Third person pov

There were several ways to describe hell, but their little heart-to-heard took the cake by far. Harper's headache was growing worse and worse with not only every word that flew from their mouths, but every thought that their idiotic brains spouted as well. It was almost enough to make her stand up and walk right out the door. But if she did, it's not like anyone else would come in here and pull some My Little Pony-esque bullshit to help them work through their individual jumbles, all of which were made up of feelings, self-doubts, and for some fucking reason, a disregard for their own health! Namely their own bones-- Midoriya, Harper is looking at you.

"So let me get this straight." Harper breathed in. They'd been in here for around three hours now. Sansa had poked his head in to see how things were going at one point, and Harper had turned around so fast that her own neck had nearly snapped. The expression on her face must have been telling enough, because he disappeared faster than a abductor did after they finally got the kid they'd promised candy to into the back of their white, windowless van that screamed "suspicious" at the top of its mechanical little lungs. The three teenagers before her had even gotten their own chairs, and sat in a semi-circle in front of her, looking like they were on death row. Fitting. "You think you're worthless."

"I-I didn't say that!" Midoriya sputtered, eyes going wide. "How did she know?!"

"Oh my god. Okay. Fine. This is fine." Harper breathed in, closing her eyes as she did so. Todoroki and Iida shared a look, but didn't say a word. Harper was glad. Of all the days to test her, today was not it. They were treading lightly, and it was a damn good thing. She'd have murdered them otherwise. "You heavily implied that you have no care for your own well-being through not only your words, but your actions. How many times have you broken a bone this school year alone?"

Iida and Todoroki looked at Midoriya expectantly as he shrunk in on himself. Harper shook her head. Of everyone in class, these three were the most mentally and emotionally challenged. Barring Bakugo who had some anger issues and was in the midst of a gay panic. He was fine otherwise, so Harper would concern herself with the inner workings of his mind later. For right now, she had to focus on making sure these three didn't die. Iida from killing himself, Midoriya from needlessly sacrificing himself, and Todoroki from finally bottoming out under his father's pressure. Todoroki was probably the least likely to kick the bucket. He was in a situation he needed out of, but couldn't escape. She'd work on that.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Now, I want you to think about all your friends. Your mother. Inko Midoriya, right? You adore her?" Harper huffed out, her tone a bit too harsh for what she was trying to convey. Damn that. She'd drill it into his mind anyway. "What do you think we'd do if you vanished? What would she do? Do you think we'd just be okay if you died?"

"W-Well... well, no..." Izuku trailed off, a look of realization dawning on his face. "They'd be... pretty upset, I guess. My mom especially. I don't... but... oh, wow. Holy... wow! They... They care! People actually care about me! How did I not see this before? It all makes so much sense! Uraraka, Iida, even Todoroki and Harper!"

Harper suppressed a groan as Izuku's eyes grew wide with awe. Did he seriously not think people valued him before? Fucking Bakugo. He'd screwed the pooch big time. If he ever wanted to be with Midoriya, he needed to check himself before he further wrecked himself. That boy was a volunteer service project she wasn't sure she wanted to participate in. That being said, it would almost be a public favor. It's not like anyone else was willing to touch him with a ten foot pole, excusing Aizawa who wanted to be up in everyone's jam and jelly.

 Harper's gaze moved on to the next one of her victims. Shoto Todoroki. He'd be a tough nut to crack seeing as she technically wasn't supposed to know about his abuse, but he seemed more inclined to listen to other people ever since the Sports Festival. Right now he was especially open due to the fact that she'd saved him from becoming an amputee, and also because she was clearly not here to take any dilly-dallying shit. It was almost satisfying to know he was intimidated. "Alright. You next, Strawberry Shortcake."

"Strawberry Shortcake?" Shoto muttered to himself, reaching up to finger a few strands of his hair. "What issues could I possibly have that she'd decided to address? All I did was show up when asked. Midoriya and Iida both needed me."

"What? Do you like Candy Cane better?" Harper asked, brows rising sarcastically. "Doesn't matter. I had the absolute displeasure of meeting your asshat of a father at the Sports Festival. We had a little chat, and you see, I got some pretty weird vibes off the guy. You want to tell me what that was about?"

