Izuku had been through a lot in his short, miserable life. A lot of it had been due to his Quirklessness, some of it not. Most of that 'some' came from his delusional belief that he could still be a hero, but that ship had sailed.

He had been told by everyone to give up. He had been beaten down, mocked, bullied and worse, but took it all on the chin and kept his dream in sight…

And then All Might had saved him from a villain and ruined his life in the span of three minutes.

"It's okay to dream, but it's important to be realistic."

Realistic. Right.

Realistic for Izuku was hurling himself off the nearest ten-story building sometime between now and the next five years, but what would All Might know about that? It wasn't like he'd be able to understand what it meant to be Quirkless.

Despite the excruciating pain it had cost him, he couldn't ignore All Might. Not when the truth had so clearly been staring him in the face all this time - he just couldn't bury his head in the sand and ignore reality anymore.

So he gave up.

Considering the fact that he hadn't considered trying out for the General Studies Course (and that Bakugou had threatened to kill him if he showed his face at U.A.), it was no surprise that he wound up going to the same crummy high school that most of his classmates at Aldera washed up at.

It wasn't all that great.

Sure, Bakugou wasn't there anymore to torment him, but that just meant that his old classmates had a strong sense of duty in picking up the slack Bakugou left them - which meant he got beat up a lot. And even if it wasn't as bad as Aldera anymore, it wasn't like people were going out of their way to make friends with Izuku. What if they caught his Quirklessness, like a disease? At least the teachers were a little nicer, but he had a funny feeling that was just because he knew his place now.

Also, he had no plans for the future post-graduation. It wasn't as if businesses didn't check for Quirks before hiring; in most cases it made sense, what with wanting to hire someone with the right Quirk for the right job, but in his case it just meant his applications would go straight into the bin.

All in all, it sucked. But it would have been survivable if not for one little detail.

Thanks to some sick twist of fate, he had to walk past U.A.'s main gate on his walk between the train station and school.

Every day.

Twice.

It was like the universe was mocking him for his failures.

Izuku didn't really appreciate it, to put it mildly.

He was pretty paranoid about walking by the former school of his dreams. There was no chance he was going to risk being found lurking around by Bakugou - he'd probably accuse Izuku of stalking him or something and then beat him senseless, and that wouldn't be fun for anyone.

At least when he got held up by people like Tsubasa after class it meant that he didn't have to do much waiting once they were finished using him as a punching bag. By the time he made himself a little more presentable and limped around the corner to U.A. it was usually well past the time any students from either school would still be hanging around.

There's a silver lining for everything, right?

Well, not really. There wasn't much silver lining to him having no opportunity to do, well, anything with his life, but who's keeping track of that?

No one. No one besides him, at any rate.

Izuku sighed quietly, hoisting his backpack a little higher up onto his shoulders. Why did he even bother?

His eyes were trained firmly on the pavement in front of him, doing his best to avoid looking at the large, black gate that lined U.A.'s property directly to his left. Izuku knew from experience that if he looked, he'd just get depressed.

Well, more depressed than he already was.

Was he depressed? Personally, he'd simply call it an acceptance of reality to act the way he was. It wasn't like–

Izuku didn't know what had happened, but the next thing he knew he was airborne. He had been shoved violently backwards, the air fleeting from his lungs as he let out a strangled gasp.

He was sent flying. Literally. Izuku went from 0 to 90 in no time flat.

There was a little bit of resistance as he continued his backwards trajectory, but it was only for a moment - until he hit a lamppost.

Headfirst.

Yeah, that one hurt. Someone screamed and it might have been him.

Izuku gasped in pain as a bolt of white-hot pain shot through his body, unable to do so much as groan as his body locked up. His vision swam as he went limp and fell forward, fully expecting to kiss the pavement, but was caught at the last moment.

His head was swimming, but he was still able to barely make out a pair of big, blue eyes looking down on him in concern… right up until his eyes rolled back and he passed out.

–

Nejire… was in a bit of a pickle.

She was running a bit late thanks to Snipe-sensei getting on her case again about taking spars a bit more seriously, but could he really blame her? When she wasn't fighting Mirio or Tamaki, it was a cakewalk!

