fine on your own. I'll also decide when you are in good enough shape to progress beyond basic bodyweight workout, but that is enough of that for one day."

Her eyes gleamed brightly in the darkness as she turned back towards him. "Now, let's work on activating your Sacred Gear."

He swallowed heavily. "A-Alright."

"Remember what I said at the Academy?" Gremory asked, "Think of power. Think of somebody or something you imagine to be the strongest."

Izuku sighed despondently as the thought of All Might - of All Might telling him to give up, that he had no chance as a Hero, that he should be realistic - flooded his mind.

Gee, what a way to make him feel powerful.

Gremory hummed. "Is that not working?"

"N-No…"

"Then let's try something different." Izuku opened his eyes to see her with a pensive look. "Don't just envision someone strong. Don't just see power - see the power you want. See the power you can have. Does that make sense?"

"I g-guess," Izuku mumbled. He tried to do as she ordered, but it was hard - especially when he'd been told his entire life that he was Quirkless.

Powerless.

Worthless.

What power could he possibly have? The only thing he could picture in his head was an empty void where absolutely nothing existed.

He sighed in frustration. Why did he have to do this? Why was he forced to be reminded about how completely and utterly pointless his entire existence outside of one single action was?

"I d-don't t-think it's working…" he muttered quietly, grabbing Gremory's attention again, "M-Maybe I don't even h-h-have a Sacred Gear. I-If I do it's p-probably not v-very important and it's n-not like I had any power to begin with so m-maybe you just made a mistake–"

"I did no such thing," she said succinctly, interrupting him without a second thought, "I am not immune to making mistakes, but I am not making one now and I did not make one when I turned you into one of my servants. Do you not remember how Raynare was attempting to steal your power? She would not have bothered with that if your Gear was insignificant. Both her and I could feel the potential you possess, Izuku. It bleeds off of you. There is a reason you took up all eight of my pawn pieces to be resurrected."

Izuku hesitated. "What?"

Gremory nodded. "Most humans, devils, or otherwise simply require one piece. One pawn, one knight, whatever it may be. That is the extent of their potential strength. One. The power they can reach is simply insignificant relative to their king's potential. But some mortals have greater potential than that. A few take up the potential of two pieces, and amongst the highest peaks you can feasibly belong to as a mortal you may be worth three or four pieces depending on your master. The most powerful pawn that has ever graced the underworld was six pieces."

She pointed down at him dramatically. "And you, Izuku Midoriya, took up all eight of my pawns. You will be the only pawn I ever have or need. Your potential dwarfs all those who have come before you. That is why the fallen angels feared you."

And why she turned him into her slave, probably.

But still…

Gremory's words made him pause. Could he really ever become that powerful? He didn't really understand the full scale, but if what she was saying was true he could at least reason that he had a potential to become powerful on a scale hardly seen before.

And if that was true…

Was he really worthless?

A warm sensation spread across his body. Something cool and heavy settled on his neck.

Gremory gasped. "Oh my…"

He didn't really hear her. He was too focused on the cold, heavy necklace that had suddenly manifested itself around his neck.

Was this it? Had Izuku truly done it? Was this his Sacred Gear, the one that Raynare tried to steal? It must have been - Izuku wasn't exactly the kind of person to wear jewelry, and this necklace was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. It was a small, simple metal chain that linked around his neck semi-tightly, with the only other object of note being the inky black gemstone that was bound to the chain. It rested against his pale blue t-shirt, and though it didn't look special he knew enough that this gem was the real centerpiece.

Gremory clapped her hands together happily. "You did it, Izuku!"

"Y-Yeah, I guess… I guess I d-did." He felt strange, but in a good way. Like he'd accomplished something important; like he'd done something else that mattered. His lips threatened to break out into smile. "D-Do you know what this one does?"

She laughed. "Of course I do!" Izuku's face fell slightly at her tone, and at the look in her eyes. "I would never fail to identify one of the Longinus! That… That is the Zenith Tempest, one of the strongest Sacred Gears ever created by Him. Basic elemental manipulation and the ability to control the weather. The power to destroy the world rests in your fingertips, Izuku."

