Discord server, if you wanna go live in a little cottage somewhere remote with some pets and stuff: https://discord.gg/DSBF4dP

Take care of yourselves, y'know the drill. Food and drink and sleep and medicine and whatnot. Enjoy these 12k words <3

Oh, also: manga/season 4 spoilers warning! I dipped into Eri's arc because the thought of writing big bro Izu was irresistible, haha.

~

The exam went well, overall. Surprisingly, Midoriya got the highest score, with Yaoyorozu in close second. Bakugou came very close to passing, but just missed the mark due to his attitude.

Both Bakugou and Midoriya had got into a fight after curfew for some reason they wouldn't disclose. Yagi had insisted he be the one to go and break it up, which was suspicious. Shouta put them under house arrest for a few days, irritated by them acting out.

Now off-campus and at home the following night, Shouta busied himself with marking papers and assessing his lesson plans. Without any new leads on the vigilante or the League of Villains, there was no necessity in his patrolling, meaning he stayed in with the stray cat that he had unofficially adopted. Pencil had settled herself on the sofa next to him, lying in a perfectly straight line in the same way that she always did, leading to her name. She gnawed at the catnip toy, which was thankfully fascinating enough to keep her from biting his hands to distract him from writing.

She suddenly silenced her content mumblings, ears shooting up and pivoting backwards. A second later, there was a violent knock at his front door, followed by someone ringing the bell. He checked his mobile to see if Hizashi or Nemuri had decided to drop by, but the lack of messages left him on edge. Shouta stood up quietly, grabbing the capture gear off the back of the sofa and easily equipping it as he crept towards the door. The bell rang again as he squinted through the peephole, slightly confused at the sight of the vigilante on his doorstep, but that quickly turned to alarm when he saw the young girl standing next to him.

He unlocked the door and swung it open, not letting down his guard. Yellow electricity skittered over Echo's form for a second and he flinched, letting out a huff of breath. Shouta took in the rough state of the vigilante, then dubiously glanced down at the girl who couldn't have been older than six years, with long white hair, red eyes, and a small horn on the side of her forehead. She was in a loose gown, bandages wrapped around her forearms, and she was staring up at him with a frightened expression. Echo jolted again as he was shocked.

"Alright, come in," Shouta acquiesced, stepping aside.

Echo stepped in first, another rush of electricity running through him. He waited for it to fade before offering his gauntleted hand to the girl, who instantly grabbed onto it like a lifeline, tip-toeing after him as he led them into the living room. Shouta closed and locked the door, but didn't take off his capture gear.

"Thank you," Echo said in yet another natural-sounding accent, lightly guiding the girl to sit down on the sofa and letting go just as he was shocked once more.

"I've got a lot of questions," Shouta responded drily, critically eyeing both of them.

"I'll answer them b-bu-ut-" His voice grew strained, electricity flickering over him- "I could do with some technical help, first. My kit was da-ama-ag-ed."

"So it seems. Who's the kid?" Shouta asked, crossing his arms.

"Her name is Eri-chan. I rescued her from the E-Eigh-t Pre-e-cepts," Echo responded.

"Yakuza?" He muttered, frowning at the state of her and deciding to lay off more questions for the time being.

"Echo-san?" Eri spoke up in a small voice, staring at Pencil. "What's this?"

"That's a cat!" Echo answered, a friendly smile audible in his tone for the first time.

Shouta paused, then sighed, resigning himself to the realisation that this was going to be his evening. "Her name is Pencil. She loves being petted, but she might bite you if you don't pay attention to her," he explained, turning to leave the room and glancing at the vigilante. "Echo. I'll find some tools. Stay here."

He trudged out silently, resisting the urge to check over his shoulder that he wasn't about to get mugged and murdered in his own house just because he wasn't heartless. Since he didn't use much support gear, he didn't really have a need to have a box of tinkering tools on hand, but Hizashi's directional speaker had blown out on more than one occasion, leading to Shouta keeping some things nearby, just in case. They were kept in a small toolbox under his bed, which he crouched down to grab, opening it up to rifle through and privately wonder if any of them would be of use to the vigilante. Shouta stood up, spine clicking as he did so, then made his way back into the living room.

Pencil had made herself at home on Eri's lap, and the little girl's eyes were wide with wonder. A noticeable lack of smile had Shouta frowning again before he placed the tool kit on the coffee table. Echo made as if to say thanks, but another shock silenced him, and he meekly got to work. He fiddled around his wrists until there was a click and he could pull the gauntlets off, but his hands were still covered in the same fabric as the rest of his body.

"Anything you want to eat or drink, Eri?" Shouta asked awkwardly, unsure how to act around young kids, especially not ones who seemed to have just been saved from abusive backgrounds.

The girl suddenly looked nervous again, shrinking down and curling her hands in Pencil's grey fur as she glanced at Echo for guidance. He paused in his action of poking a small screwdriver at the elbow not built up with a tape dispenser, raising his head and seemingly deliberating for a moment.

"Water or diluted juice," Echo suggested, shoving another tool between the jagged teeth of his mechanical jaws just as a holding space. "And maybe bitesized honey or jam sandwiches? If you, uh... have that."

Shouta nodded slowly, backing out of the room and heading to his small kitchen area. He grabbed a glass and poured in a small amount of apple juice, topping it up with water as the vigilante suggested. It was strange how easily Echo had that answer on hand, as if he knew how to deal with kids. Perhaps he had a younger sibling?

The sandwiches were easy enough to make, and he made sure to cut them into small squares, hesitating before removing the crusts, too. Shouta put them on a plate, which he then placed on a tray alongside the glass, carrying it back into the living room to be greeted with the sight of Echo sitting close to the girl on the sofa.

"Here," Shouta said, holding it out, stubbornly ignoring the way the last of his suspicion fled at the soft scene.

Echo carefully took it, placing the tray on his lap and raising his hand as a partition to stop Pencil from sticking her head in the glass. "There you go, Eri-chan. I told you Eraserhead was a nice man."

Eri dipped her head, hands firmly clasped around the glass. She was silent for a moment, gazing at the juice and sniffing it curiously, and after glancing at the vigilante she raised it to her mouth and took a sip. Her crimson eyes went wide again and she took a big gulp.

Echo giggled, patting Pencil to appease her. "Easy there, Eri-chan. If you drink it too fast you'll get a tummy ache."

"You're a lot nicer-looking without the mask, Echo-san," Eri commented quietly, pinching a tiny sandwich between her tiny fingers. "I like your smile."

"Glad to hear it," the vigilante responded, the grin audible in his tone. "But I've got to keep my identity a secret from Eraserhead and everyone, remember?"

She nodded, nibbling away. "Our secret."

"Our secret," he echoed.

"You're still wanted, remember. I could call Tsukauchi and have him come over to take you in," Shouta said, gaze skimming over the closed toolbox.

"You won't, though," Echo stated, a surprising amount of certainty in his tone.

Shouta met the vigilante's gaze for a moment, unblinking. He sighed, heavily sitting down on the remaining space on the sofa, next to Echo.

It was unfair how right the little brat was.

"Fixed your kit?" Shouta asked in lieu of answering and compromising his facade.

Echo hummed, raising his elbow that likely had the central circuitry on. "Turned it off for the time being. I'll find a chance to fix it later."

"Echo-san was really brave," Eri murmured. "He rescued me from the mean bird people..."

"He rescues a lot of people, it seems," Shouta agreed, keeping his expression unreadable as he stared at the vigilante, trying to piece together the puzzle of who he might be under the mask.