But Snipe didn't want to hear it! He gave her a real earful after class, ensuring her parents were going to be more than a little ticked off with her. She would have just texted them, but her phone was dead! And she couldn't use Mirio or Tamaki's either since she had told them to go on ahead!

Long story short, she thought she could be forgiven for being in a bit of a rush.

The universe clearly disagreed.

The moment she made it off campus (and away from Nedzu's pesky cameras that would catch her flying home the moment she tried it) Nejire made a break for it, powering her Quirk up to 100% and shooting down the sidewalk. It wasn't like there was ever anyone loitering outside U.A. this late in the day anyways, so she was in the clear!

Until she wasn't.

Nejire grunted as she bumped into (bowled over) somebody at what wasn't much more than a brisk pace… for her.

For the poor sap she hit, it was a bit more impactful.

The stranger let out a squeak of surprise as they were suddenly launched backwards at a speed that would have left most of her classmates chained to a bed in Recovery Girl's office… and that was putting it gently. Maybe Aizawa-sensei was on to something when he told her she needed to put a lid on her Quirk in public. They went through a metal post-office box, letters and envelopes flying everywhere in a flurry as it was turned to scrap by the force, and came to an abrupt halt as they slammed into the lamppost that stood on the corner the stranger seemed to come from.

"Crap!" Nejire shouted, wincing at the way the beam bent inwards from the impact (alongside the absolutely agonizing gasp they let out). She rushed forward to catch them, duly noting that they were definitely a boy, even with their smaller frame and long-ish curly hair.

"I'm so sorry!" She cried, but it didn't look like the boy heard her. His emerald eyes were unfocused and hazy, and it only took a second for him to pass out due to what was likely shock. The boy's body went limp as he fell forward into her chest, with only the soft rise and fall of his own chest keeping her from worrying that she had accidentally killed somebody.

Crap. Super crap. It didn't look like she was going to make it home at all at this rate - she might be headed for jail instead!

There was a lot to deal with.

First and foremost she had to make sure that the boy was alright - and that wasn't exactly easy. By some miracle the back of his head wasn't a bloody mess (and the same went for his back - while it went unscathed, his poor backpack wasn't so lucky), but she knew that there was plenty of opportunity for him to have a concussion - or worse.

He also had a handful of bruises on his face that made Nejire hesitate, but it wouldn't make sense if he had just received them. She hoped Recovery Girl hadn't packed up for the night yet.

There was also the little issue of, ah, postal crime she had just committed. Several dozen papers flew around her in the gentle spring breeze… as well as a handful of papers that were leaking out from the green-haired boy's backpack.

Nejire quickly took off her uniform jacket and laid it on the ground, quickly depositing the boy on it as she flew around to gather up all the papers she'd released into the wind. Lucky for her, none of them had gone far, and it only took a few minutes to sort out what was his and what was a postal product.

She didn't have a great solution for fixing the mailbox, but that could come later. For now, duct tape would have to do.

He's surprisingly light, she thought to herself as she hefted him into her arms, already turning back towards U.A. and speeding away.

She really hoped Recovery Girl was still there.

–

Izuku's eyes fluttered open slowly, but as soon as they were wide enough he hissed in pain at the glare of fluorescent lights. He brought a hand up to shield his eyes, only to hesitate as he realized that he had zero clue where he was - and that wherever he may be, the bed he was resting on was softer than usual.

"Hello there, dearie," A soft voice called, making Izuku crane his neck to the side to get a good look, "How are you feeling?"

He squinted his eyes as he tried to make out the speaker. For some reason he felt like he'd heard their voice before–

"Recovery Girl?!" Izuku gasped, completely bewildered. "Wait, where am I?"

The woman smiled. "Yes, that's my name. I'm surprised I still have fans these days!" She chuckled quickly, "And you're at U.A. You took quite a hit out front and one of our students brought you inside, but you still need to answer my question."

He felt like pinching himself. Was this real life? Was he dreaming?

Izuku moved to sit up, but a lance of pain spiked through the back of his pain and ensured him that he wasn't asleep.

