12

Chapter Text

Toshinori Yagi felt his temper begin to flare.

Young Iida had explained the situation as well as he could. The poor boy looked like he had run for his life, and looking out among the field of the former training center, he had.

In the Central Plaza, the Number One Hero saw the dozens of downed villains; plus a few stragglers staying clear from the fight. In the distance, a scorched and blasted battlefield of broken ice and fissured floors. Thirteen was surrounded by her students, her back ripped open, possibly by her own quirk. He saw young Uraraka and young Ashido lugging an incapacitated Kaminari up the stairs.

He felt the eyes of the children upon him, tears of relief falling freely from their faces, screaming his name as he arrived.

It made his fist clench. This wasn't a training compound, this was a warzone. And those villains had done this.

All because he didn't take Tsukauchi's advice and hire a personal driver. All because he didn't trust the local hero firms to handle crime. All because he was stubborn, and wanted to do everything himself, just as Sorahiko had said, all those years ago.

All because of that, he had not been there. He had let Aizawa and Thirteen fight alone. And the children...

He knew how they felt. He knew their despair, their dread, at facing a villain so powerful that they had no hope of victory. He had been there, and had paid the price.

But they were younger than he had been. Too young.

"Don't worry students! It will be all right!"

He ripped his tie off, his teeth bared as his temper seethed to the surface.

"Because I am here!!!"

A blast echoed through the clearing, drowning out their cries of relief. There was only one who could have made it.

Yagi was moving before young Uraraka could turn her head. He was at the bottom of the stairwell in an instant, fists ready for the first villain to appear.

Too late.

A villian, at least, Yagi hoped so, skipped along the floor of the plaza like a stone on a pond. Literal hands fell from him, and blood poured free from a smashed and broken face.

"Shigaraki!" came a deep voice, and the black mass that was under a distracted young Bakugo slipped out, as lightly as if it were a cloud of smoke. It vanished, and then appeared again, a black miasma catching the ailing Shigaraki, holding his limp body in its tendrils. Within the hovering morass, a pair of yellow eyes widened as they saw Yagi.

Was that the one Young Iida had mentioned?

"No you don't!"

He rushed forward, throwing a Texas Smash towards the duo. But the warping villain was ready, opening a vortex right in front of his fist, while an even bigger one opened behind him.

"No!" Yagi bolted, gusts of wind following in his wake. But too late, as the living cloud vanished into the vortex, carrying its crippled comrade along with it.

And they were gone.

"All Might!"

Yagi's eyes snapped around, and the knife in his chest twisted as he saw a broken and mangled Izuku lying nearby. Biting down his horrr, he rushed his fallen successor's side. But the boy shook his head.

"P-Parker-san..." He stammered, biting back the pain. Yagi followed the boy's gaze, and saw the group of young Todoroki, Young Yaoyorozu, and Young Kirishima, kneeling around a prone form.

It was Peter Parker. His red and gold suit, once so marvellous to behold, was peeling away to reveal torn clothes and bruised flesh. The light that had shone in his eyes was gone, and the suit's colours were muted, as if the very life was fading from it.

Todoroki saw him approach, and motioned for Yaoyorozu to move aside. The young woman was shaking, but she made room for him. Her skin was peeling. Had she been burnt? Kirishima had it too.

"He hasn't moved," young Todoroki explained, "But he's breathing, if barely. We need to get him out. Now! "

"Don't worry, I am here!" declared All Might, forcing out the heroic, stentorian tone. "He's going to be fine."

He knelt down, and pressed his fingers against the metal, easing the scraps away from Parker's body, until he could get his fingers under and pull them free. He vaguely noticed young Jirou and young Asui approaching from behind him, but focussed on his work. Piece by piece, the ruined armour came away. Finally the mask was lifted, and he heard young Yaoyoruzu gasp.

The boy's eyes were half lidded, his mouth and chin caked red with blood. His breath came out hoarse and ragged. A quick glance at his bruised chest confirmed All Might's suspcion; his ribs were broken.

"Ah...haaaah..." Parker looked up, his eyes blinking against the light. "Ev...Ever..." He coughed, blood dripping down his lip.

"Don't talk, just breathe Young Parker. I am here."He cupped the boy's cheek, for what comfort it might offer.

"What happened to him?" Yagi asked.

Yaoyorozu looked away, her eyes squeezed shut. Kirishima was staring at the floor, as if he hoped to sink into it and disappear. Todoroki's eyes hardened and he looked at what looked to All Might like a pair of burning tree trunks. It took him a very unsettling moment to register that they were legs.

"He fought against that," Todoroki said, jerking his head to the remains, "The villains called it a Noumu. According to them, it was a monster designed by the villains to fight you and kill you. Parker managed to stall it."

Todoroki's gaze softened at Parker as All Might turned over the wounded American, and continued removing his armour. Against him? They really went this far just for a shot at him?

Young Bakugo finally walked over, joining the group as All Might continued to scrape away the thin armor, seeing Parker's bruised chest.

"Bastard got the crap beaten out of him, that's what happened," young Bakugo stated. Yagi sighed inwardly as Todoroki narrowed his eyes, and Jirou bared her teeth. Young Bakugo badly needed an attitude transplant; or failing that, a crash course in tact.

"Whatever the case, it doesn't matter!" he declared, ending the confrontation before it could begin. "Young Parker and Midoriya need medical attention, and your peers need assistance! Yaoyorozu, can you create a stretcher for the two of them?"

"R-Right," Yaoyorozu spoke for the first time.

"Kirishima!" Yagi continued, the redhead perked up at the mention of his name, "You and Young Bakugo need to carry them to the entrance. Rendezvous with your classmates there and wait for the teachers and first responders. I'll make sure the rest of your classmates are safe!"

"Yes sir," the students, minus Bakugo, echoed.

The young blaster was still looking down at Parker, his face seemingly indifferent. His hands hung at his sides, clenched into fists and shaking. The boy was scared, and doing a middling job of hiding it. Yagi could see the battle behind his narrowed eyes, as pity, self-loathing, and anger warred for dominance.

Finally, Yaoyorozu finished her stretchers. As gently as he could, Yagi picked up Peter and placed him on the nearest stretcher; Asui doing likewise for Midoriya.

"Keep them steady," he instructed, "No quick movements. Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, use everything you can to mitigate their injuries until the ambulances arrive."

"Yes sir," they said, each of them taking a different end of Parker's stretcher.

"Bakugo," Yagi started.

"Yeah yeah I'll keep an eye on them for you," Bakugo growled, taking the front end of Midoryia's stretcher. Todoroki took the other end.