"He's my hero," the girl said emphatically, turning her big eyes on Echo, who made an odd sort of noise before clearing his throat.

"That's really sweet, Eri-chan," Echo responded in his softest voice yet.

Shouta shifted, sliding down a bit on the sofa so he could get more comfortable by kicking his feet onto the table, sinking into his capture gear. "What happened? And what are you planning to do from here?"

"I took a risk by going straight into the Eight Precepts' base instead of gradually picking off their members," Echo explained, sounding marginally uneasy. "But rescuing Eri was my priority. They got in a few hits but we still escaped. I think..." He lowered his voice, leaning in closer. "I think they'll probably be searching for Eri to get her back. They were using her blood to make a drug that erases Quirks." He straightened back up, gloved fingers tangling in Pencil's fur, much to her delight. "I won't let that happen. So, if you could keep Eri-chan safe, I'll try to work on gradually taking down the Precepts."

"Alone?"

Echo paused. "Yeah...?"

"No."

"...alright."

Shouta blinked. Echo stared right back at him. Eri shoved another sandwich into her mouth.

"I..." Shouta trailed off, surprised at how easy it had been to dissuade him from going on a suicide mission. "Good. There are some heroes and police who have been already looking into the Eight Precepts, but this should be the grounds we need to be able to plan a raid and make sure there's no other hostages. You weren't followed here, were you?"

"No. I was careful."

"It'll be tricky to get custody of Eri." He frowned, lacing his fingers together on top of his stomach and stubbornly ignoring the absurdity of the situation. "I need to teach tomorrow, too, and I can't leave her alone."

Echo glanced over his shoulder at the content girl, then back to Shouta, hands clenched on his lap with suppressed desperation. "Take her with you. Inform Nedzu of the situation. Is there anyone at UA not busy who you'd trust Eri-chan with, temporarily?"

Shouta considered it. If anyone could get things done with scary speed, it would be Nedzu. He'd probably be able to finagle custody over Eri within the day. It would be a lot easier to keep the girl safe at UA...

But why was he even trusting Echo, anyway? What if this whole thing was just a ploy to get Shouta to get down his guard? What if Eri was just acting?

Then again... what sort of young girl didn't even know what a cat was? What child didn't smile even once? What kid was forced to pad around in a hospital-esque gown with a concerning amount of bandages on?

God, Shouta was going soft.

He considered the people he would trust to look after a young girl. Hizashi and Nemuri would be busy with their own classes. Yagi didn't know the first thing about kids. His students were all busy with-

Wait. All but two.

"Bakugou and Midoriya are on house arrest. It'd probably do them some good to have to work together," Shouta informed the vigilante, almost grinning at the thought of the two of them trying to see eye to eye.

"You sure you trust them to keep her safe?" Echo asked, stern but hopeful.

"They're two of the strongest kids in the class, and they make a good team when they actually cooperate. As long as Midoriya doesn't panic and Bakugou tones down his attitude, it'll be fine," Shouta confirmed, glancing sideways past the vigilante to the girl. "What's Eri's Quirk?"

"It's-"

"It's a curse," Eri whispered delicately, lowering the sandwich from her mouth.

Echo visibly deflated, hands clenching even tighter on his thighs, fury and sympathy practically radiating off him. "It's called Rewind. It turns back time for living things she touches when it's active, so she can return them to their previous state."

"I made people disappear. Overhaul-san says I'm dangerous..." She trailed off, shrinking down and hugging herself.

"Anyone can be dangerous if they want to be, Eri-chan. Do you want to be dangerous?" Echo inquired, getting a shake of the head in response. "Then you're not dangerous, right?"

She looked at him with big eyes. "But I can't control my Quirk. I'm cursed."

"You can't control your Quirk because no-one ever taught you how. I couldn't control my Quirk when I was younger, and I ended up hurting myself a lot before people helped me understand how to use it. Your Quirk can do incredible things. You healed my wounds, remember? That's a good thing. You're a good person," Echo stated firmly, reaching out to gently tuck strands of white hair behind her ear; she tensed up a little, but didn't appear afraid. "You just need someone to help you understand your Quirk, and if you want, I'll be that person."

"What if I hurt someone again because I lose control?" Eri asked softly, one small hand reaching up to touch the horn on her forehead.

"Eraserhead's Quirk is called Erasure-" Echo pointed at the man, leaning back to let the girl see- "and he can temporarily turn off people's Quirks by looking at them. Look, see?"

Shouta obligingly activated his Quirk, black strands coming loose from the bun and rising up as his tired eyes glinted red for a moment. He blinked, brushing hair back from his face.

"So if you ever lose control, Eraserhead can use his Quirk so you'll be safe," the vigilante finished warmly, then turned to glance at the man in question. "Are you alright with her staying here tonight? I need to leave soon."

Even though his answer was already obvious, he pretended to deliberate for a few moments. "I'll keep an eye on her."

"Thank you," Echo said sincerely, hand lifting to gently touch the man's arm before he turned around again. "Eri-chan, are you okay to stay with Eraserhead, for now?"

Eri blinked, one hand screwed up in the fabric of her gown, the other resting on Pencil. "He's your friend?"

"He's my friend," the vigilante confirmed softly.

"Okay," Eri agreed, nodding a little.

"It's pretty late, so let's get you to bed, alright?" Echo stood up, placing the tray on the coffee table. "Stay here with Pencil while me and Eraser go find you some things."

Shouta languidly pulled himself from his comfortable position, padding from the room with the vigilante on his tail. He grabbed an inflatable bed from a cupboard, handing it, and some pillows and blankets, over to Echo, somewhat relieved to see him take them without complaint, even though it left him vulnerable. The amount of trust the vigilante held in the underground hero was inexplicable... unless they'd met before...

"You're good with kids," Shouta commented, stepping into the small bathroom and turning on the light to search for a spare toothbrush.

"You're not," Echo quipped, merely giggling as he was fixed under a glare.

He pulled apart the packaging and placed the new toothbrush by the sink, briefly wondering if he'd need to find a stool for the girl to stand on to even be able to reach the sink. Shouta turned off the light, figuring he'd deal with it in the morning. Echo smoothly stepped aside, cocking his head to one side as he watched the man head into his bedroom, only to grab his yellow sleeping bag and an alarm clock. They both stepped out into the hallway, but Shouta halted, deciding to push his luck with their odd relationship.

"If you took off that mask, would I recognise you?" He asked quietly, gaze flitting over the vigilante's form.

There was a pause. "I hope so," the vigilante responded with a shrug, turning his back and returning to the living room.

Shouta stood there for a few more seconds, thinking. When he stepped into the bright room, the furniture had already been pushed aside to leave enough room for two people to sleep on the floor. Echo unrolled the inflatable bed, lowering himself into a kneel and fiddling with his mechanical jaws for a moment before tugging down the lower one, allowing him to blow into the nozzle. Eri watched, fascinated, as the mattress slowly filled up. Shouta spread out his sleeping bag a respectable distance from it, shrugging off his capture gear and placing it to the right. He glanced over as Echo snorted, letting out a half-hearted noise of disappointment when Pencil leapt off the girl's lap and thumped onto the mattress, expelling a puff of air.

Taking pity on the poor vigilante, Shouta stepped over and scooped up the cat. It took an awkward amount of time for the bed to be fully blown up, but Eri seemed amazed by the entire process.

"I think I have an air pump somewhere you could've used instead," Shouta said, letting the cat drop and return to investigating the new object.