Gremory looked ecstatic as she stared at him - no, at the small gem that hung from his neck. She looked thrilled.

She looked hungry.

That was when Izuku remembered something very important.

It wasn't his power. It never would be.

It was hers.

The necklace faded away as Izuku came back down to reality.

He belonged to Gremory. Whatever potential he had, whatever he wanted to do with himself now, it didn't matter.

All that mattered was what she decided his use would be.

Now and forever, he would be subject to the whims of his master, whatever they may be.

–

There were a lot of things that had suddenly changed about Izuku's life now that he was a devil and a slave to Gremory.

"Oh, it's him."

His school life, and his relationship with his peers, was not one of them.

"Look out!" One girl whispered, pulling her classmate to the side as he tried to skulk past them and shooting Izuku a nasty look. "It's Midoriya. You almost let him touch you."

He tried to comfort himself. At least people didn't call him Deku anymore, right?

"Ew, stay away from the freak, Hana!"

That didn't really make him feel any better. He was still the same loser freak as before.

"Ugh, why do we have to go to school with guys like this? First we get a million perverted boys, and then we get a Quirkless guy? Ew!"

And, almost like clockwork, there was still only one person who tried to talk to him in the halls.

"Hello, Midoriya-kun. How are you today?"

Kiba greeted him with his normal calm disposition, as though he were discussing the weather with a normal person and not trying to talk to the local circus freak. His fanclub gasped in outrage.

"Kiba-san, don't talk to him!"

"He'll corrupt your holy image!"

"He's not worthy of your attention! Give it to us, instead!"

Izuku briefly wondered how Kiba could ignore all of them. They were like a hoard of seagulls - loud, mean, and constantly vying for crumbs.

"I-I'm f-f-fine…" he stammered quietly, trying his best to ignore the way Kiba's horde of fangirls glared at him like he was less than dirt (even if that was true it still hurt to be looked at like that).

Why was Kiba talking to him? His job was done - Izuku was one of Gremory's servants. He didn't have to speak to him anymore, not unless Gremory had ordered him to keep doing so anyways for some reason. He could go and relax with his harem of girls behind him. There was no reason for Kiba to interact with someone as lowly as himself.

"You sure?" Kiba asked, "No problems with anyone? Don't need any help with any assignments? No out of school troubles?"

What was Kiba, his mother? Why was he asking these questions? And didn't he see how literally everybody in this school treated him? His fanclub was screaming at him to avoid Izuku literal seconds ago.

Izuku didn't know why Kiba was pretending like they were friends, but he wasn't about to start acting like they were too.

"N-No."

Kiba didn't need to hear about his problems - and Izuku certainly didn't want to be sharing them with him anytime soon.

The blonde beamed. "Great! Happy to hear it." He hummed pleasantly, hands clasped behind his back. "Say, Koneko and I were planning on getting some ice cream later once the club meeting was over, wanna come?"

No, he really didn't. What, was Kiba going to ask Izuku to join the ice cream shop owner's peerage next? Have him turned into a yeti?

Thanks but no thanks. And it wasn't like Toujou liked him either - she just didn't care about appearances like Kiba did and made her distaste of Izuku clear. He didn't know why she thought he was a pervert of all things, but who knows. Maybe all devils were perverts and he'd turn into a drooling creep the next time he saw a woman's legs.

"S-Sorry, but I c-can't," Izuku mumbled, "Um, I have, uh, h-homework."

Which he did. But not a lot, and it wasn't like that wasn't just the lamest excuse in history.

Kiba frowned. "Darn, maybe next time, then?" He tried.

Yeah, no. Hopefully never. If Izuku had his way the boy would drop the facade and just treat him like everybody else did, because maybe then he and Gremory would learn to just be honest with him.

"M-Maybe…" Izuku did his best to make himself scarce before the girls behind Kiba could shoot him any more death threats with their eyes.