"You're gonna be okay man, just hang tough, just look at me okay!" Kirishima yelled, holding Parker's stretcher as he and Momo carried the wounded American. Todoroki picked up the front end, without a word.

"Don't go to sleep, just look at us Peter-san. Please, please hang on!" pleaded Momo, ignoring her peeling skin and the pain that was causing.

Without a word, the group set off with their respective passengers, carefully easing the stretchers up the stairs. Yagi returned his gaze to the ruined plaza. The other villains had long since vanished; either hiding from him or running for their lives.

He clenched a fist. To hell with only having a few more minutes left! he had work to do!

(X)

A moment earlier.

It was comfortable, in the dark.

He felt calm, at ease. He could hear the drip-drip of the IV, the whirring of the machinery. He could sense the faint twitches of of his and the good doctor's creations in their tanks

Then he heard the air crack. He had heard it before. His scarred hand pushed on the button to raise his seat. He could see the miasma forming in front of him.

And then a thud, and the Symbol of Evil sprung to his feet as the smell of blood was in the air.

Kurogiri had explicit instructions on only to warp to his private domicile in case of an emergency. That meant...

"Tomura." All for One muttered. He rose from his throne, pulling his IV rack as he strode forward. "Oh Tomura..."

He could see the blurred outline of Tomura, twitching and gasping in agony. Most of his top row of teeth were gone or shattered, his lips oozing blood. He knelt down, and put a hand on Tomura's shoulder.

"What's going on!" came a cranky old voice. "My sensors are-"

"Enough Doctor, this matter doesn't concern you."

He picked up the whimpering youth and placed him on the bed, feeling his IV remove itself in the process. The bald and scarred King of Crime saw his comrade float to the other side, his golden eyes low and nearly closed in regret.

"Teeeeeee...T-Teach...Teeaaaac..." Tomura uttered, hand outreached.

All for One took it, and on reflex, Tomura's thumb went out, as their hands interclasped.

"Don't talk Tomura. Save your strength." He lifted a hand, and the black-and-red prongs of his Quirk went down, piercing the teal haired youth's face. All for One took a deep breath, and he focused his blind gaze upon Kurogiri.

If Tomura was here in this state, then...

"I assume by your silence, the mission was a failure."

It was rhetorical a question. Tomura had been well-trained, enough to keep up with the most agile of Pros. He had no experience, but his floor was far higher than any child attending U.A. Academy.

"Yes, sir." Kurogiri replied as the black and red lines from All for One's fingers glowed in the dark, alongside the computer screens behind the tall man.

He let out a sigh. "All Might, always the thorn at my side it seems."

"Sir, if I may..." Kurogiri hesitated. "We followed the schedule that we acquired from your intelligence sources. We even jammed the facility and its communications. But..." His golden eyes looked down. "All Might... was not present."

All for One opened his mouth with a click, then closed it, then looked down at Tomura, whose eyes was becoming half lidded. The side effect of Morphine Touch, Regeneration, Bone Regrowth, and all other sorts of quirks. He'll be sleeping like a baby for the next couple of days.

"I see... So, the hundred plus thugs you and Tomura recruited failed, as did the Noumu I designed to hold down All Might?"

"Yes sir. I... I am sorry sir. The students at U.A. were more trouble than even we had anticipated. Some of them were able to defeat the ruffians we coerced and came upon me, Tomura, and the Noumu."

"Tea...thher..." Tomura uttered, slurring under the Morphine. "I... hailed... I... I huldnt hill All Hight..."

All for One was blind, but he knew his student's eyes. Those yes full of shame, self-loathing, and despair. The same he saw when he was a scared little boy. He patted Tomura's head; the gentlest gesture he could manage with a body like his.

"It is alright Tomura. I'm not angry or disappointed. I'm only glad that you and Kurogiri are alive. Please, just rest. Know that you are in safe hands."

"Will he be staying here?" The Mist Villain asked.

"The healing will take time. My quirks are doing their job. So." All for One turned towards his minion. "How did my Noumu get killed? The good doctor won't be pleased. He put in a lot of effort into creating that." He let out a sigh. "Such a shame."

Kurogiri didn't have shoulders, but the Symbol of Evil could see his body - for want of a better word - slump.

"The students concocted a plan. At first they were only half a dozen, then more showed up. Their Quirks were troublesome." His golden eyes narrowed as a black tendril rubbed his metal brace. "Very troublesome."

"They would have to be in order to pin you down, along with killing the Noumu. I don't recall any student of Class 1-A having a Quirk that could do realistic damage to Noumu, outside of the electric user or Endeavor's son."

"It was neither, although Todoroki Shoto had a hand in delaying me and Noumu. At first, an armored student stalled Noumu for a time, but it allowed the others to intervene. Students with explosion quirks. Frog-like abilities. There was even a girl with a Quirk that appeared to bring forth any item. Might be a storage related ability or based in chemistry."

"Oh?" All for One smirked. Well now. Something just piqued his interest. "Like?"

"She was able to kill Noumu with a Thermite Charge that she had created from her body. Right on the nape of the neck, incinerated the brain and the heart."

"To say nothing of the spine." The scarred blind man let out a chuckle. "Hm. Seems the heroes of tomorrow are becoming quite ruthless."

"Ih has hhem... hose...hreeeeeee..." Tomura slurred, his new teeth emerging from the gums. All for One knew the hatred he felt, and it pleased him. The boy would be out for a while. He deserved to rant a little.

"And who are those three? Name them Tomura. Name them so you can etch them into your mind. So that you may seek vengeance for your failure. Learn from it Tomura, and become better. Stronger for it."

Besides, he needed a little push.

"he hitch... ah heard... hames henthioned... haaa... haaa... Ha'm gonna hhccccchcuk her up..." The youth slurred, his fists clenching as his teeth regrew. "Hen... the one... who attacked mheeeee... he Hall hight 'annabe...c-couldn't catch his name...hut hai'll yemember his thupid phucking face... hat... hexploding thithead... Hendva's kid... and then... and then then then theeeeeeeeeeen... heee... the whone who halled Nhoumu... the hirst dominoooooooogngnggrrrrhhhh" He growled, even under the influence, eyes widening in hate.

He growled, his new teeth together, able to enunciate a little better. "Those kids.. I... I...I...Iiiiiiiiii~!" And his eyes lit up with one last burst of energy as he roared at the top of his lungs. And All for One couldn't hold back his toothy grin.

