A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry I've been gone for two days. I feel super bad. :( But Tuesday I had work from 9AM-8PM, and Wednesday I drove down to Oceanside to visit my Nana and Mom (and set my mom up with Funimation so she could binge My hero without me, because I've gotten her hooked on it, too.). I got home yesterday and promptly felt like shit and went to bed at 6PM. That's right. Six in the evening, before the sun even set. And woke up at 10AM. I slept SIXTEEN hours, and still woke up tired. Oof.

Still feel kinda shitty, but I went ahead and finished up this chapter for you! I'm sorry to say that updates likely won't be daily, but I'll try my best. I've run out of pre-written chapters, so everything from this point on is posted as I write it.

FANART~!

A big thanks to Kaelan M. for this fanart of Viridian!: https://imgur.com/a/Mi9C2Gt

Please note that this chapter has been edited and updated as of April 20, 2020.

~~~

Izuku sighed as he took a sip of his sake. He was pouring over a couple of cases he was working on as Viridian. Just because he got hurt, didn't mean he was going to completely stop working. He just couldn't go out on patrol yet, was all.

ViridianChaos: Hey, Masa. I think I've got something—I'm going to shoot you an encrypted e-mail with my findings.

Fury: Ugh, just try to make the code solvable for me, would you? I don't want to have to go to Nezu again.

ViridianChaos: That was such an EASY code, though! Fine. I'll send you the cheat sheet on a separate server.

Fury: Thank you.

"Hey, I brought you some..." Keigo stopped mid-sentence as he stared at the sake bottle. "How did you buy that? You're fifteen."

"I'm physically fifteen. I'm actually around forty-four." Izuku smirked as he went for another drink.

"Your physical body would appreciate a working liver." Keigo snatched the bottle before Izuku could drink any more. The vigilante pouted.

"Aww~ But I just started!"

"Too bad. Wait till you're of age, like everyone else in the country."

"I mean, technically—"

"Time travel doesn't count." Keigo crossed his arms.

"Time, you're like the mother I never had." Izuku chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair. He grimaced at the greasy feel. "I need a shower."

"All right—come on, then. Back to my place."

"Huh?"

"You heard me. You need a shower and you need your injuries looked at."

"Fine, fine." Izuku relented, grabbing his overnight bag. He was fairly used to staying over at Keigo's place, by this point.

"You know..." Keigo tilted his head. "You could totally move in with me? I mean, the teachers know that we're good friends, and—"

"No. Not only would that paint a really big target on you and your agency, but it'd also call up questions about my home life I'd rather not answer." Izuku rejected immediately. "Besides... There's no guarantee I'd even be allowed to live with you, if they knew."

"I... I suppose that's true... What if I work out the paperwork on my end first?" Keigo brightened again.

"Kei..." Izuku groaned. Why couldn't he just drop it? Izuku liked being alone. "I'm a grown adult of nearly half a century! I think I can live alone, yeah?"

"I mean, legally..." Keigo smirked as he held up the sake bottle. "You can't even drink, so..."

"I hate you."

"No you don't." He watched bemused as Izuku gathered his papers and stuffed it into his worn rescued duffle bag. "Oh, yeah. There's a new video of Viridian circling the web. It's super popular, too."

"Oh?" Izuku was only half-paying attention.

"Yeah. Remember when you told that kid you were Quirkless?"

Izuku dropped the book he'd picked up. "What?!"

Keigo handed him the phone. Turned out, that entire conversation had been recorded. And it went viral.

"The world knows you're Quirkless. Viridian the Quirkless Vigilante." Keigo chuckled.

"H-how is this funny?" Izuku stared at his friend in disbelief. "I mean, now that they know—"

"They'll underestimate you." Keigo finished, making Izuku pause. "They'll underestimate you since nobody's really seen how well you can fight. They'll think you're just really good at staying hidden. You're the most elusive vigilante, not the most combative. The villains will get complacent. Maybe the League will even reach out an offer to you, believing you to be closer to them than a hero."

Izuku mulled over his friend's words. "If the League of Villains comes to me..."

"Then you can kill Shigaraki." Keigo nodded. "But you'd damn well better have me on standby for backup if shit goes south, you hear me?"

"Promise." Izuku grinned.

Hey!ThisisyourAuthorhere.Pleasestaysafe,everyone.I'msorryforthesuperlateupdate.IknowI'vebeengone2days,andIfeelsuperbadaboutit,butI'dratheryougetqualitywriting.Thatsaid,Ihaven'treallyeditedthis,so...sorryaboutthat.

Izuku sighed as he walked down the street. He was staying at Keigo's for the moment, but the hero had some other shit to do—like work. Unfortunately, he was just as bad at adulting as Izuku was, so his fridge was practically empty, sans some ten-day-old chicken. Izuku was not going to touch that.

So here he was grocery shopping with the money Keigo left him for this express purpose. He decided to swing by the mall for once, just to browse.