He wished he could just go back to his stupid apartment and be done for the day - his body was still as sore as possible after his morning training with Gremory. Unfortunately for Izuku, though, he was forced to make one more stop for the day.

–

At least he wasn't the center of attention at the Occult Research Club today… or whatever the club actually was. The peerage was probably the most apt name there was for it, since it wasn't really much of a club as it was Gremory's group of servants.

Rather, it fell onto Argento to be the object of Gremory's eye - not that Izuku was complaining. He didn't have to say a single word to anyone, and it was the best he had felt in days.

"Are you sure, Rias-san?" Argento asked hesitantly. "I don't know if–"

Gremory nodded. "I'm sure," she said solidly, "You attending Kuoh Academy is the easiest way to ensure your safety and proximity to the rest of us. I will not allow what happened to you and Izuku to occur again."

Argento didn't look convinced. "If you're sure…"

Izuku was a little confused about why she wasn't attending Kuoh beforehand. When exactly did she become a devil? Wasn't she already a member of Gremory's peerage before she and Izuku were kidnapped by Raynare? Argento acted as if she was as new to everything around her as Izuku was.

But he held his tongue - he wasn't about to start prying, and it wasn't like he had any right to know if they weren't going to explain it to him. Besides… none of the people here liked him - not that that was anything out of the ordinary - why would any of them bother giving him an answer, even if he did ask?

Gremory clasped her hands together. "Finally, we have to discuss living arrangements."

Argento frowned. "W-We do?"

"I mean, you didn't expect me to make you figure that out by yourself, did you?" Gremory giggled, "I'm not going to let you go homeless!"

"I–" Argento looked almost as out of her element as Izuku. "W-Well, um, would you believe me if I told you I already found somewhere?"

The redhead hummed. "I would certainly be surprised," she admitted, "Have you actually?"

"Y-Yes!" Argento nodded quickly. "It's not like I've been staying at an abandoned shrine or anything like that, haha…"

She shrunk back slightly beneath Gremory's intense look, but her facade didn't crack.

After an eternity where even Toujou seemed to be holding her breath, their shared master nodded. "Very well," she decided, "I believe that means we have nothing more to discuss today, unless…?"

She spared Himejima a glance, who just shook her head. "Nothing to report here, president!"

"I see." Gremory rose elegantly to her feet. "Then there's nothing left for today's agenda. Unless any of you need me, I'll see you all tomorrow."

A glowing red circle appeared beneath her feet, with dozens of strange runes and signs, and Gremory offered them one last wave before she disappeared to… wherever she went after school.

Himejima was the next one to stand up (aside from Izuku and Kiba, who were both already standing - there wasn't much room on the tiny couches), eagerly standing by the exit as she waited for Kiba and Toujou. "We're still going for ice cream, right?"

Toujou nodded as she leapt up. "Yes. I've been waiting all week for this."

"Bye, Midoriya-kun!" Kiba was the only one who waved to them (though Himejima joined him after a moment). "Bye, Asia! See you guys later!"

A moment later, he was alone - well, alone with Argento.

They stared at each other awkwardly for a moment. Out of the two of them, Izuku wasn't sure who was more uncomfortable. Maybe he should leave now, even with the risk of running into Kiba and the others outside. It might be worth it to–

"Um…" Argento decided to ruin what little scraps of a plan he had by speaking up. "M-May I speak to you for a moment, Izuku-san? I-I promise I won't take up too much of your time."

He didn't really want to talk to her. Izuku still remembered just how poorly her attempt to speak to him yesterday was - calling it a disaster would have been too generous. And it wasn't like they had anything to talk about in the first place, was there? He made it clear that Argento didn't owe him anything, and that she didn't have to pretend to be his friend like Kiba insisted on doing.

But something about the way she was acting told him that that was the wrong thing to do. But since when had he been good at reading people's intentions? His gut always told him to never trust anyone, and that particular warning was currently on an unbroken streak of being correct.