'Yes child. Let hate be your guide. Vengeance is a powerful motivator. It will drive you to your goal. Let it fester. Let it grow like a wildfire Tomura. I started the downfall of this Hero Society.'

"I WILL KILL THEM ALL!"

'And you will finish...'

"EVERY LAST FUCKING ONE OF THEM!"

'What I started.'

(X)

Izuku winced as he felt Recovery Girl's lips upon him after he had been kissed. He was now being carried out as he looked over at Parker. He had been kissed first by the Head Nurse. She hadn't said a word, acting fast as she smooched the American, and the nurses began to lift him up. Izuku felt himself be carried up, and he saw the ambulance to the side as the first responders began to swarm the facility, talking to his classmates.

Mr. Aizawa and Thirteen were being looked at by Recovery Girl now, the diminutive woman having no time to give Izuku any lectures on his quirk, although he had a feeling that would come later.

He could feel his strength failing as he saw Iida and Uraraka close in on him.

"We'll come by Deku! I promise!" Uraraka said.

The green haired boy let out a sigh and a thumbs up with his good hand before he felt himself be raised into an ambulance, and he drifted off the moment he heard the van's sirens scream.

(X)

Yagi couldn't help but sigh at the clock in front of him.

Three hours? Just a measly three hours? Had so much happened in so little time?

Word got out about the attack on the USJ, not that Yagi was surprised. An entire class of students ends up being attacked by a group of villains, an organized group of villains no less. Stories like that rarely took long to spread.

Then it went national.

Principal Nezu was putting his genius to good work. The mouse hadn't left the briefing room since the children had been taken home. He had talked to police, news outlets, fellow heroes and worst of all, concerned citizens. An official press conference was due within the week, but the official statement - about how they were taking care of the students and planning on improving security – came first. All had been done over social media, with Nezu providing only a few soundbites.

He wanted time to prepare, and he wasn't getting it. Hotels were booked all over Musutafu as news outlets from all over Japan were camped outside of U.A. Academy, grilling any faculty member or student leaving campus after hours for comments. Nezu had effectively shut down the school, sending the students away to recover until the storm passed. The teachers were already preparing online assignments, though the Hero Courses were being thoroughly vetted, Class 1-A especially.

Yagi had not faced the media. He could not, not until Nezu as ready. He had settled for a quick post to keep the buzzards occupied;

"As a U.A. faculty member, I am not at liberty to discuss the school's position at this time. We will discuss the unfortunate incident very soon."

If he had given them the truth... the board of directors would have thrown the book at him, and at Nezu too. He had been late, due to getting a dressing-down over being tardy and burning up his time limit. That in itself would be bad enough, but if that little bit of copy were to make the papers, then the time limit itself, and the horrid truth it concealed, would not be long after it.

He stifled a groan. God, this was all his fault. He allowed children to fight killers, thieves, thugs, a sociopathic Decay-user, a warp user, and a biological monstrosity designed just to kill him. No hero should have had their first time in combat at this age. There shouldn't even have been a first time. This was a school. Not a hero firm.

Yagi slammed his hand down on the counter in front of him, his skeletal fingers shaking from the impact.

All For One was laughing out there, he just knew it. All Might, the oh so great Symbol of Peace and Justice, late to save his own students from what he was training them to fight.

Protecting them was supposed to be the one part of this teaching job that he could get right. Yet...

He looked down at the stack of paperwork in front of him; much of it the curriculum for before and after the U.A. Sports Festival. Bare bones stuff really; mostly about making sure he didn't go over his time limit, so he could spend more time to spend as Symbol of Peace outside the walls of the school. Helping the city as best he could, while his students trudged along and his co-workers put in the heavy lifting around the school.

The thought made Yagi sigh. All in all, it wasn't the worst way to phrase 'try to ignore your problems and let us handle it' he'd heard, but it was up there.

Gods, what would Nana do in this situation?

He glanced down at the student information. Names, quirks, addresses…

His eyes stopped at the last line, reading off the street names and zip codes.

"A TEXT IS HERE!" came his phone, and Yagi looked at it.

'Midoriya is awake. Want to see him?' It was from Suzenji Chiyo, Recovery Girl.

Well, might as well start close.

He stepped out of his office and walked through U.A.'s vacant halls. The sun shone through the wall-to-wall windows leading out to empty front lot. A good thing. The less people he had to talk to outside of his All Might form the better. Even so, in his skinny body his footsteps echoed throughout the hall.

Geez, when was the last time the school was this quiet? Yagi couldn't remember the last time they had to shut down the school. Yet they bucked that trend within a week of classes.

He rolled his eyes as he descended the last set of stairs. At this point he was on autopilot, his feet walking the rest of him down the hall while his mind continued to wonder. What the heck else could he do with the time that he had? He could barely teach the class with the time he had, and anything beyond that felt like a pipe dream. Midoriya was the only student that he could teach in his skeletal form, but even then he would be neglecting everyone else.

Yagi stopped in front of the door and felt his shoulders slump. His sensei made this look so much easier, why couldn't he?

Opening the door, Yagi caught a glimpse of young Midoriya in the bed closest to the window. In the bed adjacent... young Parker was still out like a light, IVs hooked him as monitors beeped.

That's odd.

"All Might!" Midoriya chirped up, and the blonde skeletal man waved.

"Hey."

He noticed Chiyo's closed eye gaze, her frown deepening. Oh boy, here it comes.

"So, how you doing?" he asked.

"Well, still a bit tired and weak. But I'm okay otherwise."

"I'm letting him stay until I know for sure he can walk safely on his own. The entire school is swamped with police and media." Chiyo muttered as she looked out the window, seeing the morass of vans, buses, and other vehicles. "He's already gone and got himself hurt," She opened an eye, staring hard at All Might. "Thanks in large part to no teaching or refinement."

"Ergh." Yagi grunted. "I-I know... I need to be on the ball next time."

He turned his attention to Young Parker. A hospital gown covered most of his body, but Yagi could see numerous wraps and bandages around his chest. His heart clenched at the sight, but the gears in his head were turning. Peter Parker was one of the strongest and most able students in Class 1-A. Why wasn't he healing?

"How come Young Parker isn't awake yet? You did heal him yes?"

Recovery Girl let out a sigh.

"Parker is healing yes, but it's going at a snail's pace. Remember, my quirk needs stamina to work, and Parker... has none. He's practically running on fumes. When I noticed this, I had my staff do an MRI on him. His muscle and bone structure are fine, outside of his broken ribs and stressed lungs, but it was his brain, All Might."

Chiyo took off her glasses, rubbing her eyes.