"My head hurts," he mumbled, quickly laying back down, "Did anybody get the license plate of the truck that hit me?"

At his words Recovery Girl scowled, sending a look over towards the other side of the room that made Izuku realize that there was a third person in the Youthful Heroine's office.

The girl that sat quietly in the corner of the room winced guiltily. "Um, you didn't get hit by a car," she mumbled, wringing her hands together awkwardly, "It was me."

Izuku blinked.

That was… not what he expected to hear.

The girl was clearly a student here - the uniform gave that much away - and seemed to be familiar with Recovery Girl if the way the heroine sighed in exasperation meant anything. She had long, straight periwinkle hair, as well as a pair of big blue eyes that sat on a very pretty face.

Of course, she also had… other features. The sort that made Izuku blush like an idiot and had him quickly look away before he started staring.

"This is Hadou Nejire," Recovery Girl began, "Third-year Hero Course student at U.A. Apparently she saw fit to use her Quirk to help get her home quicker, which led to both your injuries as well as destruction of public property."

With each word, Hadou's head dipped further and further down. "I'm really sorry," she insisted.

Recovery Girl scoffed. "Sorry doesn't cut it. You should know better, young lady."

Hadou just nodded at her words, harsh as they were.

Izuku felt really awkward. He had a lot of questions floating around in his head right now, not the least of which being what kind of Quirk she had to allow her to run into him with the strength of a freight train, but that wasn't really appropriate to ask given the setting.

But when was the last time someone had apologized to him, much less meant it? Maybe it was All Might when Izuku had asked about being a hero. Maybe it was his mother when he asked her the same question. Maybe she didn't even mean it and was only saying it because she was in trouble.

But still…

"Um, it's alright," he muttered, "Accidents happen."

Hadou's eyes snapped up to meet his, surprise clearly marred across her features. "Really?"

He shrugged awkwardly, slightly uncomfortable with the awe in her gaze. "Y-yeah."

The girl beamed at him, but Recovery Girl was quick to put a damper on her mood. "Just because the boy has forgiven you doesn't mean I have!" She snapped, pointing her cane accusingly at Hadou. "You should know better! And you destroyed our mailbox! And that lamppost! And his backpack!"

Wait, what?

"Huh?" Izuku breathed out.

Hadou looked especially guilty as she revealed the sad remains of his backpack. It had a giant hole torn open on the side, and looked like it had been by an industrial grade presser - and that likely meant his notebooks were in a similar state.

He deflated like a balloon leaking air. "Oh," Izuku mumbled, "I see."

At least it wasn't his spine.

Recovery Girl cleared her throat awkwardly to grab his attention. "U.A. is willing to provide you a compensatory backpack as well as medical services for your injuries as a sign of our goodwill and an apology for our student's reckless behavior," she stated, "But we would appreciate it if you agreed not to press any charges, young…"

"Midoriya. Midoriya Izuku." He said quietly.

"Young Midoriya." Recovery Girl finished with a smile, but her words made him feel even more awkward.

"Um, I won't press charges or anything," he said quickly. Not only had he moved on (although he was more than a little sad about the state of his backpack and notebooks), but he didn't think he could afford nor win a lawsuit against U.A.

Plus it would've felt a little wrong to try and sue a Hero School. That would be like trying to sue an orphanage, or maybe a church.

Hadou let out a sigh of relief as Recovery Girl clapped her hands together. "Wonderful!" She said gratefully, "Hadou-san, why don't you go and grab Midoriya-kun one of the backpacks we have in the school store. If anyone asks, tell them to bring it up with Principal Nedzu."

The girl nodded and flashed Izuku a bright smile, but was quick to accept the dismissal as it was before she was shooed out of the room.

Recovery Girl walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek that made Izuku grimace, but it did its job. His pain evaporated in an instant, only to be replaced by the sudden urge to take a nap as his eyelids began to dip.

He yawned slowly. "If I said I was going to press charges, were you going to kick me out?"
The heroine looked personally affronted by his words. "Of course not!" She groused, "I'm a doctor! And Hero! It's my job to help people!"

Izuku's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "S-sorry."