Echo let out a long groan of irritation, glaring up at the man, visible mouth pulled into something dangerously close to a pout. "And yet you just stood there and watched me make a fool of myself?!"

"I only just remembered," he lied, hiding a smug smile.

The vigilante muttered something inaudible, closing the jaws again and placing a pillow at the head of the mattress. He glanced over his shoulder and motioned to Eri, who hopped down from the sofa, eyes wide. After a few minutes of testing out the bed, she crawled onto it and lay down on her back, watching silently as Echo carefully draped a blanket over her, tucking it gently around her and pulling it up to her chin. Echo softly brushed his hand back over her head, and she closed her eyes at the touch.

"I need to go, but I'll see you soon, okay?" He whispered to her, and she nodded, snuggling deeper in her bed. "Keep her safe, Eraser."

It had been a strange night, but Shouta was glad he'd let them in.

*

"So... when are you going to explain why there's an adorable little girl in my back seat?" Nemuri asked as they stopped at a red light.

"Once I've told Nedzu," Shouta reiterated, glancing at the rear-view mirror to check on Eri.

She was sitting there quietly and obediently, not even kicking her legs. They didn't have a booster seat for her, but they made do with a couple of stacked cushions. It was too dangerous to take her by train in case she was recognised, and Shouta didn't own a car since he didn't like driving, which meant Nemuri had to take them to UA, and he had to put up with her questioning for an eternity.

"And she's not related to you in any way?" The woman raised her eyebrows suggestively, turning back to face the road as the traffic started moving again.

"No."

"So you just suddenly have a child for no reason? Where did she even come from?" Nemuri took a left turn, her midnight-blue car trundling up the slope.

"Echo-san saved me," Eri piped up from the back, and Shouta resisted the urge to glare, because she wasn't one of his students and she didn't know any better.

"Echo-san?" Nemuri repeated, crimson lips pulling back in a grin. "That cute little vigilante who's been helping us out? He brought a little girl to you, of all people, to look after her?" She paused. "Wait... how did he even know where you lived?"

"I'd rather not think about that," Shouta responded drily, opening the door and stepping out the moment the car stopped outside the school, then moving to the back seat to free the other hostage. "Come on, Eri."

The little girl hopped down with a little help, staring up at the looming building apprehensively but following after him nonetheless. He was glad that he'd decided to come in extra early, because he really didn't need loads of people asking why he had a kid trailing after him. Nedzu chirped a pleasant 'come in!' before Shouta even knocked on the principal's door.

"You must be Eri-chan," Nedzu said, bowing to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Principal Nedzu."

"Nedzu's going to make sure you can stay with us," Shouta explained, hoisting the girl onto a chair then taking a seat himself.

"Indeed!" The principal scurried onto his chair behind his desk, lifting up a small device. "I'm going to be recording this conversation, if that's alright with you, Eri-chan."

Eri looked sideways at Shouta for guidance, then nodded.

"Excellent. I only have a few questions to ask you, so it shouldn't take long!"

*

It took a few hours filled with many questions, ending a short while before school would start. Eri had withdrawn a little during the conversation, but didn't cry. Recovery Girl checked in on her at one point, pressing a kiss to her forehead to heal her wounds, then handing over a ridiculous amount of gummy bears. She was padding along behind Shouta as they headed towards the dorms, passing a few students who shot them curious glances but were smart enough not to pry. Shouta had managed to time it so he wouldn't bump into any of his own class, since he really didn't have the energy to deal with their questions so early. They headed into the common room, met with the sound of running water and humming from the kitchen area.

"Midoriya, Bakugou," Shouta called.

The water abruptly cut off, followed by the clattering of a dish being put down, then pattering footsteps heralding the arrival of the problem child dashing into the room. He had his head dipped respectfully, shoulders squared and eyes squeezed shut.

"Yes, Aizawa-sensei?" Midoriya asked, tone almost painfully polite, clearly trying not to irritate Shouta into grounding him for longer.

"Where's Bakugou?"

"Kacchan's doing the laundry," the kid informed, daring to squint open one eye, only to straighten up in surprise as he noticed the little girl. "Uh... sensei?"

"This is Eri. I need to and Bakugou to look after her today." Shouta lowered his voice, gaze stern. "She comes from a bad background, so be gentle."

Midoriya nodded, expression stupidly determined, as if he'd been given the most important task in the world. He turned and bowed deeply to Eri, beaming brightly.

"I'm Midoriya Izuku, but you can call me Deku, if you want!" Midoriya said with a charismatic wink, crouching down to her height. "My friend is called Bakugou Katsuki, but I call him Kacchan because we've known each other for forever. He seems scary, but once you get to know him, he's very nice!"

Shouta raised a skeptical eyebrow, but Eri seemed mollified, stepping closer. She examined him for a moment, taking in his absurd 't-shirt' t-shirt. Her red gaze locked onto his hair, and he dipped his head lower, giggling as she lightly patted at it.

"Your hair is green," she mumbled, fascinated.

"Yeah, it is," he confirmed through laughter, peeking up at the teacher through his lashes with mirth in his eyes. "I think Aizawa-sensei needs to go, now, because he's got a class to teach. Wanna say bye?"

Eri turned around and looked up, one hand resting on Midoriya's knee. "Bye-bye, Eraserhead."

"I'll come to check on you at lunch," Shouta said.

Midoriya nodded, picking up the little girl with gentle hands as he stood up. She used his forearms as a seat, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder. Shouta stared for a moment longer, then turned around, trudging back down the corridor.

"Come on, Eri-chan, let's go find Kacchan," Midoriya suggested, a smile in his voice.

*

Shouta returned at lunchtime with the expectation of seeing the dorms reduced to a smouldering mess, so it was a pleasant surprise to note that there wasn't even a single scorch mark on the walls inside. He wandered into the common room, starting to wonder if Bakugou and Midoriya had killed one another since it was so quiet. That wouldn't look good on his record.

The vacuum cleaner was running. Midoriya was still holding Eri with one arm, the other easily keeping the sofa tipped up to allow Bakugou to bitterly vacuum underneath. Both boys had a few tufts of hair tied up with hairbands, and Midoriya had several colourful clips pinning back his fringe. Eri's hair had been transformed into a fishtail plait, a few of the shorter wavy strands curling around her face.

Shouta was wrong. This was so much worse than murder.

Midoriya's gaze flitted over to the doorway and he brightened significantly. Bakugou paused, following his line of sight and turning off the vacuum. Eri twisted around in the boy's grip to look.

"Sensei's back!" Midoriya cheered, lowering the sofa back down with alarming strength. "Welcome home!"

As much as Shouta longed to dispute it, the more he looked, the more he realised how domestic it really was. Awful.

"You look like you've been having fun," he drawled instead of acknowledging it.

"It was great! Me and Kacchan did all our chores and entertained Eri-chan at the same time, and Ochako-chan let me use some of her things, so we introduced Eri-chan to the wonders of styling hair - oh, look at the fishtail plait that Kacchan did! Isn't it amazing?" Midoriya enthused, bouncing a little and excitedly motioning towards Eri's white hair.

"Shut up," Bakugou growled lowly, tugging the ties from his hair and violently ruffling it back into style, almost looking embarrassed.

"Sorry, Kacchan," the boy apologised, not sounding particularly sorry. "Kacchan and Eri-chan also tried to throw food in my mouth from across the room, but it didn't really go very well. Most of them hit me in the face or below the belt - which, now that I think about it, might not have been an accident on Kacchan's part..."