"His brain looked exhausted, activity flaring to simply ensure the body would keep up. I've only seen this in extreme insomniacs."

"Excuse me but..." Midoriya spoke out. "P-Parker-san did look rather sleepy today."

"Did he look like this any time prior?" Chiyo asked as she turned towards his successor. Midoriya bit his lip.

"No... Not at all. He was always active and fine... until today. It was like, he did an all-nighter for some reason."

"He crashed, if I had to guess." Chiyo frowned. "I informed his guardian of his status over the phone, so she will be here soon." She crossed her arms. "I'll give her a piece of my mind then. The boy has the brain of someone who has stayed up far too long with too little sleep!"

"But that doesn't make sense! I've never seen him have any energy drinks, well, from what I can see." Midoriya added. "It, there has to be a reason."

"The boy hasn't had sleep, but was able to brush it off because of his physiology. His muscle structures going from the MRI alone... were incredible. He has the body of a hero in their prime." Chiyo turned in her chair, bringing up an X-ray on her computer. "This is due to his Spider quirk, if I had to guess."

Yagi sighed. "Poor kid..." He turned towards Midoriya next. "Midoriya, I'm sorry I wasn't here on time to save you and the other students." He frowned. "I... I did something idiotic, and I was delayed because of it."

He couldn't even keep his head up, the shame forcing his gaze down. "I burnt most of my time in my hero form doing heroic deeds on my commute."

Midoriya bit his lip.

"I... I see." the boy said slowly, shifting in his seats. He tried to crack a grin, "W-Well, i-it's okay All Might. I'm sure you meant no harm and-"

"It's on me regardless," Yagi interrupted, his voice low, "Because I didn't realize my own limits, and didn't let my fellow heroes handle it, you all suffered. No child should have gone what you, Parker, or anyone else in your class had to go through. It was all my fault."

"Hmmm..." Chiyo hummed. "I know the old mouse gave you a good talk, but I felt it wasn't enough to get the point home, even if you're new here."

Yagi flinched, gripping his fists for the verbal lashing that was to come. The old lady sighed.

"But...I can see it in your eyes. Me piling on won't do you any good. You just have to build yourself up." She turned back towards her computer. "Be better All Might. We don't know if there will be a next time."

"R-Right, yes ma'am." Yagi stood at attention. She really hasn't changed back from the old days. He can feel Midoriya's gaze on him, and Yagi pulled a chair and sat next to him.

"So... Midoriya." He leaned forward, arms resting on his knees. "How are you holding up?" Yagi did his best to offer a toothy grin. Izuku bit his lip and looked down.

"Well... you see I... I know I'll be okay but... I'm worried for Parker-san, mostly."

Yagi chuckled ruefully.

'You haven't changed. Always worrying for others over yourself.' "How so? I mean, you were in a dangerous situation."

"Well, to be fair I have experience already! W-What with the sludge villain and... to be honest, I didn't do much. All I did was throw two punches, one of them failed against that Noumu... oh yeah! When I punched him All Might I... I didn't have backlash!"

"Hmm?" Chiyo turned, and All Might perked up.

"You didn't get hurt when you hit him?"

In any other context that probably would've made Yagi's day. Now however, he could only watch as Midoriya thought, his fingers moving like he was writing in an invisible notebook.

"Yeah, but I don't know why..." Izuku held out his hand, clenching it as he looked at its scars. Yagi felt a pinprick puncture his heart. "Maybe something was different since all I wanted was for them to be blown away. To get them away from my classmates... Maybe, from that I unconsciously managed to prevent the egg in the microwave from explodin-"

Yagi coughed out blood and laughed. What an analogy! So boring and bland... but unique! So fitting of young Midoriya!

"Sorry sorry, please continue!"

"Well uhh…" the boy said, flushing in embarrassment, "I-it's just a theory cause when I struck Shigaraki." Midoriya clenched his fist. "I still felt my arm go, but.. it wasn't as bad as that time I fought Kacchan or the Zero Pointer Robot... if those times I was at one hundred percent, maybe I was at... fifty? Forty maybe?"

Yagi honestly didn't know what to think. To think that Midoriya had gotten this much better with his Quirk this fast. A live fire situation was the last thing he could have done to Midoriya, but in the end his successor had thrived, in his own way.

"Maybe," Yagi admitted, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, "Although I'd wager it was far less given how that villain's head wasn't an exploding melon. I guess in his case, his head really was the egg and you were the microwave!"

"A bit morbid of an analogy there, Toshinori." Chiyo muttered. All Might perked up and slumped up. Wow. That was morbid...

"Sorry..." He rubbed the back of his head. "So anyway Midori-"

"Where is he! Where is Peter!" called out a female voice, and Yagi's blood froze. On instinct he jumped to his feet just as the door to the nurses office exploded.

(X)

This day couldn't get any worse, Mt. Lady thought.

At home, she burned her tongue with a cup of coffee that was too hot. At work, she got Shinji riding her for getting a friggin scan upside down. On patrol, she dropped her guard, being unable to transform due to some muscle-dickhead of a villain holding a family hostage after a bank robbery. Just when she thought the rest of the day would be a breeze, even if there was not many thugs around to bag and tag... She got the phone call from the Nurses Office while just returning to the agency with some ramen from a local Korean Fusion joint.

Two-thousand yen gone to waste when she dropped the bowl, but she didn't care. Takeyama Yu sped from downtown to U.A., trying to call Nemuri-senpai but Midnight hadn't replied. She stopped bothering after she made it to the parking lot and sprinted towards U.A.'s front gate, which was closed off, complete with the blast doors. She had dodged the media packs outside, and then noticed Chief Fukuda Botan at the entrance to the U.A. Campus, guiding his force like a maestro performing Beethoven at the London Philharmonic.

She's never seen an opera, but considering how much chaos there was, Fukuda was excelling and when they locked eyes, she noticed how his face went pale. He said something and the iron doors opened up.

The blonde sprinted through the offered opening, giving a single thank you on her way past. The front doors of U.A barely even slowed her down, neither did her pivot as she turned down the hall, memory guiding her to where the Nurse's Office was. She kept up the pace for as long as she could, her legs and lungs were burning, but she saw the door!

"Where is he! Where's Peter!" she yelled, slamming the door open. Her normally conditioned and smooth platinum blonde hair a mess as she panted, looking around.

"Ah, Takeyama. You came much faster than I anticipated!" said Recovery Girl from her desk.

Yu looked past her, past the skinny man standing in front of the other cot, and her blood turned to ice as she ran towards him.