Recovery Girl opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by the door flying open as Hadou rushed in, breathing heavily and with a U.A.-brand backpack in hand.

"I got it!" She announced proudly, "If you think about it, this is actually kind of an upgrade! Your old backpack was kind of old, you know! And this one is bigger and U.A. quality! No way it gets taken out by some measly mailbox!"

Recovery Girl scowled. "Thanks for reminding me that you committed a federal crime, Hadou-san. After you escort Midoriya-kun here home, we're going to have a long chat with Nedzu on proper Quirk usage and spatial awareness."

Izuku and Hadou both paled, albeit for different reasons. Hadou was freaking out over the fact that her teachers were likely going to skin her alive, and as for Izuku…

"E-e-escort me home?!" He blurted out, "Sh-she doesn't have to d-do that!"

The doctor shook her head. "Yes she does," she said vehemently, "My Quirk drains your energy reserves to quicken the healing process, and I'm not going to allow you to walk out of here unsupervised while you're at risk of passing out. Speaking of which, here."

Recovery Girl retrieved a small gummy bear from a jar on her desk before offering it to Izuku. "Eat this. It'll help revitalize you."

Izuku hesitantly took the candy, but it was rather tasty. "Thanks," he replied (after swallowing the food in his mouth, of course), "B-but, ah, I think I'll be okay, really! I don't want t-to trouble any of you more than I already have!"

She gave him an unimpressed stare. "She sent you through a mailbox and into a pole. You're not the one causing trouble here."

"R-right." Izuku chuckled awkwardly, pulling at his uniform collar. "B-but still–"

"It's okay!" Hadou interrupted, "I don't mind! I'm a Hero, it's kind of in the job description!"

She giggled slightly, but her laughter quickly died out as Recovery Girl gave her yet another sharp look. "B-besides," Hadou chuckled, forcing out a laugh, "Maybe we should give Recovery Girl some time to cool down!"

"W-we?"

"Yep!" Nejire was quick to grab his backpacks (both the new one and the old one) and run for the door before Recovery Girl could reprimand her once more. "I'll be waiting outside for you!"

Izuku blinked as the girl made herself scarce, completely lost for words by her actions. "U-um…"

Recovery Girl sighed. "That girl doesn't know when to quit," she muttered fondly, giving Izuku a sideways glance, "Try not to end up here again, okay kiddo?"

He gulped. "W-wasn't planning on it."

The youthful heroine chuckled at his words, a wry smile on her weathered face. "Dearie, things rarely work out the way we planned." She gave him a pat on the back. "Now, I'm sure you don't want to keep that young lady waiting for you - she might just throw you through another mailbox!"

After a moment Izuku nodded slowly, pushing himself off the cot and making his way towards the door. "Th-thanks, Recovery Girl."

The doctor smiled and waved off his thanks, shaking her head softly at him as he exited her office. But as soon as the door closed, Izuku froze.

How was he supposed to get out of here?

–

"Wow," Hadou giggled once she finally saw him show up at the gate, "You sure took your time there!"

Izuku rubbed his arm awkwardly. "Um, s-sorry. I got lost."

She nodded in understanding. "No worries! I totally get that, U.A. is kind of a maze! Even I get lost inside sometimes!"

Hadou started walking, but quickly stopped herself as she turned back towards Izuku. "Where do you live, by the way? Also, why were you walking outside U.A. so late? Don't other schools let out at the same time as us? Are you a high-schooler too?"

Izuku blinked as she barraged him with questions. Hadou was like a literal ball of energy - she was even rocking back and forth on her heels as she awaited an answer. When was the last time he'd seen someone so…

Bouncy?

It reminded him of himself… if he was four again.

Realizing she was still waiting for an answer, he quickly shook his head. "U-um, I live in Musutafu. I take the train to get home. Y-yes, my school lets out at a normal time, I just s-stayed late. And yes, I'm a first-year high school student."

Hadou's eyes sparkled as she watched him answer her list of questions, making him feel more than a little overwhelmed as he stared down bashfully at his shoes, scuffing one against the pavement.