Shoto and Izuku both tensed, the half-and-half boy's face hardening. Harper still felt the emotions he was trying to hide nonetheless. He was nervous, and incredibly unsure. He trusted her, but not with that. Sucked to be him. She knew before he even told Izuku. "She's onto me, then. Harper... is more perceptive than she appears."

"You know what? I'll have my dad handle you instead. In the meantime, tone down the self-hatred. Your face isn't ugly. Yes, I can tell you hate it, you're not subtle. You look hot and your scar is badass. Just ask any of our female classmates. Even the lesbians will agree." Harper waved a hand at him. The trio of boys looked stunned, and Shoto's face flushed. He opened his mouth to ask questions: probably dumb shit like 'what do you mean?' or 'why do you think so?'. She cut him off before he could get a single word in, "Uh huh. Keep the questions to yourself. I'm doing to asking here. You're giving answers. Did you forget that I was into redheads, or were you not there for that? I think you're 50% hot according to my physical preferences in a partner." 

"Oh." Shoto choked out, otherwise too shocked and confused to do anything. Harper sighed and moved to Tenya. Time to wrap this shit up so she could go home. She was also hungry. At one point Tsukauchi had risked cracking open the door to toss some vending machine food at her like they were trying to feed a feral dog, and she'd shoved the wrapped goods down her throat without pause. She'd almost choked in the process, but it wasn't a big deal. It was the least of her problems. Harper could drop dead and it wouldn't be the most troublesome thing that had happened to her today.

"Now, you." Harper's tone was scathing. Tenya tensed up, gulping. "You're a total dumbass. Stop beating yourself up over what happened your brother and have some fucking dignity, man. Revenge? Cute. Shove it up your ass. Tensei fought valiantly and almost died in the field, but he's still here, and he's still your brother. He still cares. It isn't the end of the damn world. You acting recklessly could have gotten you killed. What would your family have done? They adore you, and so do all your classmates. Even Aizawa-sensei things you're a gift from heaven above."

"What? How do you know that?" Midoriya yelped, eyes wide. "Aizawa-sensei is so private! He's always so cold towards the class!"

"The same way I know Ectoplasm loves karaoke. Keep up!" Harper barked, standing. They all shrunk back, but asked no further questions, which was good seeing as their safety overall was completely at stake Harper took a deep breath. Calm. She could go home after this, and shit would be fine. "Alright, look. I'm tired. The point is: internships aren't over. Do not get yourselves killed in that time, you hear me, you little shits? You're stuck with your father. Don't let him get to you. You're with some violent old man. Try not to shatter your fucking bones. Iida, you're worth more than you think and you're cared about, so hold the hell out for a bit. Do you understand me?"

They all stared unmovingly, eyes wide and terrified. Harper glared harder. Iida could feel himself withering under her gaze. When Harper dove into things, she dove deep. He'd never realized just how much she stayed out of his business until now. Even now she wasn't even butting that deep in. She asked base-level questions without diving further in unless they first prompted it, and worked expertly with the information she had. Her ability to break them apart and tell them what they needed to hear in blunt terms was astonishing, but also a bit awing in some ways.

"Listen the hell up. Today I have been kidnapped, chased by Nomu, have run through a smokey street after falling through a portal, and have almost gotten myself chopped up by a serial killer, who I, by the way, have to help interrogate later." Harper glowered at each one of them pointedly. "What I'm saying is that if you fuck up and give me any reason to come find you-- and trust me, I will come find you-- you're dead fucking meat. You'll be crying out for your mothers the moment I so much as breathe in your direction. So I'll repeat this: do you understand me?"

They nodded vigorously this time. Harper huffed out a harsh breath of air, but was satisfied. Maybe they'd fuck off for the remainder of the week and keep to themselves. Seriously, just a few days into internships and they'd faced off against the Hero Killer in some back alley next to a dumpster full of rotting Chinese leftovers. Iida had permanent damage to his hand, Midoriya had managed to break several somethings, and Todoroki... well, he was pretty much fine if you looked past the fact that he almost had his entire fucking arm removed.

"Good. Glad we had this little chat. I'll repeat myself one more time. Izuku, you're not a piece of shit, Shoto, you're not your father, and Iida, for the absolute love of god, you're an amazing person who is loved. So chill the fuck out and stop wallowing. It's time to get over yourselves." Harper stretched her arms over her head as she spoke, taking a deep breath. It was late and she wanted desperately to go home. Her bed? Calling her name. She could hear it from here. 

