(Song is "King", anime is Hotarubi no mori e)

"Come on, birdy!" the boy taunted, swinging my bag around his circle of friends.

"Hey, give it back!" I cry, trying to reach for it. One of the boy's friends snickers and punches me in my stomach, making me double over in pain, tears pricking the corners of my eyes. The group surrounding me laughs, pointing and shouting jests at my slumped figure. I felt my Quirk gnawing at the corner of my mind, itching to be released so I could teach these people a lesson, but I held back.

"What's wrong, little bird? Too scared to do anything?"

'... Little bird...' I repeat in my head, more tears forming. My mother used to call me that.

"Good morning, my little bird..."

A sharp kick to my side brings me back to reality, my ribs aching as I roll across the ground from the impact. I lay still, hoping they would give up and leave me alone, feeling my ribs crack and wincing again as I'm kicked a second time.

"Seems like your wings are broken, hey, little bird? Should we put you out of your misery-"

"Leave her alone!"

My eyes flutter open at the sound of the voice that called out, my vision blurry from the water in  them. Two boys, one with ash blonde hair, one with dark green hair, were standing next to eachother, facing the group surrounding me. The one with blonde hair stomps forwards, the one with green hair following him. Two more boys fall in behind the blonde, one short and chubby and the other tall for his age, wearing a cap.

"Who the hell are you, small fry?!" one of the people tormenting me shouts, still swinging my bag around. The green haired kid kept his eyes on me, his eyes full of worry and pity, while the blonde punches a fist into an open palm, a small explosion generated from the impact.

"I said leave her alone, idiot."

I heard the warning loud and clear, but the people around me were oblivious. They advanced on the group of four year olds and the green haired kid, unnoticed by both sides, slipped around the group and rushed to my side. He turned me over so I was facing the sky while he gently poked my ribs, finding which places were the most injured. I was surprised by his actions and the confidence he was doing them with, as though he had trained himself to help people.

Loud booms drew my attention back to the groups attacking eachother. The kids that hurt me didn't seem to have their Quirks yet and were losing quickly. The chubby kid had grown red, scaly wings, the boy with the cap making his fingers grow longer and using them almost like a whip. The blonde boy was making small explosions when the opportunity arose, driving them away.

A teacher came out at that second and all she saw was the three boys hurting the other, larger group. She didn't pause for a second, I saw the wheels turning in her head for half a second, and stomped forwards, snatching the blonde's arm.

"Katsuki Bakugou! You are in so much trouble-"

"Wait!" I shout, bringing her attention to me.

"I was being bullied by the other group there and he came to help me!" I said the words in a rush, trying to explain the situation before Bakugou got in trouble. The teacher stared at me for a few seconds, as though she only just realised I was lying on the ground, then noticed the dirt covering my uniform. Her gaze softened and she nodded.

"All right. I'll get this sorted out. Would you like to go home, sweetie?"

I nod, sitting up. The green haired kid helps me stand, then grabs my hand and leads me over to the front counter so I can be picked up. He doesn't let go when we sit on the seats.

"My name is Izuku. What's yours?" he asks, swinging his legs.

"I'm Erin."

"Are you okay? You seemed really hurt..."

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's not uncommon that someone tries to hurt me."

"What?! Why would you say that?" he exclaims in surprise, his eyes wide with worry.

"I'm not very popular, and I'm seen as a weak target by most people..." I mutter darkly, withdrawing my hand from his and turning my face away.

"I don't see you as a weak target! I'll be your friend!" he says, suddenly determined. I look up at him in surprise and I'm pretty sure my heart melted when I saw his smile. My eyes go wide and I literally couldn't look away. He radiated happiness.

Just then, my aunt walks through the door, obviously flustered and worried. She sees me sitting on the seat and rushes forwards, wrapping her arms around my body and sighing heavily in relief. I don't return the hug.

"Erin, I was so worried! What happened?" she asks, drawing back and holding my shoulders. I stare blankly at her. The corner of her mouth twitches.

"Miss Roller? I need you to sign Erin out before she can leave," the receptionist says, holding out a sheet of paper and a pen. My aunt plasters on a big smile and signs the paper, then grabs my hand and leads me out of the room. Nobody noticed, but she was gribbing my hand so tightly that it hurt. I give a small wave to Izuku before being pulled out of sight, around to her car.

We drive to her house in silence, but I could almost feel the tension radiating from her body. Her hands hold the steering wheel in a death grip, her teeth clenched, her back stiff and straight. When we drive into the garage and the door rolls shut behind us, she reaches over and slaps me across the face. I don't react to the blow, just turning my cold stare on her face.

"Next time, don't make me drive all the way out there to pick you up again," she growls, glaring at me. I nod and climb out the door, grabbing my bag on the way, and walking down to my room. I live in the basement, far away from my half siblings.

"I hate this damn place..." I mutter, closing my door with enough force to shake the house.

~ present day ~

"You ready, Izuku?"

"No."

"Alright, let's go!"

As I pull him through the gates to UA, I take note of the other students filing in. One of them was really tall and had six arms, another had a bird head, one was hopping along the ground like a frog. There was even a floating uniform! I was tripping out on the inside out of excitement. Izuku and I both aspire to be heroes and decided to go to UA together, but now that the day has come (I'm sorry), we were both nervous.

"Out of the way, nerd!" a familiar voice shouts, startling us both. Izuku turns around in fear.

"Kacchan!" he says, fear written across his face, "Hey, good morning! Let's both do our best!"

Bakugou stalks straight past him, not sparing us a glance. I place a hand on Izuku's shoulder.

"The big scary fuckwit is gone now, you can stop freaking out," I chuckle, sliding my hand down to his wrist and dragging him into the building.