Bakugou's expression turned mildly smug. Shouta hated himself for not expelling them all on the first day and saving himself all this trouble. These morons were going to be the next generation of Pro Heroes, and that was truly a terrifying thought.

"Deku-san did a really good All Might impression," Eri spoke up, still not smiling but seeming happy nonetheless as she tugged on the boy's shirt. "Show him!"

Midoriya closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I am here!" He boomed, chest puffed and shadows printed illogically on his face, looking exactly the same as All Might in a way that should not have been physically possible.

"You disturb me," Shouta responded flatly, taking a wary step back. "I'll be back after classes end."

*

Shouta sipped from his coffee mug as he observed the scene from the doorway. Tokoyami's beak was covered in bright stickers. Yaoyorozu seemed to have made tiny outfits for Eri. The girls were treating her like a princess, and she seemed awed by the attention from where she sat in Midoriya's lap. He was sitting cross-legged, arms loosely wrapped around the young girl and his chin resting lightly on top of her head, watching as Ashido and Hagakure painted Eri's nails. Bakugou was angrily sandwiched between Kirishima and Midoriya, looking ready to explode but reluctantly staying to give occasional grunts of approval to Eri whenever she showed him the progress on her nails.

"Deku-kun, can we paint your nails, too? It'd be really cute if you and Eri-chan matched!" Uraraka exclaimed, beaming as the boy obligingly splayed his fingers over his knees.

"What colour, Izuku-kun?" Yaoyorozu asked, holding up several small bottles.

He contemplated for a moment. "Uh, well... Since Eri-chan has colours to match my hero costume, why don't I have colours to match her?"

"Adorable," Jirou commented, cracking a grin as the boy's cheeks flushed pink.

"Sensei, are you just gonna stand there watching us all evening?" Midoriya called without looking around, muffling his snickers in Eri's hair as several of his classmates turned and started at the sight of their teacher.

"I have paperwork to do to make sure Eri can stay in UA's custody and doesn't have to go back where she came from," Shouta said, taking another sip of his coffee and pivoting to face the other direction. "I'll be back at nine to pick her up."

He only got a short distance away before the common room was filled with panicked shouts. It took a precious second for him to work out whether they were just arguing or whether there was an actual problem, but the alarmed cries of the little girl's name had him sprinting back into the room. The kids had all backed away from the centre, terrified faces staring at the scene before them.

Eri's horn was larger. Bright light sparked off it. Midoriya was holding her close even as she cried, trying to push him away. His hair was blown back by the force of his Quirk that glittered a blinding green, his teeth gritted into a smile as tendrils of Eri's Quirk wrapped around him.

A shroud of Midoriya's Quirk partially lifted off his body, torso rising above like a ghost, shoulders wider, hair shorter, and muscles bigger, transparent eyes squeezed shut in a way that reflected his solid body. Tears spilled down his cheeks, metaphysical form following the movements of his real one as he let out a pained noise and opened his eyes wide, both pairs blanked a luminous emerald.

Her Quirk returned things to previous states. Eri could Rewind Midoriya back to a point where he didn't exist.

Shouta's eyes flashed crimson.

Both Quirks sputtered out abruptly, the sudden absence of light jarring. Midoriya dropped onto one knee, arms still firmly locked around the girl in a hug, one hand cradling the back of her head, red nails stark against her white hair. His face was tucked down, out of sight.

Shouta strode forwards, sweeping an arm out to keep the other students away as he dropped down next to the pair. Eri was crying quietly into the boy's shoulder, and Midoriya was breathing heavily.

"Midoriya, can you let Eri go?" Shouta asked in a low tone, keeping his panic under wraps.

"D-don't go," Eri whispered tearfully, clutching even tighter with her eyes squeezed shut. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, Deku-san, I'm sorry-"

There was a moment of tense silence. Midoriya took a deep, slow, shaking breath, loosening his grip marginally as he leaned back enough to be able to look down at the girl, consequently giving everyone else a clear view at his unharmed face. He untangled his fingers from her hair, brushing it down the plait and gently rubbing her back.

"It's okay, Eri-chan. I'm okay, see?" He ghosted his thumb over her cheek to urge her to open her eyes, beaming warmly when she did so.

"B-but-"

"I didn't let go because I know how scary it is to be unable to control your Quirk. It's less scary when you're not alone, right?" He paused to let her nod hesitantly. "My Quirk hurts me when I use too much power, and I used 100% just then so your Quirk would focus on rewinding my injuries. Your Quirk is so kind, Eri-chan."

She stared at him silently with fat tears spilling down her face. He gave a wet laugh, reaching up to wipe away his own tears.

"We're basically siblings already, huh?" He commented with a giggle, hauling himself back to his feet and shifting Eri into a more comfortable position, holding her securely.

She nuzzled into his neck, tiny fists clenched in his shirt. Shouta slowly stood back up, glancing between both kids and trying to calm his racing heart. Midoriya quietly hummed a soft tune, rocking his torso a little to soothe the girl, not taking his eyes off her. The other students were still staying back, sharing nervous glances, clearly just as shaken as Shouta himself was. After a few more minutes, Eri's breathing evened out and she relaxed.

Tension Shouta hadn't even spotted fled from Midoriya's body as he deflated, finally glancing up and meeting everyone's eyes. Some of the kids looked disgustingly soft at the sight of the boy hugging Eri close.

"She's asleep," Midoriya said softly, looking the picture of a exhausted parent and adoring older sibling all at once.

"I was so worried," Uraraka rushed out the second he stopped talking.

"What was that?" Jirou added.

Midoriya looked at them, then back at the girl in his arms. "Eri-chan's Quirk is called Rewind... It's, uh, pretty self-explanatory. She can't control it."

"And you still hugged her like that?" Kirishima whispered with wide eyes. "Dude. That's so manly."

The kid looked bashful. "It was kind of stupid and dangerous, but thanks, Eijirou-kun."

"Come on, problem child. Eri may as well go to bed now," Shouta said quietly, stooping down to grab a handful of the clothes Yaoyorozu had made, then standing up and inclining his head towards the door.

"Okay, sensei." Midoriya obediently trotted after the man, following him like a loyal puppy to the man's dorm room he only stayed in occasionally.

It was bigger than the students' rooms, which meant there was enough space to fit two beds in. Shouta didn't revel in the thought of having to look after a child, but Nedzu had insisted that he was Eri's designated guardian. He folded up the tiny outfits and placed them inside Eri's new dresser at the foot of her bed, watching Midoriya from the corner of his eye. The kid lightly sat on the edge of her bed, pulling the covers back with one hand, then trying to peel the sleeping girl off him, without any luck.

"You're good with kids," Shouta spoke up, pretending to be busy smoothing out the clothes.

Midoriya blinked, looking over with a relieved sort of smile. "Ah, really? I-I'm glad you think so, because I don't have any siblings and I don't know anyone younger than me, so I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to be doing, so I'm just copying what I see on TV and what I remember my mum doing with me when I was younger, and-"

Shouta pushed a drawer closed and stood up. Eri snuffled in her sleep, wiggling closer. His hands hovered uncertainly above her back, looking torn and despairing. After a few more moments of pouting and glancing between the girl and the bed, Midoriya shrugged, them promptly sprawled out on the mattress. He squirmed a little to try and get comfy despite his socked feet hanging off the end, then gave up and rolled onto his side, curling protectively around the girl.

"You're not sleeping in here," Shouta said, moving closer so he could loom over the boy and glare more effectively.

"Sorry, sensei, I can't hear you over the sound of me-" Midoriya yawned- "going to sleep."