"R-Right. Thanks, Harper." Izuku smiled a bit, though it was hesitant and a bit afraid. "Wow, I really wasn't expecting that from her. I guess... I guess she does care! And she's right; I can't keep destroying myself like this. I have friends now, and All Might is counting on me to become the next symbol of peace. I can't let them down!"

"I'll keep your words in mind." Tenya agreed, cautiously raising his eyes to meet hers. "I... She's right. I've been foolish and selfish. I just... I'm such an idiot. My parents are probably sick with concern-- and Tensei too. He asked me to carry on his hero name, and I only misused it in his stead. I must make him proud, somehow, even if I'm worth nothing. Until then... I'll keep the pain in my hand. As a reminder."

Alright, so Tenya needed some work, but at least he wasn't actively having thoughts of jumping off the hospital's roof anymore. Izuku was alright too. He seemed to have an epiphany. How could he have not known he was cared for? The guy needed some sort of reality check. Did he not understand how other people worked? Christ, he needed therapy. All three of them did. Four if you included Harper. Sansa and Kurogiri both, which made six. Tsukauchi was surprisingly stable all things considered. He wouldn't be for long if shit like this persisted. 

"I've dealt with my father my whole life, Harper. You don't have to worry. I can handle him for a few more days. Thank you again for pushing me out of the way. You saved my career as a hero, as well as my life." Shoto said modestly, giving her a nod. He and Midoriya had clearly taken her advice the best. "I won't let my father get to me. I'm... afraid. Harper's father is a detective, and she's claimed that she'll be talking to him. A part of me is worried. My father has money and resources, but I'm... oddly hopeful, as well. Harper is persistent, if nothing else. I wonder if maybe... things will change."

"Get rest, you guys. I'll handle our classmates. I'm sure you don't feel like talking. I won't be telling them what happened, but they know you were all in Hosu." Harper sighed, dreading the texts she'd be sending on the way home. "I know the Chief said there may be legal consequences even with them giving the credit to the flaming douche bag, but don't worry about it. He owes me several favors."

"That's ominous." The trio seemed to think in almost perfect sync. Harper gave them a mildly weirded out look before stepping out, nodding in parting as they offered their goodbyes. That was out of the way. That meant-- and this was assuming the little shits actually kept their ears on and listened to her-- she wouldn't have to be doing this for a while. Yes, there was still Kirishima to deal with, but he was tolerable enough. His crush was extremely weird considering what a piece of shit she was, but at least he wasn't sexual about it. Like how Bakugo was with Midoriya. Or even worse: how Mineta was with literally everyone his age that had a penis.

Harper knew Iida had listened to her words, but she was still worried. He backtracked a lot. Second guessed him self, and would relapse in an instant. All it would take was the slightest offhanded thought and he'd spiral. His thoughts when she'd gone into the room were bad. Harper could only hope her words were enough to bide him over until it was time to get back to UA. A part of her wanted to contact someone and make sure he wasn't alone that often, but knew it was impossible for someone to have eyes on him all the time.

Tsukauchi perked up when Harper stepped out and closed the door behind her, blindly reaching over to shake Sansa awake as he stood. He ended up almost smacking the feline man in the face in the process. Harper's eyes were drawn to Kurogiri as he leapt from his chair. Any color that had made its way into her face drained out as he let out what sounded a lot like a wail. As though they were reuniting after he'd thought she was dead, or after she'd been away for several years. Even Tsukauchi looked the slightest bit mortified as Harper was body slammed by the former villain.

"Harper!" Kurogiri sniffled, wrapping her in a hug. She tensed as they fell, her head spinning when they harmlessly dipped through a portal rather than hitting the floor, falling through the ceiling and back into an upright position that left her wondering what had just happened. Sansa was blinking blearily, clearly confused. Tsukauchi seemed to be in the same boat as Kurogiri cuddled her. "She was in there for so long! It felt as though a vice were tightening around my chest, and I'm not sure why! It was... well, quite terrifying! She is my source of emotion. My first real friend, I do dare say. I know she was a mere room over, but it does not change the fact that I was... anxious. Is that the word Tsukauchi used?"