He was looking over some interesting books on coding when a massive explosion shook the building. People started screaming, and Izuku quickly found a bathroom to change into his Viridian outfit. (Call him paranoid, but he carried it everywhere with him specifically for circumstances like this).

He climbed up into the air shaft, ignoring the way his healing injuries protested. He was fine. It was just some broken ribs and a concussion. And a partially disintegrated shoulder.

Whatever, point being, he was fine, and he sure as hell wasn't going to sit by while the mall was attacked. He eyed the situation from the shaft he hid in.

Three visible villains. All male, wait... he knew these guys. They had a criminal record. They were called the Crystal Thieves, because of the barrier Quirk of the youngest brother.

He could create a near-impenetrable barrier around a relatively small area. It wouldn't cover the whole mall, but it'd cover enough to trap a good number of people. Nobody in or out without his permission. Drawbacks included unable to move while active, and unable to lose concentration, lest the whole barrier come tumbling down.

Second brother had a mild fire-type Quirk. He could heat up his hands until they were as hot as molten lava, allowing him to burn through walls and safes with ease. Drawbacks include a rather long cool-down time, so he had to be careful of what he touched. Plus, only his hands and lower arms were fireproof, so if he accidentally hit himself, he could cause serious burns.

The eldest brother would be the biggest challenge, though. He had a psychic type Quirk. A rather strong form of telekinesis that he had excellent control over. He could lift multiple objects—or people—at once, but his weight limit directly translated to his muscle mass. He could probably lift a few hundred pounds, though. Drawbacks include headaches and nosebleeds if he overuses his Quirk, or surpasses the weight limit.

Viridian needed to get at the youngest, but the oldest brother would protect him. With a Quirk that could stop bullets or people mid-action, he was the ideal defender.

The vigilante pulled out his phone, making sure it was on silent.

ViridianChaos: Guys, we've got a situation.

Fury: If you mean the mall, we already know. Are you going to join us?

ViridianChaos: About that...

ShadowSlayer: You're already inside, aren't you? Knowing your luck, you were inside when the attack started. -_-

ViridianChaos: We have a winner!! :D

Dadzawa: Be careful. It looks like the work of the Crystal Thieves.

ViridianChaos: Oh, it is. I've got a visual on them right now. Here's the plan. I'll find a way to take out the youngest brother—the one making the barrier—and you guys come in first chance you get to back me up. Sound good?

Fury: I really wish there was another way around this... aren't you still injured?

ShadowSlayer: He is. Worst of it's his arm and some busted ribs, though. Please be careful, Ri.

ViridianChaos: I'll be as careful as I can be. I'll survive, at the very least. I'm too stubborn to die.

Dadzawa: Don't we know it. Your strength is your stealth—use it to your advantage.

ViridianChaos: I love that you tell me how to do my thing, when I was able to outrun you for over a year.

Dadzawa: it was only six months or so.

ViridianChaos: You never caught me, so I'm still free. A year and counting~

He slipped his phone back into his pocket. He had to be careful. They'd rounded up the hostages, and coals for brains was looking pretty heated. Viridian didn't like the way he kept looking at the women, or the way his hands twitched when he looked at the men.

He didn't have much time to come up with a plan. He couldn't just drop down, because psychic-boy would shut him down pretty fast. But if he couldn't see what he was doing...?

Viridian grinned as he silently scampered off to prepare for his plan.

Linekunhere.Timeforanotherpovchange~Whoooo!!

Kaminari Denki had been hanging out at the mall with his good friend, Jiro. After the attack on their class, he needed to go somewhere familiar to just... forget about his near-death experience. U.A. was providing free counseling (mandatory) for all 1­–A students, but that wouldn't start until school picked back up on Monday.

Honestly, he was all-for a four-day-weekend and all, but it wasn't worth getting attacked by villains. It'd been terrifying.

And yet, here he was again, being attacked by villains. Seriously, why?! The mall was supposed to be safe! He wanted to cry.

He played the good hostage along with Jiro, hoping that they'd all make it out okay. In situations like this, it was bad to attack, right? Because innocent people could be hurt? He didn't even know their Quirks!! Where were the heroes and cops? Weren't they supposed to be here already?

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, but I'm a little lost. Does anyone know where the bookstore is?" A man asked. He wore a dark green—almost black jumpsuit (shirt and pants? He couldn't tell) and had a mask that only revealed his green eyes. A utility belt hung on his thin frame, and he held himself with a casual air.

Everyone turned to look at him, dumbfounded.

"Who the fuck are you?!" The man with white hands asked, glaring at the newcomer.

"Oh, me? Nobody special." He shrugged. "Though do you think you could take down that barrier? It's making it a little difficult to leave, ya know?"

"I don't think you understand the situation, here." The one with purple hair glared. He'd been staying close to the third guy who'd been sitting still this whole time. "You're going to sit down with everyone else and be a good hostage. If you don't we'll start killing people."

"You know, as much as I'd love to, I really can't. You see, I have this little rule about not working with villains. Trust me, you're not the first to try." He smirked as he threw something at the purple-haired man, but the little beads froze in mid-air.