Peter was in bed, needles and IVs strapped to him, a mask over his face. A gown covered most of his body, but what was visible was bruised almost black.

"I-I'll be outside," the skinny man said.

Yu heard the door open and close, but her eyes never left Peter, her ward. The ward she told, she 'promised' that nothing bad was gonna happen to him.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice shaky as she turned towards Recovery Girl. Chiyo closed her eyes. "I know Parker got hurt in an attack but..."

It didn't make sense. How did Peter end up like this? How? With his abilities and gear... this was the last thing she expected.

"The Unforeseen Simulation Joint was attacked by a group calling themselves 'The League of Villains', who were planning to kill All Might." Recovery Girl said. "Parker protected his friends from the villains and..." She sighed, and Yu understood.

"Don't worry, the fact is, Takeyama, he's going to make it." She got out of her chair and walked towards the taller woman with her cane. "But I have questions for you."

"What do you need?"

"Just some answers," Recovery girl said, "You're Parker's guardian, so can you tell me why it he's been sleep deprived?"

Yu stiffened as the nurse turned towards her computer, the MRIs on display. Yu wasn't the best at the medical side of her job, but even she could tell that something was wrong with the scan.

"Did you notice anything strange about his behavior before today?"

Yu's mind flash back to the night before, "Y-yes, and I'm sorry I just found out-"

"You didn't notice until today too?" Yu perked up seeing the green haired kid lying in the bed across from Peter. She was so focused on her charge that she hadn't noticed him.

She nodded, "We talked last night. He's been having nightmares."

"Nightmares... That explains a little." Chiyo muttered. "His brain is overworked. Taxed with stress and trying to keep up. Nightmares can do that to a person."

She sighed. Yu opened and closed her mouth, a hand resting against the pole at the end of Peter's bed for support.

"I... I didn't know he... he was always fine. Then last night..." Her voice trailed off. The talk was burned into her memory, and the implications that came with it. "Peter," Yu started, gently caressing his hair, "What he went through to get to Japan, I barely know half the story, but he..."

She stopped, barely managing to speak through the lump in her throat. She knew he lost a fight, coming over from an entirely different world, leaving family and friends behind…

"He... lost a lot in his life. He..." Yu bit her lip. She... didn't know much. But he had to have lost something. Someone.

"He...lost someone after a fight in the US, to a villain. It was the reason he had to live with me. He has no one left. I was an acquaintance of his family so... here we are."

Yu heard the plain boy gasp, and saw Chiyo shuffling over to her side. The small woman said nothing, simply looking at the boy with new understanding.

"I… thought I helped by giving him support, but-" Yu stopped when she felt Chiyo take her free hand in hers. Chiyo offered her a warm smile, even though Yu's red eyes were getting redder with tears.

"He'll be alright Takeyama." She promised.

Yu whipped her eyes, "I know, I just."

"You've done enough, Takeyama," Chiyo consoled, "Despite what you think, you did well to look after him."

"I still didn't notice," Yu whispered dejectedly. "I'm his guardian, his parent basically, and I-"

"Don't blame yourself, you weren't the only one. The faculty didn't notice until it was too late." Chiyo said, "All we can do, is learn from our past mistakes. And more forward."

Yu nodded, and she hugged Chiyo. "Thank you auntie..." She uttered with a sob, remembering Recovery Girl's preferred nickname. And here she was, taking care of Yu years after she left these halls. In a way, she was the closest thing she had to an auntie. Not like her family did much for her then...

Chiyo smiled warmly, and drew her into a frail hug.

"I may not have children... but all the young ones who walk through these halls, they might as well be mine. Even those who have graduated and started families of their own."

She broke the hug and drew back, squeezing her shoulder gently.

"Parker will be up and running in a few days. He needs rest, and after what he's been through, the young man deserves it. If anything comes up, you'll be the first to know. I know the best hospital director here in Musutafu myself. He'll let you in, and the moment he's better, just sign some paperwork and he's out. My quirk will have him as good as new."

"Yes...yes.. I..." Yu looked back at Peter.

"I'll check in every day until you wake up," she whispered. "Then... we're getting ya hotpot."

She kissed him on the forehead and straightened up. She headed for the door, giving Peter one last look.

'I'll visit you tomorrow... promise.' She closed the door and walked away, her footsteps ringing in the empty halls.

(X)

For the first time in his life, Yagi was thankful for his skeletal form.

The heroine, Mt Lady if he remembered correctly, hadn't even given him a second glance. He waited a few seconds before sighing and pushing open the door, letting him hear young Midoriya let out a similar cry of relief from above.

"That was scary for a second there," Midoriya breathed.

"You don't have to tell me, thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest."

"No need to be dramatic All Might," Chiyo reprimanded, "You would've been fine. I'm actually glad you acted normal rather than hide under a bed or something. She probably thought you were Midoriya's parent or something."

Yagi shook his head, "Recovery Girl, we've been over this."

"Oh I know," Chiyo cuts in, turning back to her desk, "The symbol of peace needs to keep everything a secret for the greater good."

Yagi felt his shoulders slump, this conversation again. No, it could happen later. For now, he needed to discuss.

"Anyway, back to what we were talking about, Young Midoriya."

The young boy blinked, his eyes lighting up with realization.

"Oh, right, the percentages!"

"Keep it down will yah?" Yagi said, finger over lips, the free hand pointing at Parker.

"Sorry!" the young hero said, all but jumping out of bed.

"That's not… anyway, what I was going to say was from what I've seen, it's around fifty percent if you're lucky. My guess, you're only good for about five percent for total control."

"ONLY FIVE PER-"

"SHHH!"

The teacher's eyes darted to the resting Parker, and Midoriya immediately flushed with shame.

"Y-you really think that I can only manage five percent?"

"Well," Yagi said, feeling a bead of sweat run down his neck, "It's a guess on my part. To tell you the truth, I really didn't have this kinda trouble when I got One for All." Yagi played at the distraught look that Midoriya was giving him, "Not that you're not doing an amazing job! You're going Plus Ultra on everything and I couldn't be more proud!"

"Then, what should I do?"

Chiyo stopped what she was doing and shot Yagi a scathing look.

"J-just focus on recovering," Yagi stammered out, "Once you're back on your feet, I'll get you all the help you need, and all the time that you deserve."

Young Midoriya's eyes practically swelled with tears. Geez this kid and his tear ducts.

"Don't start crying, it's a bad look for you."

Midoriya sniffled, wiping away his tears and giving a resolute nod.

"S-sorry."

"And stop apologizing," Yagi reprimanded, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face, "Just get better. Can't be a hero without resting up can you?"