Argento clearly noticed his indecision. "Y-You don't have to, um, if you d-don't want to," she said quietly, "I understand if I didn't m-make a very good impression on you after yesterday…"

Izuku sighed. He was a sucker for people acting like they liked him, even if he knew that just didn't happen. Besides, he didn't have much of a choice - he was at the bottom of the totem pole here. "O-Okay," he mumbled, "W-What is it?"

A brief look of surprise crossed the girl's face, as though she truly hadn't expected him to be willing to speak to her, before she seemingly steeled her resolve. "I w-would like to apologize for yesterday," she began stuttering slightly at the surprised look she immediately received from him, "Um, I d-don't quite understand what I did to upset you - not that it's y-your fault or anything! - but, um, I'm sorry. I truly did not intend to make things worse."

He was at a loss for words. When was the last time someone truly apologized to him? That sort of thing was practically alien to him by this point. "I-It's fine," Izuku stammered out quickly, waving his hands in front of him in a panic, "I m-mean, it's n-not your fault, um, Argento-san, it's not like y-you did anything wrong or anything!"

Izuku kind of knew that what he was saying didn't make sense. But what else was he supposed to say? He was like a fish out of water here.
Argento frowned softly. "But I upset you, didn't I?"

"I–" He cut himself off. What was he supposed to say here? Why was she still acting like his opinion mattered? Or like she should care if his feelings got hurt? Was she trying to get him to play along? "It's f-fine, A-Argento-san. Really. Y-You don't have to a-apologize, I-I, u-um, s-sometimes just g-get upset at s-s-stupid things and you were just trying to be nice I g-guess so if anything I should be a-apologizing for being r-rude…"

She stared at him with an indecipherable look in her eyes, and it made Izuku kind of uncomfortable. Was she angry at him? Was she not? What was she doing why was she reaching over to him and oh my God why was she grabbing his hands again–

"I, um, I know I'm probably not very good at talking with other people," Argento admitted shamefully, bright green eyes flickering away from him briefly even as she clasped his hands in her own, "And that's my problem, but, um, I've never really had friends, or other people my age to talk to, so I'm sorry if I'm doing all this the wrong way, but I don't think you have to apologize to me. I mean, you were probably dealing with a lot after Rias-san told you all of that stuff about devils and Sacred Gears, and I probably didn't help…"

She smiled sadly at him, and Izuku felt like his face was about to melt off. "But I'd like to, um, be f-friends. With you." Her eyes were big and hopeful, and it took all Izuku had to not flinch away from her. "I know you said you were Quirkless yesterday, but that doesn't really matter to me, and we're both d-devils now, so it shouldn't really matter at all, right? I don't know why you thought I was p-p-pretending to like you, Izuku-san, but I do. I really do. I really want to be your friend!"

Her eyes looked at him expectantly - almost pleadingly - but Izuku was too busy trying to figure out how exactly Hell had frozen over, since that was the only way this was happening. Nobody wanted to be friends with him. No one. People didn't just 'like' him - he was a loser, a freak, a worthless nobody through and through.

"A-Argento-san," Izuku whispered, already feeling wetness in his eyes. "W-Why?"

She blinked. Whatever response she was expecting, it certainly wasn't him asking that. "W-Why wouldn't I?" She tried, "Um, you s-seem very nice, and, uh, interesting, and you protected me from R-Raynare despite not even knowing who I was, even if you don't really know much about me now…"

Ah. So that was why.

He winced, slowly pulling his hands out of her grasp. "I a-already s-s-said that you didn't owe me anything–"

"I don't want to be friends with you because I think I owe you!" Her sudden shout took him extremely off-guard. "I want to be friends with you because it showed me that you're a very good person, a-and that I can trust you. I don't really know anyone in Kuoh Town yet aside from the rest of Rias-san's peerage, and you seemed like you maybe needed a friend too."

She didn't let him pull his hands free during her little tirade either, making sure to keep his eyes solely trained on the blonde girl in front of him. "So please, Izuku-san, let's be friends!"

Izuku gulped.

Argento was just going to ditch him the moment she found someone better.

It wasn't like all the relationships that had failed in his life weren't his fault, after all.

He was only a pawn, nothing more than Gremory's property. Why would she even bother associating with him any more than strictly necessary.