"Huragushi Jikaru. Quirk, telepathy. You can control any objects or people and their placement in a three dimensional plane up to your physical weight limit—roughly 429 lbs. Arrested alongside your brothers two years ago, broke out of prison two weeks ago." The man grinned.

"Huragushi Kiroku. Quirk, Hot-hands. Not the most creative name, but you were, what, four and a half? Your hands can expel heat up to about 1,600˚F, making you essentially capable of melting just about anything. Only your hands are immune to heat."

He turned towards the last brother. "Huragushi Nanviru. Quirk, Crystal Barrier—hence your group name, Crystal Thieves. You can create a barrier of a certain radius that keeps people in or out, as you choose. Selective. Powerful. Such a shame you chose villainy, you could've made a great hero." He sighed.

"Who the fuck?!" Kiroku took a step back, eyes wide.

"No, I know you..." Jikaru's eyes narrowed as he glared at the man. "You're that vigilante—Viridian!"

A murmur swept through the crowed. Even Kaminari knew who Viridian was. He was the not-quite a hero but still a hero vigilante that had taken the entire world by storm. First it was Japan, but after that video announcing his Quirkless status...

"Isn't Viridian Quirkless, though?" Kiroku huffed. "It's just a Quirkless freak, we can beat 'em!" He rushed towards the vigilante with a confident grin.

"No, you idiot!" Jiraku tried to stop his brother, but the other man swung at the vigilante.

Viridian easily sidestepped the punch with a sort of grace Kaminari had never seen before. He grabbed the man by the elbow and pivoted so quickly that he almost didn't see it.

The larger man hit the floor with a resounding boom, hands causing the tile to sizzle and pop as it melted under the extreme heat.

Viridian quickly jumped back and dashed at the psychic, who held up his hand and levitated the vigilante.

He'd been caught. Kiroku got to his feet with a sore groan, glaring at the vigilante. "I was going to tell you that Viridian has the record as Japan's most wanted vigilante. You can't get that title on stealth alone. He's got to have some kind of fighting prowess." He eyed the vigilante who looked far to calm for his current situation. "Though I must say I'm not impressed."

"Who said I was trying to defeat you?" Viridian smirked. "Boom." He whispered, and a moment later, a loud BOOM sounded right from the forgotten third brother's seat.

The man jumped and toppled over with a startled yelp, allowing the barrier that kept heroes and police at bay to shatter. "NO!" Jiraku glared, lunging for the vigilante.

A gunshot stopped the villain's advance as the police rushed onto the scene. Kaminari recognized several heroes, including the number three hero, Hawks. The winged hero rushed right into the fight, taking out Kiroku with ease.

"Viridian, how do you keep getting yourself into these messes?" Hawks asked, a teasing tone to his voice.

"I'm just that talented, Birdie." Viridian replied with an easy smirk. "Trouble just loves me."

"Yes, well you're still hurt."

"I'll have you know, I've been treated at an actual hospital this time. So there." The vigilante seemed to stick out his tongue at the number three hero. Wow, that guy had guts.

"Viridian, how much extra paperwork did you cause me?" A detective groaned as police apprehended the criminals.

"Come on, Masa. I only borrowed some supplies from a few stores."

"You stole?"

"To make a makeshift bomb! I had to distract them somehow."

Kaminari stared. He'd planned that?! All of that?

"You're giving us grey hairs." Hawks groaned.

"You know, I did originally come here to look at books. Plus I still need to pick up some groceries, so I'm going to head out, now." Viridian waived a hand over his shoulder as he walked away.

"Just e-mail me your statement." The detective sighed.

"Will do, Masa~"

Linechanhere!Hopeeveryone'shanginginthere!Pleasestaysafe.RightnowtheUSAhasthemostactivecasesofCorona,sopleasekeepupthehandwashing.Italy'sgotthemostdeaths,andChinaseemstobestablizing.Oof.

Izuku wasn't ready. He stood before the door of Class 1–A. It was the first day back at school, and he was wondering how his classmates had taken everything. After all, the last time he'd seen them, he was being carted off to the hospital in critical condition after going toe-to-toe with a monster and villain that had incapacitated their sensei.

Yeah, he was going to have a lot of bullshitting to do.

With a deep breath, he opened the door to the classroom. At once, the students became silent as they looked at him. He supposed he was a bit of a sight for sore eyes—he sported a new scar on his left cheek that looked like he pissed off the wrong dude armed with a switchblade, and his arm was still in a sling from his shoulder being partially disintegrated. Well, that, and he'd apparently stressed his shoulder with the Mall Incident, but that wasn't his fault! And he had to take that sling off to fight as Viridian!

"Yo! Midoriya! You're alive!" Kirishima grinned as he jumped to his feet and ran over to meet him.

"I mean, I already told you I was alive via the chat, but..." Izuku smiled at Kirishima. He was also glad to see Kaminari and Jiro were okay. He'd been worried because of the whole mall thing.

"Glad to see you're up and about, kero. You scared us." Tsu flashed him a grin.