Midoryia nodded once more, this time with determination shining in his young eyes instead of tears. God, his successor was a handful, but he was a good kid just trying to do his best.

And so was he honestly.

He was no Nana, but this was a decent start. An overabundance of concern and worry, and no small amount of pride when looking at him.

Truly, this is how teaching should feel.

"Finally, a good idea coming out of that mouth of yours." Yagi actually felt like dying.

"Chiyo… did yah have to ruin the moment?"

(X)

The next day...

"Thank you all for coming. I know that you have questions, and as the Principal of U.A I swear to answer each and every one of them."

And with that one sentence, the floodgates opened. Reporters yelled out their questions, the clamour blending into an ear-hammered cacophony.

Nezu kept his face completely emotionless, even as his eyes darted between the different reporters. He recognized most of them, top of their fields in one way or another. Any that he didn't recognize were in the back, the novice and young ready to watch the masters.

Next to him, Vlad tensed. Aizawa would have joined him, but he was still in the hospital with Parker. And All Might was doing his interviews as per their plan. The rest of the teaching staff was focused on their jobs.

Seemed like he understood the trial in front of them as well.

Nezu gave a small nod, and Vlad let out a long breath and pointed at a reporter in the middle at random. The reporter was a young man, stress making lines across his face. Even so, he zeroed in on the mousy principal.

The entire room went quiet, save the click of cameras and the flipping of pages. Many of them got their recorders and phones out.

"Kirigaya Yoshikazu, Hosu Tribune. Principal Nezu, U.A. prides itself on giving students the best instruction to become the next generation of heroes. Yet, despite your schools impressive record, how did villains manage to infiltrate the campus?"

Nezu leaned in to the mic and cleared his throat.

"The villains possessed several quirks that worked in conjunction with one another to circumvent the previous security. I have already signed off on renovations to the school grounds with additional security features to deter any further attempts."

Kirigaya's eyes narrowed, "Be that as it may, as much as we would like to take you at your word, the villains already, as you said, circumvented your security already. Despite these new additions, how can you be so sure that they will be enough to protect the students within your school?"

"Because now we know what we're dealing with," Nezu answered, the brawny man's face totally neutral despite the tense grip he had on his hands, "Thanks to the efforts of our fellow heroes, we've ascertained the name and abilities of most of the so called, League of Villain members. Next question."

The reporter's eyes narrowed further, but he sat back down, allowing a dozen other hands to pop up.

Nezu pointed his paw at another reporter, a woman he recognized for covering on sight attacks.

"Professor, you said that it was thanks to the efforts of your fellow heroes that you were allowed to capture and detain the 'League of Villains' correct?"

Vlad's grip tightened, and Nezu had to fight to keep his face level.

"Yes I did."

The edges of the reporters mouth curled up. "You said that, but according to the police reports, most of the information comes from the testimonies from the students, not the heroes, correct?"

Vlad winced, he knew what was coming. He shot Nezu a pleading glance, no doubt hoping for an answer.

"Yes."

"Well, despite the wealth of information, the fact of the matter remains that the reports were gained through actual confrontation with the villains. Students, who have yet to complete a single month within your halls were put against villains. Not only that, but there were two names on the list of students that bare repeating. Izuku Midoriya, and Peter Parker."

Nezu stopped the gasp from escaping his lips, but he could only sit there and hear the horrified whispers passing between the reported. He had been waiting for this question, but he honestly hadn't expect it to be asked so soon. If he had to guess, they were paying close attention to the gossip mill amongst students in social media. Someone from the Hero Course must have split the beans by accident. Interrogation from the villains all caught and rounded up was another option, but it was far too soon, and he trusted Fukuda to keep a tight lid on such things.

"We're not denying that students were injured in the attack," Vlad cut in, taking the mic. "As you pointed out, the students had little time to prepare."

"Then why was All Might not present to save the students." The reporter glowered, trying to match Class 1-B's teacher in masculine prowess. The white haired teacher narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Nezu closed his. He took the mic.

'Forgive me Toshinori, but it must be done.'

"Simply because the students weren't the target," Nezu explained, "As you no doubt have read, the League of Villains main objective was to eliminate All Might. Everything in their objective is simply a means to that end."

"But All Might wasn't on sight until the end of the attack," the reporter pointed out.

"Because he was dealing with crime elsewhere in the city. While the class takes priority, the Symbol of Peace felt that it was right to defend every citizen that calls this city home while on his commute. Make no mistake, this was coordinated, it was ruthless, but it was also unexceptional."

He leaned in, his beady eyes darting to every single reporter, capturing their attention with a fire that they rarely got to see from him. Time to wrap this up in a bow.

"As such, going beyond the upgrades to U.A. security and infrastructure, I have reached out to several local hero agencies for their assistance in apprehending these criminals. To seek villainy is inexcusable, to bring children into the line of fire even more so. The protection of these students remains our top priority, but make no mistake. All Might won't simply take this attack lightly. Even now he works tirelessly to apprehend these criminals while maintaining the security of our students even when they're not the grounds, as are the local hero agencies who are willing to assist the school in placing several heroes here on campus to act as additional security, boots on the ground. Let it be known, the League of Villains has demanded the attention of All Might, and they have received the attention of every hero within the Musutafu Ward. I'm announcing now, that the U.A Sports Festival will be a testament to this promise. They will not stop us from giving these students the best education into the hero field possible. We will not be deterred, nor will we falter. We will go beyond."

He leaned in, cupping the mic.

The reporters jumped out of their seats just like he knew they would. Humans, while impressive and capable of many great things, were predictable in some aspects. Give them an inch in one direction, and they'll scurry along the mile to find out what it was.

"Plus Ultra. Thank you for your time."

Nezu allowed himself a small smile as he and Vlad stood up, ignoring the camera lights and demands for more questions. Don't answer all of them. Be clear, and give them a resounding answer. Both to the media, and to the League of Villains.

(X)

That day...

The day was a half-day for the faculty, with Nezu imploring all students to remain in their homes and not come back to class yet; and use this time to heal and to catch up on any studying. All Might and Nezu then took the time to interview Bakugo Katsuki and Todoroki Shoto.

Young Bakugo's interview was quick and curt. He and Young Kirishima were warped to the Urban Zone, defeated the thugs that tried to ambush them, then joined the Plaza Battle. Bakugo was able to handle the 'miasma fucker', as he called the one named Kurogir. He even said how he didn't wish to barter with the psycho Hand guy, Shigaraki Tomura. Don't negotiate with villains. Give them an inch, and they'd take a mile, he said.