"Midoriya-"

"I trust you, sensei, but... I can't just leave her, you know? You've seen how attached she is to me... I don't want her to wake up alone and get scared," he explained softly, all teasing traces gone before he grinned. "Besides, think of it this way - if she wakes up and needs something in the middle of the night, who's she going to disturb, me or you?"

Shouta sighed, settling down at his desk and bitterly eyeing the stack of paperwork he needed to read through. "Fine. You can stay until I'm done with this, but then you need to leave."

Several hours later, he turned around to see Midoriya fast asleep, which definitely didn't look like leaving to Shouta. The kid was still protectively holding Eri, one arm thrown over her and the other under the pillow. His green curls were splayed out around his head. Eri was curled up as small as possible in her new pyjamas, looking positively minuscule compared to the boy.

Shouta sighed and got up, carefully tugging the covers over both of them. Little brats.

*

Both Midoriya and Eri were gone by the time he woke up, despite it being early in the morning. Shouta wasn't even sure if the sun had risen yet. He went about his morning routine, pushing away the negative thoughts that insisted something had happened to the two kids, then trudging his way through the dorms and into the common room. At the sight of Midoriya and Eri sitting at the kitchen table, those fears finally dissipated, and he headed over to make himself a cup of coffee, only to pause as the boy slid one across the table to him.

"Heard you coming," Midoriya explained with a smile.

"...thanks," Shouta responded, reluctantly taking a seat and clasping his hands around the hot mug.

Eri was wearing a new white dress with a red ribbon around her waist, and she kept happily running her palms over it. Her hair looked slightly damp and unbrushed, cast over her shoulders, and her horn was back to its normal size. Midoriya had both his legs tucked up on the chair, showcasing gaudy All Might socks that matched his t-shirt. It was safe to presume he'd already completed his morning work-out and had recently taken a shower, his skin still flushed red from the heat of the water and his hair darkened and wet.

"Those socks are atrocious," Shouta said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Thanks, they're my favourite," Midoriya responded, completely unfazed by the insult.

Footsteps approaching from behind signalled a newcomer. "You say that about every All Might thing you own, Deku," Bakugou grumbled, in a black tank top with a towel around his shoulders, grabbing a carton of milk from the fridge.

"That's because it's the truth, Kacchan," he muttered haughtily, turning around in his seat. "Could you pass me the apple juice, please?"

Bakugou blindly fumbled around the open fridge door, wholly focusing on pouring out some milk into a glass. He miraculously managed to locate the relevant carton by shape, grabbing it and flinging it over. Midoriya hardly even moved as he snatched it out of the air, calmly turning back to the table and refilling Eri's glass before sliding it back to her, much to her delight.

"Kacchan, catch," the boy chirped, throwing the carton behind him without looking.

Bakugou snapped around, forced to hastily let go of his glass in favour of fumbling to grab the projectile with both hands. He stomped over with a low growl and gently slammed his fist down on top of Midoriya's head, then turning to return the juice to the fridge and taking a gulp of milk.

That was the most civil Shouta had ever seen them be. It seemed like they'd been on better terms since they fought the other night, and although it wasn't the ideal way to patch things up, Shouta would take it if it meant no more screaming and arguing from the two kids.

*

Uraraka, Asui, Midoriya, and Kirishima came along on the Eight Precepts raid as part of their internships, although with the intention of keeping them out of the fray until it turned out that the Eight Precepts were prepared for the attack. Fatgum knocked Shouta out of the way of an attack, tumbling through the wall and taking Kirishima with him. Rock Lock's Quirk came in handy until the villain caused a cave-in, splitting up the group even further.

Shouta glanced at Midoriya, noticing his calm, calculating look had returned. The boy looked sideways and met his gaze unflinchingly, smile growing wider and brighter, confident and determined and burning into Shouta's mind. He whipped around with a kick at the wall to shatter a way through, and the sight that greeted them was alarming. Rock Lock was unconscious on the ground, but another Rock Lock was crouching above him.

"This impostor just showed up and came at me!" He exclaimed, straightening up and letting the underground hero step in to examine the body.

Shouta squinted behind his goggles. There was a stab wound on Rock Lock's back.

"You okay, Midoriya?" Rock Lock asked from behind.

Rock Lock didn't use blades, which meant-

"Yeah, I'm alright," Midoriya responded smoothly, voice a little tight.

Shouta whipped around, Quirk blazing. Rock Lock was looming over Midoriya with a knife. The boy glittered green, hand snapping out to grab the imposter's melting wrist, twisting the arm around to drop the weapon. A greyish clay-like substance burst off the imposter, revealing the blonde League girl. Midoriya spun around, raising a leg and planting a boot on her bare stomach, kicking her back towards Shouta, who immediately wrapped her up in his capture gear.

"Toga-chan," Midoriya greeted with a wave, stooping to grab the knife and twirling it around his fingers.

"Toga! Yes, it's me, Toga! You know me!" She squealed gleefully. "I thought you were very cute in the Sports Festival! So bloody! I could not be happier to meet you, Izuku-kun!"

"Likewise," he responded, smile bemused.

The casual exchange had Shouta on edge. He tugged on his capture gear to pull the villain away from his student. A disdainful glance over her shoulder preceded an impossibly fast burst of movement, one hand pushing down on the taut ribbon, the other reaching up to press on his shoulder, launching herself over his head and slipping free of the restraints. Toga landed heavily, rolling a few times before coming to a stop next to a pile of her things, picking up her jumper and raising it to her nose. Amber eyes glittered above the fabric, slitted pupils predatory.

"I'm so glad I got transferred here..." She whispered.

"Please don't attack any of my friends, Toga-chan," Midoriya requested politely, sheathing the knife at his belt and reaching into another pouch to bring out a roll of gauze. "Ah. She's already gone."

Shouta stood up, blinking at the place she used to be. There was no trace of her. He turned back to see Midoriya pressing a cotton patch to Rock Lock's wound, then tightly winding gauze around it to hold it in place and staunch the bleeding. Midoriya worked with gentle hands and a blazing smile, just like at the USJ incident and the attack on the training camp.

The room rocked, twisting and warping, opening up and shifting like a roiling sea, metal creaking and concrete hissing. Midoriya scooped up Rock Lock as the floor became the wall, letting the turbulent ground guide his steps as he slid along, radioactive eyes flitting back to check on Shouta. Stalactites formed and dropped as as the merging rooms rumbled like an engine. Walls squirmed and started to close in, the space growing smaller, a shriek reverberating throughout the cavern, just like it had before when the corridor swam, meaning the villain must've been there somewhere, he just needed to find him-

Midoriya pivoted and hopped backwards, glowing gaze narrowed as he skimmed his surroundings, completely calm, padding along the flowing ground like a treadmill, paces certain and effortless in comparison to Shouta scrambling to keep his position. The boy blinked, expression smoothing back into his blinding smile, and he held out Rock Lock, passing him over to Shouta.

"Deku, what-"

Midoriya hopped forwards onto a broken pedestal of stone, landing in a crouch and instantly launching himself towards the ceiling, flipping upside-down and plunging his boot into the rock. It shattered under the impact, crumbling away around the epicentre and revealing the villain merged into the material. Shouta's eyes flashed crimson, and the man tumbled from his perch, careening downwards. A chess piece smacked him in the face, thrown by Sir Nighteye. Midoriya ricocheted off several walls to reposition himself, scooping the falling villain from the air and bringing him safely to the ground.

"We need to get back to Lemillion," the kid said, no trace of doubt in his tone, swiping a gloved hand across his forehead, the white fabric coming away stained with red.