"The fuck, Deku?!" Bakugo glared, getting to his feet. "This is why you never should've become a hero! You can't do shit! Look at you! You're the only one of us that got hurt!" He ignored Kirishima's attempt to calm him down and shrugged off Kaminari's hand; his eyes were set on Izuku, whose face had become cool and detached.

"That's because I fought the ringleader. Sensei got hurt, too." He pointed out.

"Yeah, but he took on dozens of villains alone. That's different. At least he's got a Quir—"

"Bakugo, you will report to Nezu's office after school for detention. We do not tolerate bullying or Quirk discrimination at U.A., do I make myself clear?" Aizawa-sensei glared at the startled blonde as he came into the classroom. His mummified hand gently rested on Izuku's shoulder for the briefest of moments, and the greenette instantly recognized it as a form of comfort from the antisocial man.

"Thank you, Sensei." Izuku quietly muttered to his teacher, who nodded gruffly.

"Now everyone get to your seats, we've got homeroom."

Everyone scrambled to take their seats, and Izuku reluctantly sat behind the fuming blond. Part of him was pleased—he'd never (in any timeline) seen Bakugo get reprimanded for bullying or Quirk discrimination before. It was satisfying and honestly soothed a part of Izuku that was still bitter over everything that the boy had said and done to him.

He'd never forgotten when Bakugo told him to kill himself.

"Right. First off, everyone will attend mandatory counseling with Hound Dog every week. Your personalized schedules will be e-mailed to you tonight and effective immediately. This is not a setback. Do not feel discouraged at the nightmares or trauma—every pro gets it. We've all got some form of PTSD; it comes with the job. Most just don't get it so soon. If you need anything, you can come to any staff member." His eyes lingered on Izuku for a moment before he continued.

"That aside, we've another matter to turn our gaze towards. The Sports Festival is coming, and you all need to prepare. There is no opting out—this is your best chance to catch the eye of the public and the pros. Internships will take place after the festival, so this is your chance to shine. Plus Ultra, or you might just end up losing your spot to someone in General Education." He warned.

"Oh yeah!" Kaminari spoke up. "I remember hearing about that! Sometimes kids from other courses can be moved into the Hero Course if they do well enough!"

"Yeah, and if Hero Course kids suck enough, they can be moved out, too." Jiro reminded him.

"I'm not done, yet." Aizawa-sensei glared, activating his Quirk for the briefest of moments, silencing the students instantly.

Damn. That's a great intimidation tactic. Izuku idly noted.

"Due to this, your Introductory Course to Heroics will be mostly self-study. If you want to use any school facilities after hours, or on the weekends, please come to me. Now I'm done." He promptly curled up in his sleeping bag and drifted off to sleep.

The class, now sufficiently distracted with the prospect of the festival, forgot to interrogate Izuku about the USJ Incident—which he was totally fine with.

Before leaving, Aizawa placed a note on Izuku's desk. He curiously unfolded it.

Meet me in the classroom during lunch (that doesn't mean don't eat!). We need to talk.

Well, shit. Izuku grimaced. He was going to have a tough time with this one. He was lost in thought, and was the first out of the room. He barely registered the group of students that crowded the 1–A classroom moments later.

Classes seemed to simultaneously drag by, and rush past. Much to Izuku's dismay, it seemed some of his classmates had let slip his Quirkless status to the rest of the student body (they likely didn't know it was something he'd rather keep secret). A majority of them—particularly the General Education kids—were pissed. Nobody was stupid enough to really do anything drastic, but he knew those glares. Heard the whispers. He knew the notes would start soon, too.

His injuries from USJ didn't help, either. They made him look weak to them, because only he, the Quirkless Heroics student, got hurt. But he ignored the jeers and glares with a practiced ease. It was something he'd had to deal with his entire life.

Even when he went to trade school, or when he was an adult with a good job, it was a thing he'd learned to expect. He was smart enough the first go around that the teachers didn't bully him, but his Quirkless status kept him from receiving their protection. And as long as he'd done his work, his bosses hadn't really cared one way or the other. The only time someone had been reprimanded was when they'd hurt Izuku badly enough that it impeded his job performance.

In all honesty, Aizawa was the first teacher he'd ever had—hell, the first person—that had spoken up against someone to defend him, and it made him feel good. He knew Yamada would probably speak up... maybe Midnight... But he wasn't sure about any of the other teachers. Pro heroes or not, that didn't mean that they'd put a stop to it when he was Quirkless—he'd known plenty of Pros during the First Run (how he'd decided to refer to the original timeline) that had promptly ignored him and his injuries or his need to be helped during villain attacks once they realized he didn't have a Quirk. Izuku held little hope that many of these pros would be better.

He really should've expected someone to shove him down those stairs as lunch started, but he thought that maybe these kids would wait a little longer, what with all the pros crawling around. He would've been fine, if his arm hadn't been in a sling. But the restricting fabric kept him from catching himself, so he ended up eating shit face first into the tile at the bottom of the stairs. He heard several people chuckling, but he couldn't tell who pushed him. The lingering students scattered fairly quickly, pretending not to see anything.