"Lord have mercy on my undying soul." Harper mumbled to herself before shaking her head and pulling herself away from Kurogiri. She wanted out of this costume and into a set of pajamas. "Alright, alright, I missed you too. I'm back now. Stop crying. I want to go home, and I want to sleep. I'm two seconds away from bribing Sansa into hitting me over the head with a chair just so I can get some shut eye."

"What would you bribe me with?" Sansa blurted out before he could stop himself. Tsukauchi elbowed him, pairing the action with a disapproving look. "Whiskey?"

"I'd tell you why you're never allowed to be near Endeavor." Harper shrugged. She and Tsukauchi had entered a pact with that information. They had agreed to tell no one, under no circumstances. Especially no one with animalistic features. Sansa had asked around the time they first met why Harper had such an aversion to the Number Two hero, and both she and Tsukauchi had made the mistake of hesitating before coming up with an excuse. It had opened a gateway. Now Sansa and everyone in the office wanted to know.

"Harper!" Tsukauchi gasped, horrified. "She wouldn't!"

"Alright, stay still." Sansa said, standing up and moving to grab a chair. Kurogiri's glowing eyes narrowed. "How hard should I whack her? I don't want to give her a concussion, but she needs to be out-"

"Touch her and I'll remove your limbs from your body and scatter them across the continent." Kurogiri hissed, his foggy body flaring. They all fell silent, turning to stare at him as he kept his misty hands on Harper's fatigued shoulders. They were a bit chilly, but felt like real hands otherwise. Maybe he had a normal head under all that smoke too. That was besides the point. It was nice to know Sansa was willing to knock her out. Also nice to know Kurogiri was literally acting like a protective dog with major separation anxiety. "Harper Rye is my new priority, cat man. Do not cross me."

"...O-kay, so today has been a long day. Why don't we all head to our respective homes and call it a night? We can pick this up tomorrow!" Tsukauchi gave a bright smile. Harper stared blandly. How could he be so optimistic after all they'd gone through? Was he not dead tired? "Sansa doesn't like Kurogiri, and this isn't going to help. I don't want them to start a fight. Especially not in a hospital hallway of all places! There are children present! Well, does Harper count as a child? She's a minor, but falls under the 'teen' category. She's also probably seen worse..."

"Are you forgetting that he was a villain a few hours ago? Because he was a villain a few hours ago." Sansa waved a paw at the Warp Gate user, who glared back. "He could totally be plotting to kill people right now! Do they not see how he's glaring at me? Or maybe he just needs to sneeze... shit, he could legitimately just need to sneeze. Do I say bless you if he does? It would be rude not to, but the guy kind of seems like a dick."

"I have turned my back on villainy." Kurogiri said simply. Harper shared a look with Tsukauchi. She was done. He was done. They were both done. They just wanted to board themselves up in their apartment and never come out. "I have told him several times that I am now friends with Harper Rye, and no longer wish to work for Tomura Shigaraki and Sensei. Did he forget already?"

"Oh, and I'm just supposed to believe that?" Sansa scoffed. "He's going to shank me with a broken bottle in a dark alley. I just know it."

"Yes, you are. Because he isn't fucking lying." Harper hissed, drawing the attention back to her. Her eyes narrowed. She was so close to snapping. She was tired. Done. Ready to go, and if anyone dared to stop her, she was prepared to bust knee caps. "Now. We're all going to walk towards the exit nice and quietly. Then, we're going to go to the car. Tsukauchi will start the car. He will take you home, and then he will take us home. Kurogiri will sleep on the couch, Tsukauchi will do paperwork because he's an idiot who thinks he can live without sleep, and I will be falling into a small coma. If anyone has an issue with that, you can talk to my manager."

"What manager?" Tsukauchi's nose scrunched up. "Harper is going to blow a fuse if we don't get her home. She hasn't been sleeping lately thanks to the new neighbor and his nightmares, and it's been a long day."

"This manager." Harper held up her middle finger. "First name 'Fuck', last name 'Off.'"

"Seems nice." Sansa's tone was meeker than before. She shot him a glare. "Wow, she's in a mood. That's fine. It's been a rough day. She's got Huggy the Smoke Monster over there attached to her hip, and she also almost died. She could use a break."