All Might didn't blame him... but again, he was... curt. Blunt as a hammer when a scalpel was all that was needed. Bakugo was silent in regards to Parker... before saying how he 'screwed' up before leaving the interview.

He wasn't referring to himself, of course.

Curt. Way way too curt despite all his talent.

With Young Todoroki it was short, again. The son of Endeavor provided a more in-depth insight into the villain's plans; having interrogated one using his ice. Not the most... heroic thing to do, but desperate times.

He had seen the Plaza Battle and came as fast as he could, working in conjunction with Young Yaoyorozu and the group as they stalled the Noumu and Shigaraki. He felt guilty for not doing anything to save Parker, but he understood where Bakugo was coming from. Young Todoroki even admitted he would have gone about it a different way, but seeing how it played out... perhaps the best outcome was achieved.

And All Might had to power down for the day, and he couldn't go out hero'ing or make a public appearance given his time limit.

What a shitty day.

Toshinori and Nezu wrapped up the interviews, then spent the rest of the day inspecting the campus' security systems. All Might headed back to his office, and got some sleep on the couch.

"Oh, hey Toshinori," a voice called.

The skeletal man glanced up from the couch, seeing a tired Kayama Nemuri step into the room. She looked weary, physically and emotionally. The bags under her eyes barely stuck out of her eyeshadow, but they were there.

"Kayama, thought you'd be out of here by now," Yagi commented. "Burning the midnight oil?" He then blinked. "Um, no pun intended."

The R rated heroine shook her head, the motion almost making her stumble as she rubbed at her temples.

"Truth be told I'm just getting started."

Toshinori winced, "Like?" He had a feeling of what was coming...

"Friend trouble," Kayama corrected, taking a seat on the couch as Yagi sat up to give her room, "She's been beside herself worrying about one of your students."

"Which one?"

There were plenty to be worried about, but one stood out.

"Parker."

Yagi's gut twisted.

"She's a hero herself, she knows the risks, but it's…a little too close to home. She's been texting me every hour. She came yesterday right?"

"I can imagine," Yagi said solemnly. "And she did, but Recovery Girl sent her off after an hour or so."

"Yeah, but he's in good hands, as I keep telling her for the twentieth time. Recovery Girl's people will work their magic and he'll be back up and running before anyone knows it."

Kayama tried a smile, but it faltered.

"If he does wake up that is. I've never seen a people sleep longer than a day when under Recovery Girl's quirk. Sleep deprivation? Yu-chan has been adamant that he doesn't stay up late on his phone or playing games. And the only time I've seen him passing out was the day of the incident." She rubbed her forehead. "This is all just one big disaster."

"You can say that again." Yagi felt himself nod along, wanting to smile but unable to manage it. He kept heading down to the directory, only to stop once more on the addresses.

"Kayama, could you do me a favor and give my plans to Vlad?"

"Sure," the heroine said, picking up the stack of papers, "Heading home to bed?"

"Yeah," Yagi said, sifting through the directory, "Something like that. School's out tomorrow, and I'm going to make some personal stops." He picked up the directory and carried it, grabbing his jacket. "You can rest on the couch if you want."

"Appreciate it, get some sleep Toshinori."

"You too, Kayama."

(X)

The next day...

Yagi double-checked the address in front of him in his little notebook, ignoring the stares and gasps of surprise from passers-by. It was definitely the place.

Yagi steeled himself as best he could, and gently knocked on the front door. A few seconds later, Young Kirishima walked out, dressed in work out attire and drenched in sweat. Boy's eyes nearly burst out of their sockets when he saw Yagi standing there.

"Woah All Might-sensei!"

"Greeting's Young Kirishima!" All Might called, throwing on his trademarked smile. "For I am here! It seems you're doing rather well! Working out?"

Indeed, the young man had a thin line of sweat running down his brow.

"Y-Yeah," Kirishima says, flashing a toothy grin, "I've been hitting the old punching bag. Not much else to do with classes being suspended and all."

"Yes," All Might said, "About that… could I come in?"

Kirishima's grin faltered at Yagi's change of tone. Nevertheless, the boy nodded and stepped to the side letting the hero, dressed in his yellow pinstripe suit, pass through. The inner house wasn't much to talk about. Standard living room with a connecting kitchen centred around a large tv and a set of framed pictures of the young man and his family.

"Bit weird for you to show up unannounced, sensei," Kirishima said. "Would have showered and gotten dressed if so."

"I've already contacted your parents, they know I've come to talk to you."

"Huh, alright must have forgotten then. You want some tea or anything, sensei?" Kirishima offered, heading straight for the kitchen.

"I'm perfectly fine, thank you though. Please, have a seat. I don't wish to take up as much of your time."

The red-headed brawler shrugged, pulling out a bottle of water from the fridge.

"So what brings you here?" He asked almost rhetorically.

Here it comes. All Might felt another pang of guilt wash over him. This wouldn't be the first time he did this talk. Many a hero came to him for advice and he would always do his best.

But this…. They were kids. Dealing with trauma caused by his mistake.

"I was," Yagi paused, clearing his throat and ridding himself of some nerves, "Hoping I could… talk to you about the League of Villains attack."

The young hero-to-be froze, the water dripping off the side of his face. For a second, he looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Yagi took a deep breath, this is where it was going to start being difficult.

'Don't worry Yagi, you can handle this. Just do your best, and don't beat around the bush.'

He waited maybe three more seconds before Kirishima noticed his current predicament. He wiped off his face and forced a light-hearted chuckle.

"Oh, that beat down we gave those villains?" His smile was the widest and most forced he had ever seen.

"It was quite the harrowing experience," Yagi leaned forward, elbows on his knees and fingers clasped, "You must've been scared."

Kirishima rolled his eyes, flashing a confident grin, one that no doubt would fool most scared civilians. "Pfft. Scared? Man sensei do you know who you're talking about? Those mooks weren't enough to shake this man right here."

"I'm not disputing that," Yagi said quickly, smile still present but tone stern. "I'm simply here to ask you how you've been handling it."

The boy took another swig of his water, but slower this time.

"I've been handling it fine!" Kirishima declared. "If anything it's just making me ready for the next chance to deck those bastards for messing up our school."

"I'm sure you are," Yagi nodded along, "However, I doubt that's all of it."

Kirishima shot him a confused look, only for his eyes to light up.

"Oh yeah, I'm pretty worried for Parker, guy went through a lot." He paused, concern flashing through the smile. "Is he doing alright? Haven't heard from him."