With a sigh, Izuku pushed himself up and gathered his things. "Real mature." He muttered under his breath as he awkwardly hoisted his bag up over his uninjured shoulder again. He was a little surprised that nobody bothered to try to destroy his stuff or steal his backpack while it was unguarded, but he supposed that they'd pushed their luck enough doing this much in a school filled with heroes.

He made his way into the bathroom to assess the damage. He had a split lip, and a darkening bruise on the left side of his face. He must've cut his eyebrow on the edge of the stairs, because that was bleeding bit, too. Nothing broken, thank Time. He washed off the dirt and fished out his portable first-aid kit.

As a vigilante and a Quirkless guy, he'd learned early on to carry around any medical supplies he could.

He checked his phone and huffed. He would be a little late to his meeting with Aizawa. "Oh well. Sensei will have to learn to deal with it. He did tell me to eat, after all. I wonder if eating shit down the stairs counts?" He idly wondered aloud as he made his way to the classroom.

"Midoriya, thank you for comi—" Aizawa stopped when he saw Izuku's face. "What happened?"

"Fell down the stairs." He answered swiftly.

"That's the oldest excuse in the book." Aizawa sent him a mild glare as Izuku closed the doors.

"Doesn't mean it's any less true."

"Did you fall down the stairs, or did someone make you fall?"

"I mean, I'm pretty sure someone pushed me, but I didn't see who." Izuku shrugged. No sense in lying to him more than he had to. "It doesn't matter anyways."

Aizawa looked like he really wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose. "It does matter. That's bullying."

"And it's nothing I'm not used to. Honestly, I'm surprised nobody's left me..." Izuku's eyes fell upon his desk, where he saw something barely poking out. Aizawa must've left the room to grab himself food, because that had not been there when he left. "Oh, never mind."

Aizawa choked on his coffee when Izuku casually pulled out a red spider lily with a note attached that read 'Do us all a favor, Quirkless.'

Izuku admired the neat flowing handwriting for a moment. "Tch. They didn't even get the good kind of lily, they went with the cheap flower shop across town." He shook his head as he offhandedly went to toss it in the trash.

"God, I'm going to go grey." Aizawa muttered under his breath. "That is not okay. Hand it here, and we'll figure out who sent it to you. They will be expelled. And Blacklisted."

Izuku blinked at him dumbly for a moment as he handed the lily and note over to his teacher.

"What's with that look?"

"I've gotten hundreds of these before, and no teacher has ever bothered to do anything. I actually think one of them provided the vase for a bouquet of them, once. I still have it. It's a pretty vase."

Aizawa clenched his teeth and grumbled something that sounded like a long string of curse words under his breath. "We aren't like your other teachers. This is not okay, Midoriya." Aizawa reminded him. "You have earned your spot in U.A., don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Sorry, Sensei, I'm just used to this. It's normal for me. Both in and out of school. People don't look at a Quirkless person the same way they do everyone else. I'm lucky to be considered human half the time." Izuku decided to change the topic before it got too personal. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Firstly, I want you to promise me that you'll bring any other notes, threats, and 'gifts' to a staff member—preferably me—if you get any more. And that you'll inform a staff member of any bullying."

Izuku blinked. Sure, he knew Shouta hated bullying, but he hadn't expected him to be this up in arms about it. "S-sure. I promise." If it got the staff off his back, then he'd listen. I'm deceiving them enough already... I should just play along and let them know. Who knows? Maybe the bullying will get better before it gets worse?

Well... either that or they'll retaliate outside of school grounds, but if they do that, then I can kick their butts. And sic Keigo on 'em. Izuku mentally grinned at that plan.

"Secondly. I know you withheld information when you were talking to Tsukauchi about the USJ." Aizawa continued, and Izuku stiffened. "You knew what that Nomu was before anyone had even seen it. You mentioned it during that flashback during the Battle Trials."

"Shit." Izuku cursed under his breath.

"Listen to me, Midoriya. I need you to answer honestly." His voice became serious, and Izuku found himself mirroring his expression. "Are you, in any way shape or form, being held hostage or blackmailed by villains?"

They think I'm the spy, and they're hoping it's unwilling. For a moment, he considered playing on that route. It'd be a far easier thing to believe than the truth.

"No, sensei." Izuku looked him dead in the eye. "I'm not the traitor. I'm not your leak." Aizawa blinked in surprise for a moment. He probably hadn't expected Izuku to piece it together that fast. "But you're right—I did already know about the Nomu... because I've encountered them before. That's why I knew how to kill it so quickly. Compared to the ones I've seen..."

It was thin and gangly, with a long whip-like tail for balance. The eyes were milky and sightless, and its elongated maw was lined with sharp teeth already stained red. Long arms ended in claws and its legs bent backwards, giving it more power to jump and sprint. It was short, in comparison to the rest of them—only about six feet tall—but it seemed to be covered in a layer of hard scales. Unlike the others, who had an exposed brain from the top, this Nomu's brain was only accessible from behind. And its most striking feature was that it was entirely white.