"He went after Overhaul alone..." Shouta muttered. "Everything's moved around. I don't know where to go."

"If it's the route to Eri's room..." Nighteye began with a pointing finger. "Don't worry, I've been keeping track."

Nighteye was observing the boy intensely behind his glasses. Midoriya took a cautious step away, subtly wincing as he met the hero's gaze but standing stubbornly anyway. A couple of police officers secured the villain. Rock Lock had woken up during the chaos, sitting down and holding onto the wrapped wound at his side.

The boy took a breath, chest puffing up, and closed his eyes for a moment. "I- I think I know a shortcut."

"A shortcut? How?" Shouta questioned, doubtful yet willing to hear the kid out.

"Do you trust me, Eraserhead?" Midoriya asked in a low tone, head tilted, toxic eyes slitted, brows furrowed and lips still curved into a smile.

For a moment, Shouta felt like he couldn't breathe under the force of that look. It didn't feel as if he was looking at a child, or one of his students, or even Midoriya himself-

It felt like he was in the presence of a Pro Hero. A Symbol.

Hope bloomed in Shouta's chest, replacing the worry and disorientation. He swallowed, glancing sideways and meeting Nighteye's gaze, seeing his own stunned sort of awe reflected in the slim man's face.

Shouta nodded, and Midoriya grinned. He spun in place, lightning arcing over his small form before he flashed away, illuminating the darkness as he shot down the crumpled corridor. Shouta and Nighteye sprinted after him, following the path of cracks and prints, green light a beacon in the distance, leading them through the void. Midoriya paused for a moment, looking over his shoulder as he rocketed through the air to check that they were following, angling himself towards a wall before he dropped into a delicate roll, rising up in a run and drawing back a glittering arm.

He punched forwards, and tore down the wall.

Shouta skidded to a halt and dashed through the ragged doorway, bursting into another room, the floor filled with spikes. Mirio lit up at the sight of the three of them joining the fray. Overhaul glared at them, taking a wary step back. In the corner of his eye, Shouta noticed Midoriya shudder, fingers brushing over then digging into his side, expression slightly nauseous under Overhaul's narrowed eyes.

"I can't forgive you for hurting and using Eri-chan like that, Chisaki," Midoriya said, the nerves he displayed a second ago completely gone, nothing but a cold, protective fury remaining. "If you surrender now, you'll have a chance to make things right."

"You're the ones who took her. I should've known," Overhaul hissed, Quirkless and ragged and trapped - but the most dangerous foes are those backed into a corner. "Wake up, Chrono!"

Midoriya reacted before Shouta could even sense the attack, grabbing the man's arm and leaping into the air, something like a clock hand shooting beneath them. Mirio sank through the floor and reappeared with a punch to Chrono's skull, downing him once more, then staying in place to guard the body. The pair dropped back to the ground.

"Nice job, Deku," Shouta muttered to his student, who glowed under the praise.

His eyes were burning with the need to blink. Midoriya seemed to notice that, setting his jaw into a firmer smile and rocketing forwards. He twisted around with a kick that hit Overhaul in the shoulder when he dodged, landing on his toes and immediately ducking under a swipe from the villain, then retaliating by slamming his elbow into Overhaul's gut, sending him flying off into the wall. The boy flashed towards him, then suddenly looked over his shoulder mid-run, staring directly at Shouta, just as the man blinked.

Spikes exploded from the ground. One caught onto and shredded through his capture gear. Shouta lost his balance but grabbed onto the rock to steady himself, sandwiched between two towering points. He knew Mirio would've just been able to phase through the attack. Midoriya was nowhere in sight, and there was no telling if Nighteye could've dodged something so swift. It was only luck that meant Shouta himself hadn't been impaled.

Sounds of fighting and huffs of breath came from somewhere far in front of him. He grimaced at the state of his capture gear, shoving off the ruined loops and knowing he'd have to rely on only his body and Quirk to defend himself. His fingers dug into the stone and he hauled himself upwards, needing a higher vantage point and hoping to catch a glimpse of his allies. Strangely, he found himself almost wishing that Echo was there, wondering if the little vigilante would've been able to take down Overhaul quicker and more efficiently than a mismatched group of people who weren't suited for such a battle.

Everything suddenly went eerily silent. Shouta pulled himself onto a spike, peering over towards the section of land where the stone was cracked and clouds of dust were lingering.

"Lemillion, Deku, Nighteye - check in!" He called out, dissolving into coughs as the musty air caught in his throat.

"I'm okay!" Mirio responded distantly.

There was a tense pause. "I'm fine. Just trapped," Nighteye answered.

He waited for a few more moments, knuckles turning white as his fingers clenched tighter around the rock. "Deku! Check in!"

"'m good, s'nsei," Midoriya said, and it would've been reassuring if it wasn't for how slurred his speech was.

Shouta slid back down to the base of the spike. "Keep talking, Deku. I'm coming to you."

"What 'm I s'posed t' talk 'bout?" The kid called back with a disgruntled noise.

He racked his panic-riddled brain for a conversation topic, frantically weaving between peaks."Who's your favourite hero?"

"Oh, that's easy! All Might's my fav'rite! He saves ev'ryone with a smile, 'n' that's the sorta hero I wanna be, too! I want people t' b' able t' look at me 'n' know that it's all gonna be okay... But, y'know wh't? Eras'rhead's really cool as well. He's not 's strong 's All Might, but that's okay, because he's really good at fightin', 'n' his Quirk's so useful, 'n' he's really nice 'n' looks after all of us..." He trailed off. "Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh?" Shouta repeated as his heart skipped a beat and he hurdled a few fallen spikes. "What happened?"

"You're Eras'rhead," Midoriya stated, embarrassed.

"Yeah."

"'n' I jus' gushed 'bout you."

"You did."

"Hm," the kid huffed. "'ve got Ch'saki, by th' way."

Shouta burst from the stone forest, forcefully blanking his expression as he padded towards his student. Overhaul was on his front on the broken ground, both his arms twisted at awkward angles separately behind his back, potentially dislocated. His wrists were bound in such a way that his hands couldn't touch anything, ensuring no possible Quirk use. Midoriya had a boot planted on the villain to keep him down. His costume had copious tears all over the fabric, some patches stained with blood, but none of the wounds worried Shouta as much as the one on his head. He knew head wounds always bled a lot, but it was still unnerving to see half the kid's face drenched in red. Midoriya was still grinning slightly, teeth tinged crimson and bottom lip split, overall seeming completely feral.

"Good work," Shouta said softly. "How'd you take him down?"

"Brute f'rce," Midoriya responded, looking sideways at him with a frown, as if Shouta was stupid to not realise that. His expression turned indignant and he dug his boot a little deeper. "He tried t' expl'de me again! It wasn't very nice!"

"Villains aren't usually nice," Shouta drawled, ignoring the little 'Gentle is' the kid muttered, instead raising a finger and holding it in front of his face. "Follow my finger." As expected, Midoriya seemed to struggle to focus, his eyes flitting side to side without properly tracking the movement. "You've got a concussion."

"I coulda told y'that, s'nsei," the kid rebutted snarkily, raising his eyebrows, then suddenly looking around with an alarmed expression. "How's Lemillion? Nighteye?"

"We're alright!" Mirio called jubilantly, phasing through a final few spikes with Nighteye in one arm and Chrono in the other.

Midoriya beamed, then burst into tears.