"You're sassy." Kurogiri muttered, as though it had just dawned on him. Harper sighed and pulled away from his grasp, grabbing his hand after and beginning towards the exit. "Friends hold hands. I saw it on TV once. Excellent!"

Harper could only sigh for what felt like the millionth time that day. She wasn't sure if Kurogiri needed sleep or how his quirk worked, but she could only hope his thoughts weren't nearly as active at night as they were right now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone here knows Harper had a long day. She had more near-death experiences in the span of around an hour or two than most people have in their entire life time. She got kidnapped, but adopted her kidnapper like he was some sort of stray. She and said kidnapper got chased by a mutated creature or two, she inhaled a shit ton of smoke, had to avoid fires and flaming vehicles in danger of exploding, and almost got taken out by a serial killer. After which she was promptly dropped atop her fake dad's police cruiser. She'd pretty much had no choice but to talk to her three classmates about their feelings, because apparently she gave a shit about them now. Wow, shocking. Crazy. Not to mention that on the way home, she'd had to text the other concerned people who knew about Hosu that everyone was fine and weren't all that injured.

Now, she was in her pajamas. Tucked away in her comfortable bed. Encased in warmth; left alone to her own devices. Tsukauchi was getting a jump start on his report of all that had gone down, and Kurogiri was passed out on the couch, too emotionally exhausted from the day's events. Or maybe crying over the fact that he and Harper were sleeping in different rooms had worn him out. There was really no telling. Harper had been home a few hours now. Her phone was one silent, her pillows were fluffed. All was well. There was just one little issue. 

She was wide awake.

"Mom?! Mom! Don't touch her, you can't-" There was a faint scream, warbling together with the sound of something rushing by. Harper heard crying, echoing several time as though ricocheting off metal walls. The neighbor was having another nightmare. It was his third one of the night, and one of the worst she'd heard. "Useless, useless, useless! You didn't stop him! Look what you did. He burned them. You were supposed to protect them, and he burned them. Worthless. Piece of shit, you deserve to die. You should have died. Your quirk should have done you in. If only you hadn't allowed yourself to be treated in that hospital. You should have blown out your brains when you had the chance."

Yeah. She'd been dealing with that horseshit for the past few hours now, and she wanted to scream. It wasn't as terrifying as the first few times she heard it. Right now, all she could feel about it was complete and total annoyance. Harper knew that was wrong of her, but the constant screaming, the boom of a distorted man's voice telling the owner of the nightmare he wasn't good enough, and such of that like was keeping her from getting some much-needed rest. Closing her eyes only made it worse. Her consciousness would latch onto whoever that man was, and it would amplify the sound. Though she couldn't see what was going on, the wracking sobs and constant stream of self-hatred that just about beat Iida's was driving her insane.

"Don't hurt him! He's too little. He's only six-- train me instead!" It was the voice of the man having the nightmare, but younger. It jumped again quite abruptly, older now, and angrier as it spewed out curses, "You damn bastard! I'll kill you! I'll kill you for this! You hurt him! You hurt mom! You're a piece of shit! You think you can call yourself a hero?! You're a damn fraud!"

It was an odd nightmare. It jerked around all over the place, rapidly changing pace. He was all the way down the hall, but he was the loudest in the building. Their neighbor's dreams were the subconscious kind they wouldn't remember in the morning. Just murmurs in comparison to the shit show the new guy was going through. Harper groaned, bringing her hands up to cover her face. This was hell. She was convinced that today was the worst day of her damn life. Excusing the day she met Endeavor, because hot damn had that been a trip. This was a close second though. Endeavor's took the cake for traumatizing, but grueling? Today had to be the breadwinner. 

Sitting up, Harper shook her head. She wasn't going to get any sleep like this, and that guy was freaking out. Normally he'd have one nightmare that would last a torturous two hours or so, and then he'd jerk awake with a gasp. He'd think about how shitty he was, and Harper would sigh and wait for him to calm down before finally managing to fall into unconsciousness herself. Tonight seemed like one of his harder moments. He was pretty deep in too, meaning this could definitely go on for a while.