Izuku was frozen in fear. The Nomu was sniffing the air, and getting dangerously close to his hiding spot in the alleyway. He tried to calm his racing heart and quiet his breaths, but the fear made it neigh impossible. He was crouched behind an old, overturned dumpster.

The snout of the Nomu peeked around the edge of his hiding spot, and he felt his blood turn to ice. There was a ringing in his ears and his eyes blurred with tears. He could smell the Nomu's putrid breath, and he was close enough now to see the bits of flesh and bone stuck between its razor sharp teeth. It was close enough for him to reach out and touch, and he knew in that moment, he was going to die. Its sightless white eye seemed to bore into his soul.

He would never see Hizashi, Nemuri or Shouta again. He'd never get the chance to say goodbye to Dabi or Tamaki. He'd never—

Izuku caught sight of movement in the alleyway across from him. A man he'd never seen before stood there—terrified. He was taking advantage of the Nomu's interest in Izuku, and had made a break for it. The man shot off with such speed that Izuku knew it was a Quirk—perhaps the only reason he'd made it this far.

But the sound of his feet scraping on the gravel drew the attention of the White Nomu, and it whipped around, away from Izuku.

Izuku stayed frozen as he watched with horror as the White beast moved with unbelievable speed. It caught up to the speed-Quirked man within seconds, and the man's anguished scream was cut off halfway, when his head was bitten in two.

He let several tears run down his face and knew that that man's stupidity was the only reason he was even still alive.

"Compared to what I've seen, that Nomu was incredibly tame." Izuku shuddered, hard. He looked back up—when had he looked away?

"Compared to what you've...? Midoriya, where have you seen these Nomu before? How many are there?"

"I..." He faltered for a moment. He'd already called him Problem Child. Was there a reason not to tell him? Why was he so scared? Because even if he knows, he's not your Shouta. His mind reminded him. And he never will be.

"There are things I need to explain to you." Izuku finally decided, a hard steel to his voice that made Aizawa flinch back in surprise. "To you... and Nezu... and probably Hizashi, too."

"And you can't tell me now, because...?"

"I really don't want to explain it more than once. Please... Right now, I just need you to trust me."

"All right." Aizawa relented.

"Um... Is... is it okay if I explain after the Sports Festival?"

His teacher blinked in surprise. "Is there any particular reason why?"

"I... I need some time to figure out how I'm going to explain everything. It's... erm... a bit of a wild tale, to say the least. No offense, sir, but I wouldn't believe myself if I hadn't lived through it."

Aizawa sighed, nearly whacking himself in the face with his cast when he went to pinch the bridge of his nose on reflex. Izuku held back a snort to help save his blushing teacher some dignity. "All right. I'll set up the appointment with Nezu."

"Thank you, Aizawa-sensei!" Izuku smiled.

"Also." His tone became even more serious, if Izuku thought it was possible. "What you did at USJ was stupid and irresponsible. You recklessly put your life in danger, and that is not how a hero acts." Izuku went to protest, but was cut off by a Quirk-enhanced glare. "However." Aizawa continued. "Your reckless behavior also saved my life." He then bowed to Izuku for a moment before straightening up. "Thank you, Midoriya Izuku. Though I'd rather you hadn't put yourself in harm's way, under the circumstances, I can understand it. And thanks to you, I'm able to reprimand you for being an idiot." He then averted his gaze and flushed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry for taking up your lunch period like this."

Izuku stared for a moment before he felt a giant grin spread on his face. He couldn't remember the last time he'd smiled so brightly. "I'm just glad you're okay, sensei." He then, against his better judgment, hugged Aizawa. The man stiffened for a moment before ultimately allowing it and reciprocating as much as he could. "You just wanted to make sure I was safe. Nothing wrong with that." Izuku then pulled away. "I'm going to go get ready for class."

"Please tell me you ate something other than the staircase?"

"Erm..."

"Goddamnit, Problem Child."

Izuku laughed.

Wow,lookanotherline.Hopeyou'velikedtheaddedscene.:)

Aizawa Shouta was a lot of things right now. He was in pain, he was tired, he was annoyed, but most of all, he was concerned for Midoriya Izuku—someone he'd recently taken to calling Problem Child. And his Problem Child was a Rubik's Cube of mysteries.

During the USJ Incident, as the staff had taken to calling it, he'd thought the name 'Nomu' sounded familiar, but in the chaos of everything, he hadn't been able to place it.

He remembered watching in transfixed horror as Midoriya had fought against the monster, and he was sure he'd soon witness his student's untimely death. He'd tried to stagger to his feet, but his broken body just would not listen to him.

And then Midoriya had somehow managed to kill it. Shouta had no idea how the kid had been able to move fast enough to get behind it... he'd had no clue how his student had even survived being thrown into the nearby fountain; but he was glad he managed it.

Oh, and how Shouta wanted to reprimand the brat for purposefully taunting the villain, Shigaraki (the same Shigaraki Tomura that Viridian was after). The utter relief he'd felt upon realizing that backup had arrived nearly had him passing out.