*

Shouta didn't care for hero rankings, and definitely despised the attention that came with it. This year, since All Might's retirement was such a monumental occasion, they were hosting a whole event around the reveal of the new rankings. Hizashi was very enthusiastic about the whole affair, and somehow Shouta had ended up tagging along against his will. Being the social butterfly, Hizashi had immediately integrated into the crowds of heroes to chat, leaving Shouta to lurk along the back wall, hidden far away from the spotlights on the stage, the way he liked it.

It was dangerous to have so many heroes in one place, no matter the amount of security measures were put in place to stop disasters from happening. The top ten heroes onstage were given a chance to make a brief speech, but he tuned most of it out, bored and uneasy.

"Yo, Eraser."

Shouta did not flinch. He glanced to his side, eyebrows raising at the sight of Echo posted up next to him even though he definitely wasn't there a second ago.

"...where did you come from?" Shouta asked, checking his surroundings for potential entrances and finding literally no conceivable manner in which the vigilante could've appeared. "How did you even get in?"

Echo remained silent, head tilted to one side as he stared intently at the stage. There was no way to accurately follow his line of sight from such a distance without being able to see his eyes. Hawks spread his crimson wings and launched himself into the air with a single, powerful beat, stance casual and microphone held up to his mouth as he made a cocky speech, illuminated from behind by ethereal rays of light. The shadows shifted and Echo started forwards.

"Where are you going?" Shouta called after him in a low voice.

"I've got to, um-" Still walking, Echo turned around, spreading his hands and lifting his chin- "make water."

It was said innocuously enough, but Shouta couldn't help but watch uneasily as the vigilante melted into the darkness. Hawks finished his speech, smugly leaning down and handing the mic to Endeavour, who snatched it away.

"Just watch me," Endeavour vowed arrogantly.

The spotlight flickered, sliding onto the flame hero before fading. A second later, there was a splash, and Endeavour's fire hissed and faded, steam rising from his head and shoulders. All the heroes onstage whipped around to stare upwards, alert.

A light swivelled enough to cast a faint glow across a figure settled in the rafters.

"Don't disappoint us, Endeavour," the instigator warned, a lick of flame coming from his mouth as he spoke.

Oh no. Shouta recognised that voice.

Hawks threw himself upwards, sending out a sharp feather towards the vigilante. Echo merely leapt back and vanished into the shadows. Shouta groaned, straightening up and slipping out from the building as the crowd roared.

Did that kid have any idea what he just did? How was he stupid enough to disparage the new Number One Hero in front of so many people?

He looked up, spotting a small figure shooting from the building with explosions. Hawks was in close pursuit, wings flared and coloured silver in the moonlight. Shouta gauged their direction before setting off at a decent pace, using everything he knew about the vigilante to try and map a path through the city. He crossed a few roads, flashing under street lamps and swinging himself onto a rooftop, paces unwavering even as he looked around, locking onto the consistent sounds of explosions and seeing the vigilante smoothly twisting in the air to avoid more of Hawks' projectiles. Despite the hero being Number Two, he wasn't even getting close to hitting Echo, every swipe and shot missing by a wide margin as the vigilante twirled and flipped, changing direction like the wind and hardly even checking behind him.

Shouta definitely wasn't a little impressed by the sight.

Echo rose, higher and higher, each explosion perfectly timed for maximum efficiency. Hawks was hot on his heels, swiftly rising ahead until they both vanished into the clouds. A barrage of feathers blasted from the sky, and a small figure plummeted like Icarus. Smoke streamed from his jaws and palms, thick enough to catch on his clothing and start to obscure him before he vanished below the city skyline. The veil was cleared by a beat of Hawks wings, and he looked around, confused, hovering in place before slowly flying along and scanning from above.

Shouta wasn't worried. He wasn't. He was just sprinting through the city for some exercise to make the most of his wasted night.

A fall from such a height and immense velocity could've been fatal. Hawks clearly didn't know that the vigilante had dropped so suddenly. There was no way he could've seen a crumpled body wearing all black in a shadowed street from where he was.

But Echo seemed to be able to handle anything. If he dealt with All for One without hesitating, he couldn't have been taken out by Hawks. That would just be an illogical defeat.

Unless his kit was damaged and he was unconscious. It had been too far to see if Echo had been hit by Hawks' attack, but why else would he suddenly fall like that?

Shouta leapt across a gap, landing in a roll and ignoring the burn in his legs and lungs. He hooked his capture gear around a post and dropped himself back down to ground level now he was vaguely close to the place where the vigilante had fallen. A few people gave him odd looks as he sprinted by.

There was a hiss of pain from an alleyway as he passed it, and he skidded to a halt, whipping around and running back to check. He activated his Quirk and capture gear, peering at the small shape in the shadows. A lick of flame curled up from Echo's jaws as he raised his head, stiffening and seemingly holding his breath as the two stared at one another.

"Why did you do that?" Shouta snapped, stepping in closer and blinking, but keeping his weapon active in preparation wrap up the vigilante.

"He needed a reminder," Echo responded in a strained voice.

"Of what?!"

"All the people he's wronged," he muttered thickly, voice trembling as if he was holding back tears.

"He's the new Number One, and hero society is vulnerable enough as it is without a little brat like you embarrassing him on live TV!" Shouta growled, taking another step forwards but faltering cautiously when the kid backed up an equal amount.

Echo let out a breath between his teeth, one arm wrapped firmly around his abdomen, torso angled so his other side was concealed in the darkness. "He's done much worse."

Shouta paused. "...to you?"

"To those I love," the vigilante corrected heatedly. "I respect him as a hero. Number One isn't an easy title to handle, especially when being compared to All Might, but I don't respect Endeavour as a person." He was silent for a moment. "I won't waste any more of your time. Goodnight, Eraserhead."

He dropped his palms and shot himself skyward. Shouta's reels of capture gear came back empty, and he gritted his teeth. His gaze locked onto a falling droplet that glinted crimson as it caught the light.

Was that... blood?

His stomach dropped, and he jolted into a run, eyes on the sky to follow the vigilante's path. The kid was injured, and he hadn't even mentioned it, and all Shouta had done was interrogate him. What if it was serious? What if Shouta lost track of him and Echo couldn't get medical help? His death would be on Shouta's conscience.

He turned a corner, watching as the kid made a bad move and briefly dropped one thruster in favour of clasping his side, his flight taking a dangerous nosedive for a moment before he recovered himself. Shouta slingshotted himself down an open street using his capture gear, gaze rarely leaving the small figure to assess his surroundings and make sure he wasn't about to slam into a wall. His footsteps pounded against the pavement and a flood of hot-cold adrenaline flashed through him as he saw Echo drop from the air once more. He was so close, he just needed to-

There was a crash and a clatter, and Shouta burst out into another street. The crumpled figure of the vigilante was sprawled on the ground, unmoving. Shouta's steps were light and rapid, yet it seemed to be loud enough to alert the kid, because he immediately shifted, trying to push himself up, tearful cries of pain seemingly unwillingly spilling from his mouth any time he moved.

"Kid- hey, it's- it's alright. Stay still," Shouta said, hoping his alarm wasn't as obvious to the boy as it was to him.

Echo's shoulders relaxed and he let out a shaky breath, but still stubbornly continued to rise until he was standing on trembling legs. Now that he wasn't hidden in the darkness, Shouta could see half a red feather buried into the kid's side, crimson blood glinting around the wound. The vigilante's arms hung limply by his side, and after a moment of steadying breathing he slowly moved to unlatch the gauntlets, letting them drop from his hands, the gear presumably broken and the cause of his tumble.