"Wow!" Hadou gasped, "I can't believe you can keep up with me! Most people get lost by the second question! But since you live in Musutafu already, why didn't you just go to U.A.? Are you a delinquent? Do you have horrible grades? Do you not like heroes?"

Izuku fought down the urge to wince - and boy oh boy was it close - as Hadou continued wondering why he didn't end up at U.A.

As it was, he settled for a weak shrug and to start walking to the train station. "I don't know," he mumbled, "I guess it just never seemed realistic."

Hadou raised an eyebrow at his tense form, following along beside him. "Realistic?" She repeated slowly almost as though in disbelief, "U.A. has the highest application rates of any high school in the country! It's not realistic for most people to get in, but they still try! Did you not want to go? Is your school better than U.A.? What school do you go to?"

Man, she asked a lot of questions. Was this what people thought he was like?

He shook his head quickly at that thought. Of course not. Aside from the fact that Hadou was apparently a third-year student in U.A.'s prestigious Hero course and he was a complete nobody, she seemed rather easy going and pleasant. The same could not be said for him.

"I thought about it for a while," Izuku sighed, "B-but it doesn't matter. I'm… h-happy where I wound up. I go to Musutafu General."

Hadou hummed as she processed his words, bobbing her head as she walked. "Never heard of it! But I probably don't know the name of most schools around here that aren't U.A. I'm sure most of them aren't that good. You seem kinda cagey!"

"C-cagey?" He stuttered out in surprise.

"Mhm!" Hadou seemed completely unfazed by the way he turned a new shade of scarlet and nearly tripped over his own two feet. "And a little stiff and awkward, kinda like my friend Tamaki! I'm sure the two of you would get along pretty well! Heck, I'm pretty sure you'd get along with all my friends! You seem like a nice guy."

Izuku had no idea how to respond to what Hadou was saying anymore. She went from calling him cagey and awkward to saying he'd fit right in with her friends in no time flat, and he was no longer able to tell what was an insult and what was a compliment… if any of them actually were either.

He forced out a laugh that sounded phoned-in even to himself. "Thanks?" He tried, "Um, you're really nice, too."

She beamed at him. "You think so?"

Izuku wasn't sure whether or not this was a trick question. "Uh, yes?" He began, "I mean, you took the time to bring me to Recovery Girl after you hit me, and you're still carrying my backpack for me…"

Hadou's eyes trailed down to her hands, where, lo and behold, both the tattered remains of Izuku's old backpack and the sparkly new U.A. product sat. "I guess I am!"

She gave him a bright smile. "Thanks, Midoriya! That's what you said your name was, right? Anyways Midoriya, most new people I meet think I'm overbearing because of all the questions I ask people, but I'm just curious, you know?"

Izuku just nodded slowly. He could kind of see why people would be intimidated by the amount of things she asked, even if he wasn't personally off-put by it. "I'm sorry to hear that, Hadou-san. And yes, that's my name."

She gave him another bright smile. "Nice to meet you, Midoriya! My name's Hadou Nejire, but you already knew that!"

"L-likewise."

–

In no time at all they had made it to the train station, just in time for Izuku's train somehow.

He turned to face Hadou, trying his best to meet her eyes. "W-well, thanks, Hadou-san," he stuttered, trying his best to not sound like a complete idiot, "But, ah, you don't have to come with me on the train or anything. I mean, I'm sure you have more important things to do, right? I'm sure I'll be fine from here…"

Hadou pursed her lips, a soft frown on her face as she pondered his words. "Well, Recovery Girl said I had to make sure you made it home safe, right?" She asked, "What if something happens after you get off the train? I'd be responsible, and we can't have that!"

Izuku wanted to point out that villain attacks were statistically improbable for the average citizen to fall victim too, but kept his mouth shut after remembering what had happened to him this time last year.

He could still feel the sludge all over him. Gross.

"I guess," he mumbled, looking away from the older girl, "But don't you have to get home too? It wouldn't be fair for your parents to be upset with you because you had to escort me the whole way…"

Hadou just gave him another easy shrug. "Yeah, but I talked to them earlier while you were unconscious! They know I'm going to be late now… and they're a little more upset about the whole 'knocking-someone-into-a-lamppost' situation."