He'd vaguely recognized his husband's voice, and turned to glare at him for keeping him awake. At the time, he hadn't fully registered his concussion, and just wanted to sleep.

Later, at the hospital, Hawks of all people burst in the door. Shouta had been completely floored, seeing the normally laid back and aloof hero so... frantic. He was genuinely concerned for this kid in his class that he should have no way of knowing.

Shouta didn't fully buy the villain incident. Sure, Tsukauchi didn't detect a lie, but Shouta had made sure to thoroughly check the background of all of his students. Midoriya had no recent hospital visits or trauma reports (a requirement after being attacked by any villain). So they were either lying (or as close as they could get without setting off Tsukauchi's Lie Detector), or Hawks had failed to follow protocol for some reason.

But Shouta's research brought up something else. Midoriya hadn't been to a hospital since he was four. Since he was pronounced Quirkless. That set off several alarm bells for the hero, who quickly shared his findings with Nezu and Tsukauchi (the latter so he could look into things on his end). Maybe the kid was abused?

But he'd told Tsukauchi he was safe at home. Was home perhaps with someone else? The streets?! (God, he hoped not).

It wasn't until after he'd been released from the hospital that Shouta recalled where he'd heard the name 'Nomu' before—during Midoriya's flashback during All Might's first class. He'd mentioned hearing 'Nomu' around them, which meant that he'd encountered them before. Which also meant that there was more than one.

He'd taken this information to Nezu immediately, and the principal had confessed his suspicions of Midoriya being their leak. The thought made Shouta simultaneously angry and heartbroken. He'd been growing attached to this brat, whether he wanted to admit it or not. The fact that he was likely a traitor...

"Ah, but hold on, Aizawa." Nezu had said, stopping him from leaving. "There's more to my theory."

"Oh?" A ray of hope.

"I think that, if he is the traitor, he's being held captive by this League of Villains. I'm a fair judge of character, and I don't think he wants to hurt any of us. I truly believe that if he is the traitor, it's against his will."

After Nezu had told him that, he felt his heart lighten a bit, even if the thought of Midoriya in the hands of villains made him cringe.

That was why he asked him to meet him during his lunch break. Asking him to stay after school would raise suspicions, if their hunch was correct.

And damn, had that conversation taken a lot of energy from Shouta. By the end of it, he felt as emotionally drained and battered as his body. Which was saying something considering he was currently living on Skull Crusher coffee mixed with energy drinks and caffeine powder. If Recovery Girl found out, he'd be skinned.

He re-entered the staff room to find only Hizashi and Nemuri there. Thank god.

"Shou? Are you okay? You look like shit." Hizashi's eyes shone in concern.

"God, I want to kill somebody, but I don't have the energy to do it." He moaned, burying his face in his husband's shoulder.

"Okay, what's up?" Hizashi's tone was uncharacteristically serious.

"Midoriya's getting bullied. Badly. Kid walked into our meeting with a beat up face because someone shoved him down the stairs."

"What?!" Nemuri and Hizashi cried at the same time.

"And don't get me started on the note." Shouta growled just thinking about how casually Midoriya had tried to throw away that lily. "Someone left an actual death threat in his desk, and the kid was so used to it that his first reaction was to criticize where they got their supplies from before attempting to throw it away!" Shouta's voice was rising, now, but he didn't really care. He pulled away from Hizashi as he angrily paced, instead. "And when I actually intervened and told him that the person responsible would be expelled, he looked at me like I'd grown a second head before explaining that his previous teachers had ignored or encouraged such behavior! ENCOURAGED!" If his hands weren't casted, Shouta would be pulling at his hair, right now. "He says it's normal for him! That he's lucky for people to look at him as a human being!" He stopped, suddenly out of breath and even more exhausted than before.

Hizashi cautiously approached him. It wasn't often that Shouta lost his cool, but when he did, it was typically explosive. Nemuri stared at him with wide eyes, having only seen him like this a handful of times.

"It's all right, Shou. We'll bring it up at the teacher's meeting today, and figure out who sent it." He helped Shouta sit back down on the couch. "We'll help the Little Listener."

"Someone's attached." Nemuri smirked. Shouta would've normally denied it, but that would require energy he no longer had. So he opted for glaring at his friend instead.

"You look beyond exhausted, Shou." Hizashi helped him climb into his yellow sleeping bag. "Take a nap. I'll wake you later."

He sent his husband a mild glare, but he was never one to pass up a nap. And he must've really looked bad if he was actually encouraging Shouta's shitty sleeping habits for once. He halfheartedly muttered some sort of semblance of goodnight before he slipped into his nightmares again.

LINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINE

Nezu was many things. He was a creature of unknown genetic makeup. He was incredibly intelligent—more so than most humans. He was the maker of a million plans. But lately, he'd found himself encountering something entirely new to him.

Nezu was confused.

And it all came back to one Midoriya Izuku—first Quirkless student of U.A. The kid was the biggest and most convoluted puzzle Nezu had ever had the pleasure of coming across. The more he tried to figure out about the boy, the more mismatched pieces he found.