Harper was actually pretty worried for him despite herself. He was fairly suicidal most of the time; especially after waking up from these night terrors. She didn't know much about him, but from what she gathered, he didn't have things like family and friends holding him back the same was Iida did. Though she wasn't sure, there was still a chance he'd make an attempt on his own life when he woke up. He usually considered it when he woke up, and this nightmare was proving to be quite severe.

Shaking her head and already hating herself, she slid out of bed. Her feet found her slippers almost on instinct. With a grimace, she shuffled for the door. This was her life now. She was destined to be sleep deprived for the rest of her days. Maybe she could nap between interrogations. If she was tired enough, perhaps she'd be able to sleep through the chattering thoughts that would without a doubt pervade the precinct tomorrow. Stain had been brought in. And by their office, no less. People were bound to be abuzz with excitement. Harper was already dreading it.

"Harper? What are you doing awake?" Tsukauchi was still up and at it. The blanket draped over his lap suggested maybe he'd nodded off at some point, but the fact was that he was conscious now. Harper gave a very heavy sigh as she made her way towards the kitchen. Kurogiri was out cold, his mind mumbling about emotions, Harper, and various dinner plans for whatever reason. If Kurogiri ended up staying with them permanently, at least they'd someone who actually knew how to cook on the premise. She and Tsukauchi could barely operate a toaster oven, even when they put their minds together.

"Can't sleep. Guy's stuck in a nightmare again." Harper grunted, pulling three tubs of ice cream from the freezer. Tsukauchi's eyebrows rose as she set them harshly on the counter with three respective thuds, moving around the bar to flit through his collection of movies. Tsukauchi had a surprisingly large amount despite using mostly Netflix and cable as a source of entertainment. Still, Harper supposed having physical copies was nice in some instances as well. 

"Alright. What's all that stuff for?" The Detective asked as she started tugging films from their places. Harper shot him a glance, the bags under her bloodshot eyes looking deeper and darker in the low lighting. Her hair was an absolute mess as well, and her entire slouched posture conveyed just how exhausted she was feeling. Tsukauchi wasn't sure he'd ever seen her look so beat down."I really hope she isn't planning to eat all that on her own. I guess vending machine food from the hospital wasn't much of a dinner, though..."

"I'm throwing Nightmare McFuck a pity party." Harper dropped the around five movies by the tubs of ice cream. Tsukauchi watched her march towards the linen closet. She pulled out the massive throw blanket Tsukauchi usually brought out only during the winter. It was huge and incredibly soft. She draped it over her shoulder, grumbling to herself as she did so. Tsukauchi's brows furrowed. He didn't make any moves to stop her, however. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.

"We don't know him. Are you sure it's safe to go over there?" Tsukauchi questioned. After today, he was a bit worried. "I should stop her, right? The parenting book mentioned sneaking out, but it was for parties and drugs! Not helping a terrified neighbor with their nightmares."

"If I die, it'll be a gift." Harper replied tiredly, stacking the ice cream and using her chin to help prevent it from falling over. The moves were tucked under her arm. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll just scream if anything happens. Besides, I know how to bite people."

"Bite?" Tsukauchi looked concerned, and rightfully so. "I think the lack of sleep is making her delirious."

"Isn't that what teeth are for?" Harper was only partly messing with him. It didn't matter. The newbie in the complex was having a rough go of things, and she wasn't digging it. He probably wasn't digging it either. Harper had, naturally, experienced her own fair share of nightmares. She wouldn't be all that surprised if she had some after today. Hosu was a damn mess. Harper was decent in a crisis and was able to block a lot of shit out due to the nature of her quirk and all the experience with fucked up people it gave her, but that didn't mean she hadn't been terrified. A part of her was still scared, so maybe this little escapade was partially for herself too.

Assuring Tsukauchi the chances of her actually dying were quite low, she made sure to leave a note for Kurogiri in case he woke up. She knew Tsukauchi could relay anything she wanted him to for him, but the Detective had insisted it would make the Warp Gate User feel a whole lot better if he knew it was her who'd taken the time to write the note and reassure him. That way, there'd be no way he could convince himself Tsukauchi was lying. Not when the information had come directly from the source.