She shuddered at the thought, likely fearing whatever retribution might await her once she finally returned home herself. "A-anyways," she continued, shaking off whatever nerves she may have had, "You sound like you don't want me around you. Am I making you uncomfortable?"

Izuku made a strange choking sound at her words, completely unprepared for that bomb of a question. "N-no! I mean– you d-don't–"

He continued to sputter like an idiot for a few more minutes, with Hadou considerate enough to let him make a fool of himself without interruption. It took a while, but he was eventually able to stop squawking like a dying parrot.

"Wh-what I meant to say," he muttered, trying to clear his throat, "Is that, um, it's not that I have any p-problems with you or anything, it's just that, uh, I don't know, I just don't think you should have to go so far out of your way for me…"

Izuku's face flushed red as he felt Hadou's eyes trained firmly on him, with his own dipping down to his feet. It got even worse when he realized that there were people in the crowd, also waiting for the next train, snickering at his little display.

God, could this day get any worse?

When Hadou started to laugh, he realized that it could.

Where was the nearest hole? He'd like to crawl into it and die.

Those thoughts came to an abrupt end when Hadou reached over and ruffled his hair.

"You think too much!" She giggled, still running her fingers through his hair, "Where'd you get that idea from? Wow, your hair is really soft! I wish I could get mine to feel like this, what's your secret? Is it your Quirk? Do you use conditioners? You really are like Tamaki! You two should meet! I wonder if–"

As the train slowly pulled into the station, all Izuku could afford to do was wordlessly step off the platform and aboard his ride. He was too far beyond his wits' end to do anything else.

And, of course, Hadou stepped on right behind him without a second thought.

–

The train ride was mercifully quick. It helped that he didn't really have to travel far to reach his stop, and that Hadou eventually got bored of playing with his hair - it reminded him of how cats kept themselves amused by playing with yarn.

He bit back a sigh as he thought about all the stares they had received on the train. Most of the boys looked like they wanted to kill him, and most of the adults kept laughing at them.

It was more than a little embarrassing, to say the least.

"And then my friend Mirio was like, 'No problem!' and he phased through the wall!" Hadou prattled, "His Quirk is Permeation, by the way, and it lets him phase through objects. It's pretty cool! He's slated to be one of the highest rated heroes when he graduates! Anyways, he phases through the wall to go and grab my bag, but he forgot that there was a whole other class in the room, and that his uniform comes off when he phases! He gave those second years a pretty bad scare! And also got detention, which I felt kind of bad about, but he just laughed it off! Pretty awesome, huh?"

Izuku just nodded along to the story. It was a bizarre one, but Hadou seemed to have bizarre friends. The world was pretty bizarre these days, too, so maybe it wasn't so odd to have a friend who could phase through his clothing and another who seemed to be afraid of his own shadow yet able to take on a small army of villains without issue.

"Yeah," he agreed, "You're friends seem pretty cool."

Hadou smiled. She smiled a lot, actually. It seemed like she had one by default, and one had to work to make her frown. She seemed even more excited than she was earlier now, hovering slightly above the sidewalk pavement as they walked thanks to her Quirk.

It made him feel even shorter than he already was, which was kind of humiliating, but whatever.

"I know, right?" She said, "And I have a bunch more friends! And even more stories! What about you, Midoriya? Are your friends as cool as mine?"

He frowned. The answer was no, of course. He didn't even have any friends. The fact that Bakugou was the first person to cross his mind when she asked was pretty damning evidence of that.

But he didn't want to seem like even more of a loser than he already was.

"...N-not really," he said quietly, already figuring out just how he was going to spin this lie, "They're cool, b-but none of them have done anything like that."

She hummed. "That's fair." Hadou nodded. "But you must have some fun stories, right?"

Izuku gulped. That was a little harder to lie about.

"Uh… I don't go out that much?" He tried.

It sounded like a lame excuse. He knew it was a lame excuse.

"Well that's lame," Hadou commented, confirming his suspicions, "I mean, I don't get that much free time anymore either, being a third-year and all, but I still make time to hang out with my friends!"