It was like trying to solve a two-sided puzzle but only half the pieces were colored in. And just when he thought he'd finally solved it, the image was wrong, and he realized it was a three-sided puzzle.

Nezu wasn't used to headaches, either.

He sat down in his chair in the Staff Meeting room. Aizawa had wanted to report a case of severe bullying in the school, and such cases were taken with the utmost seriousness.

"All right, Aizawa. What's the situation?" Power Loader asked, concern lacing his voice. Bullying wasn't a common occurrence in U.A. at all, mostly because of how harshly they punished such actions. That, and many weren't stupid enough to carry out such actions in a hero school.

"Midoriya Izuku." Aizawa started, and Nezu fought the urge to smash his skull into the table.

"As you know, he's Quirkless." Aizawa continued, and several of the staff nodded grimly, seeing where this was going. "It appears that the rest of the school has found out, too. I had a meeting with the kid at lunch today, and he walked into the classroom with half his face black and blue. Someone pushed him down the stairs, but he claimed he never saw who it was."

"He came and saw me after school." Recovery Girl spoke up. "I have some pictures of the damage done." She passed around some photos of the student's bruised face. Nezu would definitely be going over the security footage tonight.

"There's more." Aizawa continued, and the staff looked over in disbelief.

"It gets worse than shoving the kid down the stairs?!" Cementoss choked out.

For a moment, Aizawa's eyes flashed red with anger, and Nezu knew he wasn't going to like this.

"He found this in his desk. He's apparently so used to it, that he just throws them away. He says this is the first one he's found at U.A." He then proceeded to pull out a red spider lily. Several of the staff gasped in shock. "There was also this note. If you recognize the handwriting, please tell me."

If Nezu was angry before, he was furious, now. As confusing as Midoriya was, he was still a person who interested him. It was rare for Nezu to find people that could hold intellectual conversations with him in the way Midoriya could, and the fact that Nezu couldn't figure him out only made him that much more intriguing.

To put it simply, Midoriya was Nezu's puzzle. And nobody hurt what belonged to Nezu.

"I've gone ahead and had him promise to tell one of us if something occurs again. He's told me that his previous school encouraged the bullying, and even mentioned a teacher providing a vase for the lilies. We need to show him that teachers can be trusted."

"Oh, boy." Vlad rubbed his temples.

"On another note..." Aizawa looked at Nezu, who nodded.

"You asked him, then?"

"He said he wasn't our leak. He told me he knew what the Nomu were because he's encountered them before. He had another brief flashback that leads me to believe that he's telling the truth."

"So we're back to square one." Nezu sighed.

"Wait, you mean you thought the Little Listener was the traitor?"

"We thought he might be an unwilling accomplice of the villains—possibly blackmailed or held captive." Aizawa sighed.

"But it appears that my hunch was wrong." Nezu chimed in, and several staff members blinked at him in shock. "He's truly an interesting puzzle. I've never had someone quite as perplexing as him before." His mind flashed to the rings he'd handed back to the child. They were undoubtedly the wedding bands of Yamada Hizashi and Aizawa Shouta, but he knew for a fact that both teachers were wearing said rings around their necks right now.

The custom bands were nearly impossible to replicate by professional means, let alone for a child who's never seen them before. The engravings inside the bands were on point, too.

This only made him even more confused. He didn't like the feeling.

"I don't believe that Midoriya Izuku is a danger to us or U.A." Nezu finally said, and several staff members relaxed. "If anything, I think he's trying to help us somehow. I went back over the footage from the USJ Cameras, and managed to salvage some of the audio. From what I've gathered, Midoriya did everything in his power to protect the other students and his teachers. The villain Shigaraki Tomura did not seem to recognize Midoriya at all, even though Midoriya seemed to recognize him on sight."

"I'm getting confused." Midnight sighed. Several other staff members muttered to their neighbors as well.

"In short, I believe Midoriya is not a danger to us or the school. If anything, he's trying to help us. He's someone we need to protect." Nezu said, earning nods from his staff.

The Principal decided that it was time for tea, and quickly made himself a pot. He sat back down in his chair, as he pulled out a bottle of rum. He then added rum, a bit of honey, and a spritz of lemon to his cup before pouring the tea over top. He took a nice long sip, and relaxed into his chair.

"Uh... P-Principal Nezu?" Toshinori asked, eyeing the alcohol warily. "A-are you okay?" The room had gone quiet.

"Midoriya Izuku is quite confusing," Nezu started, "and I find rum helps rid me of headaches."

The staff stared. "You're... confused?" Higari choked.

"Yes. Yes I am."

And if he smiled behind his teacup as the staff collectively lost it, well... at least he was entertained, now. He could think about Midoriya tomorrow.

A/N 2: I know some of you are likely disappointed that I removed the repeat of the meeting with Aizawa and Izuku, but I felt like it was a cop-out. When my story is done, I plan to post a separate spin-off story with all my 'deleted scenes' and rewrites, so you can glimpse different ways this story COULD have gone. Thank you all for being understanding and awesome!