The nightmare man lived only a few doors down. Harper had a headache still, but it only seemed to get worse as she approached his apartment. Terror and pain swarmed in the individual's mind, pleading for it all to stop. Sobbing and asking why he deserved it, and what he'd done wrong. What he could do right. It kind of hurt, which sucked ass. Harper really was going soft. She'd harden up again once she went back to UA and had to encounter Aizawa. He was just that horrifying to exist within the vicinity of. You could only experience so much pain before your body numbed it out to protect you. That's what being around Aizawa was like.

"Hey!" Harper shouted, knocking as loudly on the door as possible. It probably disturbed the other tenants, but she was too tired to care as she pounded on the entrance to her terrorized neighbor's apartment. "Wake up!" 

It took a few shouts and some more banging, as well as a glare from an elderly man next door, but the man inside finally woke up. Harper felt it the moment it happened. The nightmare ceased with a snap, replaced by racing thoughts and blurry confusion as she continued her assault on his door. The ice cream's temperature was beginning to make her arm ache, and the blanket was heavier than it looked. The man inside was tense. Harper understood that. It was around three in the morning, and he'd just woken up to what probably sounded like an eleven year old girl shouting at him to open the hell up.

She only stopped knocking when she knew he was finally coming to answer the door. Harper took a step back, sensing his unease. He was threatened by her, and he hadn't even seen her yet. Sad life. He'd soon see she was nothing more than a tired piece of shit and probably laugh in her face. Harper was a stranger to him, and he was a stranger to her. But here she was. With ice cream and movies that allowed you to drown your sorrows. If he was just going to keep having nightmares, she wouldn't be able to sleep. So she may as well come try to curb them herself, for this guy's sake and her own.

The deadbolt slid out of place and the lock in the knob turned with a click. There were no holes to peek through and check who was on the other side, so the man just threw open the door. And for the record, Harper didn't outwardly react when she saw him. She kept her shock to herself as a man with red-rimmed eyes and patchwork skin glared down at her with tired question shining in his turquoise irises. His hair was an unnatural shade of black, only making the bright color surrounding his pupils stand out more. The mottled purple skin also contrasted against it, rough and calloused compared to the undamaged skin it remained attached to thanks to a multitude of staples. 

Touya wasn't sure what the hell to think of the brat standing before him. He'd been in the middle of yet another nightmare. It was of the same variety he'd been having for years now, but he still couldn't get used to it. He'd woken up to someone pounding on his front door; a female voice demanding he wake up. It would have pissed him off more if he weren't so glad he'd been woken up. His uneasy sleep only would have left him feeling more tired than before anyway.

"Who the fuck are you?" Touya asked after a moment of them scrutinizing each other. "A kid?"

"Your saving grace, jackass." Harper answered, though it held no venom. She was too tired to inject spite into her words. "Your nightmares are keeping me the hell up, and have been since you got here. I've got all the supplies we need, so move the hell over."

"Supplies for what?" The man looked severely taken aback. Harper couldn't bring herself to care. "Seriously, who the hell is this kid? Doesn't she live further down the hall? I thought... yeah, she's a UA student. Not sure who though."

"For wallowing, obviously. I've had a long day. You've had a long day." Harper's face was disgruntled. Touya had literally no idea what to think. It had been a long time since he'd felt so dumbfounded. This was just... too out of the blue. He'd have been less surprised if had turned out to be a man with a knife, aiming to stab and rob him. "So do you want the ice cream or not?"

"Uh..." Touya blinked. "Okay, am I fucking dreaming, or is this actually happening? The hell?"

"Great. Move aside." Harper let herself in once her currently-fragile patience thinned. Touya was forced to step back, not wanting her to barrel into him. He watched with slightly wide eyes, still completely lost as she entered his mess of an apartment. She didn't even bat an eye at how much of a wreck it was, stepping over his dirty laundry, kicking soda cans out of the way, and such of the like. She totally swept all the junk off the coffee table like it was no big deal, setting down the ice cream she'd brought and the movies. Touya scrambled to shut the door and move after her.

Where had she come from? He had literally no clue. She looked shittier than he did, which was saying something considering how much of an ugly mug he had. The girl was tired, but went about her business efficiently nonetheless. A part of him still wanted to kick her out, but he was also still perplexed and wondering how this would go. She'd brought actual ice cream and movies. For him. Because of his nightmares. Hadn't even cringed at the state of his skin. 