"Trust me," Izuku sighed, "I know."

Hadou continued on a tirade about the importance of hanging out with friends, which then spilt over into a discussion on how she met Mirio and Tamaki, which turned into another story about Mirio (seriously, he was starting to learn more about her classmates than his own), which turned into–

"Um, sorry to interrupt," he said quickly, cutting Hadou off from her latest tangent about Tamaki's eating habits, "But this is my apartment."

His companion blinked before looking to the side and realizing that there was, in fact, a small apartment complex to their left. "Oh!" She hummed, "Nice place!"

"Thanks. C-can I have my backpacks now, please?"

"Hmm?" Hadou's eyes turned down towards her arms, which still held both his ruined and new backpacks. "You sure? I can walk you to your apartment if you–"

"Th-that won't be necessary!" He blurted out, "I mean, um, you've already done so much, and it's not like any of my neighbors are dangerous or anything! I'll be fine."

Hadou eyed the building, and Izuku had no idea what she was looking for. It wasn't like he lived in a bad neighborhood or anything, and the complex was about as cookie-cutter basic as it came. "Alrighty then, if you say so!"

She offered him the backpacks, and Izuku was acutely aware of the fact that he was probably going to get some stares when he brought a U.A. backpack into class tomorrow.

Heck, it might just get stolen from him. That wouldn't shock him in the slightest.

"Thanks," he grunted, trying his best to not show that the items weren't too heavy for him to carry. That would have been humiliating. "Um, for carrying them, and coming with me. You really didn't have to."

Hadou shrugged, her smile not waning in the slightest. "I already told you, it's no problem! It's the least I could do for launching you through that mailbox, remember?"

Oh, right. She had nearly killed him an hour ago. It already felt like forever ago.

To his surprise (and her delight, even if Izuku didn't know it), he started to laugh. "Yeah," he snorted, "I guess so. Still, I appreciate it."

Hadou beamed at him for a moment before a brief look of remembrance flashed across her face. "Before you go," she added quickly, "Do you have a phone on you?"

Izuku blinked, before pulling out his phone. "Yeah, do you need to make a call?"

She smiled at him as she took it from his outstretched hand. "Nope!" she giggled, causing his brow to furrow.

"Then why did you need mine?" He cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Did you need the time or something–"

"Done!" Hadou proclaimed proudly, before handing him his phone back, "Check your contacts."

Her words make Izuku pause. "Huh?" He did as instructed, however, and he couldn't hide his shock as he opened the app.

Nejire Hadou

There it was. He was pretty sure his jaw was somewhere on the ground beneath them.

Hadou giggled as she looked at his shocked expression. "What?"

"Uh…"

He had a lot of questions at the moment. Why did she give him his number? Was this a prank? Did she see that he had, like, no other people in his contact list?

Izuku didn't voice all of them, but he did ask the first one. Hadou just laughed again.

"Why not?" She asked, "You seem like a nice guy, and I like meeting new people, so you should text me sometime! We can hang out without needing to take you to Recovery Girl! Plus, you still need to tell me about how you got your hair to be so soft!"

Apparently, she didn't really learn her lesson from earlier, because she fired up her Quirk and started to fly up into the sky - and Izuku continued to stare at her like a dumbass.

"Bye, Izuku!" She waved at him as she slowly disappeared from his view. "Don't forget!"

The fact that she called him by his first name didn't even register in his head until hours after they parted ways.

As for Nejire, she was pretty happy with how things went - aside from how they met in the first place of course. But if that hadn't happened, maybe they wouldn't have met at all!

So it was worth it to her. Maybe not to Midoriya (yet), but she'd just have to show him it was!

Besides… Nejire liked his eyes. She definitely wanted to see him again.

Hopefully he remembered to text her!

Based on the look on his face, there was no way he could forget.

—

A/N: New story new me. Can't wait to not update this ever.

Jk, I just wanted to write romance, or at least try lol. And I like IzuNejire, I think they make a cute couple!

We'll see how long this goes, but it could be anywhere from 4 chapters to 20 depending on reception and the vibes I get while writing.

Hope you enjoyed! See you next time!