"This isn't how I expected things to go," Echo commented drily, voice rough and tired. "I don't want to hurt you, Eraser. Just let me go free."

"I'm not going to fight you. You need medical care," Shouta stated firmly, raising his hands in a placating gesture.

"I can get medical care," the vigilante countered, although there was a shred of doubt in his tone. "I'm fine."

"You fell from the sky twice and you've been stabbed," he deadpanned.

"...I'll be fine," Echo corrected himself. "I've had worse."

Oh, god. That was like a punch to the gut. What had the kid been through?

"I can take you to Recovery Girl, and she can help you. Your name won't even end up in the system. Hell, Nedzu would probably want to enrol you at UA." Shouta paused. "Eri's there. You could see her more often."

Echo let out a strange laugh. "Eraser-"

"I don't know what happened in your life for you to choose this path, but it's not your only option. You've protected me and my class more than once, so you'd be welcome at UA. You'd make a good hero, Echo." Shouta was getting desperate. He couldn't let this kid slip through the cracks.

The vigilante chuckled again, an odd blend of bitter and genuinely mirthful, and it was followed by a bemused huff. "Alright. I'll let you take me in right now. On one condition."

This wasn't good. "What?"

"You beat me in a fight."

"You're injured-"

"So?"

"You're a child-"

"Well-"

"I'm not going t-"

Echo launched himself forwards, swinging around with a kick that Shouta barely dodged. The kid had definitely lost it.

"Come on, Eraser. Do your worst!" Echo goaded.

Shouta realised, with a sinking heart, that the vigilante wasn't going to give in. Echo was far stronger and more versatile than the underground hero, but he was injured and without his gauntlets. The electricity was likely out of commission, too, due to the feather cutting through the metal cage. All Shouta had to do was beat him quickly, preferably without many hits.

A reel of capture gear shot out, and Echo dropped into a sideways roll. He got up and scuffed the toes of his boots on the ground, causing ice to spread across the concrete, letting him skate over it easily. Shouta backed up, Quirk flashing uselessly, then he sighed and hopped onto the small ice rink to join the fray, sliding along and nearly overbalancing when the vigilante sped by with a light shove. Echo bent an elbow and tape stuck to Shouta's shirt, letting the vigilante spin them around on the ice before releasing the underground hero, causing him to slide before tumbling onto the dry pavement. Any time Shouta managed to get in close, Echo merely exhaled flames and sent the man spinning away again.

True to his earlier word, Echo had been careful to not hurt the man. It only made the fight feel more cruel.

He didn't want it to drag on any longer. He just had to analyse and find a moment of opportunity. Patience was a virtue, after all.

And... there. Echo twisted too much as he skated, causing him to flinch and stumble as he aggravated his wound. Shouta sent forth several ribbons of capture gear, feeling relief bloom in his chest as they wrapped around the vigilante's small form, carefully dragging him closer across the ice.

"Nice job," Echo complimented faintly.

"That was hardly a fight," Shouta responded with a frown.

He shrugged."Yeah, well, I realised you were right. I can't keep this up forever."

Shouta hesitated before turning and guiding the boy down into a side alley, away from any prying eyes. He slowly let the capture gear loosen, watching as Echo reached up and fiddled with the sides of the mechanical jaws before pulling them off his face, revealing his mouth. Slowly, with gentle hands, the vigilante tugged at the fabric covering his head, pulling it off in one smooth motion.

Midoriya Izuku flashed a nervous smile.

That- that wasn't possible. He couldn't... Echo had been off-campus multiple times outside of curfew. If it was Midoriya, the alarms would've been triggered. Midoriya could barely control his Quirk without hurting himself. The support gear bore none of the usual trademarks of companies, implying they were self-made, but Midoriya had no history of mechanical engineering.

"Surprise?" Midoriya squeaked.

Shouta remembered Vlad telling him about the fake villain clones at the training camp. They'd run into more during the Eight Precepts raid. If Echo could copy Quirks, who's to say he couldn't copy people, too?

The restraints snapped back into place, squeezing tightly. Midoriya's- the impostor's eyes fluttered, showing only whites for a moment as if he was about to pass out, but he let out a pained hiss and recovered himself. Shouta flashed his Quirk, and when nothing changed he reeled back an arm and slammed a fist into the impostor's cheek, causing his head to jolt to one side.

"Yeah, I deserved that," he muttered with Midoriya's voice.

"Why are you impersonating my student?" Shouta snarled, pushing the impostor back against the wall and stubbornly ignoring the guilt raised by the thought of treating his student so roughly, because it wasn't him.

"You have no reason to believe me, but I promise I'm telling the truth. I'll even repeat it in front of Tsukauchi-san to verify it," the impostor said in a strained voice, stolen green eyes pleading. "I'm from the future."

Shouta punched him in the face again.

"I don't think I deserved that one, but that's fine," he mumbled, nose wrinkling. "You know how Eri-chan's Quirk can kinda turn back time on living things? There's this villain, Banisher, with a similar Quirk, and, um, I let down my guard when fighting him and he sent me back in time to the first day of UA, during the ball throw. Remember my arm was bleeding, and I said it was because of my Quirk? That was because of Banisher's Quirk. A-and remember when I passed out in special moves training? And I woke up all spooked? My mind went back to the future, and from what I learnt from, uh, some people I happened to meet, I think it might not be just time travel, but also kind of dimension travel, so-"

The kid continued to ramble. Shouta tuned him out. He remembered all the times Midoriya had acted strangely, and all the things that didn't add up before were starting to make sense. He remembered gentle hands and a blazing smile, and he remembered Echo's desperation to save Bakugou, and he remembered Midoriya turning up with a juice box, and he remembered Eri's inexplicable attachment to Midoriya, and he remembered a green beacon in the darkness that led to Overhaul's defeat.

"The future..." Shouta breathed, releasing his death-grip.

"I wanted to help lessen the bad things that happened," Midoriya whispered softly, tension draining from his form as he sank down into the capture gear. "And this was the best way I could think of."

Shouta let the strips loosen and fall free, sliding back around his shoulders. Midoriya leaned forwards, pressing his forehead against the man's chest, whole body slumped. Cautiously, Shouta let his hands rest on the kid's back, fingers clenching tighter at the thought of all the dangers the boy had put himself through to save others.

"Can we go to Recovery Girl, now? 'm still bleedin'," Midoriya said thickly.

Shouta let out a huff of laughter that was almost hysterical. "Let's go, problem child. You've got a lot of explaining to do."

~

Before we get into my author's note ramblings no-one cared about- there MIGHT be a third part to this! I accidentally started writing more and I've got about 4k words atm so uh. If I like it enough, it'll be posted.

It's been a year since I first watched BNHA, and roughly the same amount of time since I started writing BNHA fics!! This is nuts. It doesn't feel like it's been that long...

This AU is kinda similar to the original plot of Ticked Off, wherein Izuku wouldn't tell anyone and fix things privately, and consequently garner suspicion to the point that others wonder if he's the traitor/a villain. And like?? I love that plot, but on the other hand... Yeah babey soft familial fluff...

And uhhh what else... Oh!! A few lovely people nominated Ticked Off for a BNHA awards book on Wattpad ("The BNHA Awards 2019 [ENG]"), and it's now a finalist, so like,,,, if you think this fic outranks the others in the category, consider going to vote? If not, that's chill too - but go vote for some other fics to validate the authors!! Or just check out and share the awards book because it's a tough job and the moderators are doing great (:

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this AU, because it was so much fun to write <33