"You never answered my damn question, brat. Who are you?" He was tempted to roast her alive, but didn't see a good reason to. Touya didn't think she was here to kill him. Did he make noise in his sleep that was somehow disturbing her? Either way, she'd pulled him out of one of his worst nightmares to date. He was almost grateful. Or he would be if this kid wasn't such a shit head. "Is she... serious about this?"

"Harper Rye." Oddly enough, she didn't ask his name. He offered an alias.

"You can call me Dabi, I guess." He kept his hands shoved in his pockets as she tossed shit off the couch and made room. "I'm not Touya Todoroki anymore. Not really."

Harper paused only for a second at that. Splendid. Just fucking great. Another victim of Endeavor! This was dandy. So this was the mysterious older sibling Shoto sometimes liked to dwell on. They all thought he was dead. This guy-- Touya-- was actually considering murdering Harper too. She was pretty sure he only hadn't because he had no idea what to do or how to react. He was still half asleep, and could really only stand there and stare at her dumbly as she invaded his home with no hesitation. Harper had no qualms with barging in. His couch looking comfortable enough. 

"I'd say it's nice to meet you, but it's not. Get us some spoons." Harper demanded, turning to look at him flatly. "We'll start with John Wick and work our way up."

Touya wasn't sure what to say to that, but he didn't really feel like going back to sleep either. Ice cream... sounded pretty good right now. This brat was weird, but she hadn't asked about his scars or nightmares. She'd only come in with comfort food, comfort films, and what looked like a couple very comfortable blankets. He could keep himself warm just fine, but had to admit the idea of curling up under one of those throws was quite appealing. So instead of telling her to get the hell out or she'd regret it, he simply sighed instead and made his way to the kitchen. He hoped she'd brought chocolate.

~~~

A R T 

CharTime has drawn these two amazing Harpers! The first one is her in her hero costume. It's literally so accurate. I can imagine her flipping off using two hands. Second is Villain Harper. She really got the expressions spot on on both of them. Seriously, thank you so much for these! They're super awesome. I adore them!

griffin_the_dor- has drawn this super cute Harper! I really love her take on the character. The thought bubbles looking like clouds are also super duper cute. I just love your style overall, so thank you so, so much for making this amazing art for the story and for everyone to enjoy! I super appreciate it!

Scripter_Numine has drawn a hella tired Harper. Tsukauchi out here tryna film and she just isn't having it. I really love it. You got her hero costume spot on, and it's so cute! Also very accurate. She'd be so done if anyone tried to tape her. Thank you for this sketch! Makes me want to have Tsukauchi try to make home videos or something!

SapphireWaterz has a really amazing style. I really love how this one is colored. Like, the lining in the blue color? It looks seriously cool. I really love it, and the illustration is spot on. I love the addition of purple into the pallet. It's just really amazing not gonna lie. Thank you so much for this. It looks absolutely amazing!

AAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHH has drawn this, and I literally love it so freaking much. You guys have no idea. I would kill to have this thing in my hands right now. It is so cool. Like, the thoughts written behind her just jumbled together randomly. With her sitting there, with the hella accurate hair and hella accurate mug? It's amazing. Seriously, Cady, you continue to outdo yourself. Thank you for the amazing art and awesome phone background!

lazy_apocalypse is back at it again with the absolutely stunning art. She's such an amazing artist I just--- 

*Inhales*

I'm like screaming. I love these so fucking much I can not CONVEY how amazing they are. The first one with Harper as Manx is just so painfully accurate. And then she went and made it better??? By adding??? Tsukauchi??? I can't even. It's too much. Look at that. Look at her. She's adorable. It's adorable. And then, to take the cake, she drew Kirishima WITH Harper? The anatomy is on point. Her art style is just-- 

*Inhales some more*

*Continues to scream*

Thank you so, so much. Seriously. I'm blown away by not only your art, but everyone's. Thank you guys all so much for this. lazy_apocalypse, I'll definitely be using your art if I ever make a one shot book specifically for this book (would anyone want one???) and I will WITHOUT A DOUBT be making a separate book that holds the playlist that goes with this story, and you better b e l i e v e your amazing artwork will be smack dab on the front just-

*Screams more*

Thanks for coming to my ted talk it's 4:20 AM YEET-