She probably didn't even like him all that much. Maybe she was just setting him up to be hurt later.

All those thoughts and more were swirling around his head like a hurricane, and not a single one of them was good.

Well… Maybe one of them was good.

Or, at the very least, desperate.

And that was that he really wanted a friend right now.

Even if they just wound up hurting him later.

"O-Okay, Argento-san," he finally relented, throat tight, "Let's be f-f-friends."

Her smile became impossibly wide, and after a brief moment of indecision she pulled him in for a tight (if brief) hug that made him feel a million different emotions before she stopped.

She looked really happy. "Please call me Asia now, Izuku-san!" She asked, "If I'm allowed to use your first name, I would like it a lot more if you also used mine!"

"A-A-Argento-san–"

Asia's happy smile turned into the most aggressive, most cute pout he had ever seen.

His will crumbled in an instant. Who knew being nice to him and being cute made it so easy to get him to open himself up to be hurt later?

"A-Asia…" he said experimentally (face as red as a bunch of beets), unsure of how to feel about the way she immediately returned to smiling like he'd hung the stars for her, "W-Why, um, was G-Gremory-san asking about where you were living?"

Once again, her smile fell. Izuku didn't even have time to think before the guilt started making him regret opening his mouth. "I… I'm very new to Kuoh Town," she admitted easily, "Um, to make a long story short, my housing situation was ruined by Raynare and the other fallen angels. I don't really have a, um, stable place to stay at the moment, but I didn't want to bother Rias-san after all she'd already done for me."

"O-Oh." He mumbled like an idiot, already kicking himself, "I-I'm sorry for b-bringing it up."

"You don't have to apologize, Izuku-san," she said earnestly, "I'm sure I'll figure something out."

Despite her bold claim, she didn't look too confident about that.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, "Um, I'd, uh, a-ask Gremory-san. She s-said she wouldn't let you b-be homeless, right? I-I'd let you s-stay in my apartment, b-but I'm s-sure you don't want to stay with a b-boy… n-not to mention there isn't exactly a whole lot of stuff there…"

She looked at him in surprise. "Y-You'd truly allow me to stay with you?"

Oh no. This was not what he meant.

He waved his hands in front of him. "Y-You don't want to stay with me!" He said hurriedly, "I m-mean, my a-apartment is boring, and kind of a m-mess, and I'm n-not a good cook, and I don't e-even–"

"That's okay!" Asia said immediately. "B-Beggars can't be c-choosers! I w-wouldn't complain! I'd be happy to sleep on the floor if I had to! I would do all the cooking and cleaning if you saw fit - I would earn my keep, I promise! I would be happy to work as a maid if you wanted!"

How had this turned around on him like this? Was she seriously offering to become a maid just to stay at his place? What was going on?!

Did she seriously think he was going to open his crummy apartment doors to a person he had just met three days ago, when the place was barely enough for himself as is? One that he knew nothing about beyond also being a devil-slave?

Because for some reason, he was.

Maybe it was because Asia just sounded so despondent, like she just needed someone to help her.

Maybe it was because Izuku had been in that same situation countless times, just desperate for someone– no, anyone to help him, or believe in him, or give him just one tiny iota of support that could have made him believe everything was okay.

Even if he never got that help, that didn't mean Asia deserved to be dealt that same shitty hand by fate.

"O-Okay."

Her eyes sparkled as he agreed. "Oh, thank you Izuku-san!" She shouted, tears in her eyes as she fought the sudden and intense urge to cry, "I promise I'll do everything I have to do to earn my stay! Thank you so much!"

He had no idea how to react to her following mountain of praise, but it looked like he was getting a new roommate… and maid, apparently.

What had his life come to?

–

A/N: Not much to say this time except it's going to keep getting worse for Izuku even if Asia puts on a maid outfit. Rias is trying but she is doing just about everything incorrectly, and Izuku hates his life. So nothing new really.

Thanks to my beta Lugia for reading and helping with all the little details that matter so much!

Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you thought! See you next time!