All Might relaxed in his chair. "He's with Recovery Girl, I've no doubt that he'll be back on his feet before you know it."

Kirishima let out a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing for the first time since they started talking.

"Oh that's good, but yeah, you don't have to worry about me teach," Kirishima said, posing with a flex of his bicep, "This man is as solid as stone and ready to give those villains a good thrashing!" His smile was wide, ear to ear.

His hand holding his water...

Yagi shook his head, he couldn't let this continue.

"I know that, but I'm sorry, I can't believe you."

Kirishima blinked, "What, you think I'm not telling the truth or somethin?"

"No I'm sure you are," Yagi answered. The red haired student looked surprised before gritting his teeth and leaning forward, defiant.

"Then what's the matter!?"

"What's the matter is that you haven't stopped shaking since I mentioned the attack and young Parker."

The pro pointed at the bottle in Kirishima's hand, the water revealing the tremble in his hand that his smile tried to hide. The redhead noticed, and slowly, his smile fell off his face, his red eyes growing wider. All Might stayed still, resolute even with his smile on his visage.

"I'm not going to say anything that you don't want me to. Everything here is just between us. I am not here as the Symbol of Peace, but as your teacher, and your friend."

Kirishima nodded, the action almost robotic as the brawler slump down onto one of the kitchen seats. He stared at his water bottle, waiting for something to come to him. He let out a mirthless laugh, biting his lip.

"It's just…"

He paused, biting his lip. He closed his eyes and letting out a heartbroken sigh.

"I was right there man." Kirishima smiling ruefully now, eyes looking down, "Bakugo and I got in there, we were so sure that we could take those guys out. All of us, like, there was no way we can lose. We're heroes. The good guys."

He shook his head, sucking his lips in.

"Then when we got there… and Ace was banged up. After watching his match against Todoroki, I thought that guy could jump away from anything. Can handle anything thrown his way but…. there he was, in that Noumu things grip." He took a deep breath. "And not moving..."

Yagi nodded, "I read young Yaoyorozu's testimony. According to her, young Parker volunteered to go along with a plan that put him against Noumu to get Aizawa to safety. According to her, he was the only reason it didn't charge after young Asui, Midoriya, and Kaminari; with its level of power they would not have lasted. I've no doubt that they owe him their lives."

Kirishima cracked a grin, as mirthless as before.

"Yeah, that's our Ace for you, always the best." He gripped his fists, his hands shaking as he looked away, out towards the window and taking deep breaths through his nose.

Yagi stared at the boy for a second, then it clicked.

"Not everything can be solved with your fists, young Kirishima. The odds were stacked against you, you can't blame yourself for what happened."

"Really?" Kirishima asked, staring hard at the blonde superhero. "'Cause that's what it feels like. I felt... I felt hopeless!"

"Don't sell yourself short," Yagi said, "From what I know, you caught young Parker and protected him from the thermite charge, you even had some minor burns."

"Only to drop him and let him get captured!" Kirishima yelled, jumping to his feet, eyes bright with looming tears. "I mean what kinda hero does that? Yaoyorozu was riding on me to get Parker out of there, and all I did was let that handy guy grab him!" He gripped his fists. "I dropped the ball! Literally! And Parker could have died because of my.. of me..!" He bit his lip, breathing in hard as he fell back on the couch, hands to his face. "Oh god... Ohh..."

"And if you weren't there, what would they have done? Young Yaoyorozu and the others?"

Kirishima looked away, running a hand through his hair, "I-I don't know, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki would've come up with something. They're smarter than me after all. I'm just... muscle. They could have handled it better than I could have, screw up I was."

"Against a monster that had super regeneration, shock absorption, and strength rivalling my own?" Yagi asked. "Your classmates Quirks are impressive, but I doubt they would have lasted long without your help."

Kirishima had no words. The boy slumped back deeper in his chair, and let out a sob as he squeezed his eyes shut, tears streaming. Toshinori got up and put a hand on the young heroes shoulder, firm but gentle.

"A hero isn't measured by how quickly they can take down the villain or how hard they can hit or if they have fallen. They are measured by the people they save... and if they get back up on their feet. There were heroes long before me who were willing to throw themselves into danger to protect their friends and others."

Kirishima shook, not meeting Yagi's gaze. "It's all my... if I hadn't dropped him I-"

"Look at me." All Might ordered, and the redhead looked up. "If you want to blame anyone, blame me. I wasn't there when you needed me. I failed as your teacher, and you and your peers paid the price for it. But you? No matter what you say, you were there, you helped, you did your best, and you saved your friend, do you understand?"

Kirishima nodded his head and whipped the tears from his eyes. When he looked back up. Yagi could see that old confidence shining through.

He smiled, one much smaller than the large and fake one before... but it was sincere, and All Might returned it with a gusto.

But he knew that he wasn't finished.

(X)

"Thank you for stopping by, but it's unnecessary," The broad and built Mr. Asui spoke, sitting with his daughter and wife.

Well, least he knew where she got her frog quirk from... Both of her parents were frogs!

Tsuyu was silent as her father spoke, the trio sitting on the couch as the Symbol of Peace sat in a chair across from a coffee table.

The frog-like girl squatted on her chair, looking more at the textbook in front of her than the teacher. Yagi honestly felt pretty out of place. He waited for a sigh, a little tick like Young Kirishima to indicate anything eating at the girl.

Instead, he found… nothing. Even the parents were easier to read.

"You're taking this well, young Asui" All Might asked nervously.

"If you're wondering if I don't know how serious it was, don't worry, I'm aware." Her wide eyes looked back at him. "Chances are that we would've died if things had gone even a little bit differently. If Parker hadn't saved me and Midoriya-chan, I'd probably be in the morgue right now."

Mrs. Asui took a deep breath, biting her lip and looking to the side. Yagi blanched at the girl's bluntness and somehow found the strength to nod.

"Y-yes, I'm sorry for that."

He could feel Mrs. Asui narrow her eyes at him, and All Might felt fine with the nonverbal blame, but he saw Young Asui give her mother a nudge, not happy to see her mother blame her teacher.

"Don't worry about it," the frog girl said casually, "It was the worst kind of situation, but thankfully we all got out of it. As much as it might seem weird to say, there's not really too much point in worrying what might've happened when it didn't. They showed up, we did our best, we got out and we'll train to make sure that it doesn't happen again, ribbit."

Yagi gulped. "That's… very mature of you."

"Thank you, ribbit," Tsuyu admitted, "And if you don't mind me saying Sensei, I appreciate the visit."

Yagi perked up, "Really?"

"Yeah, it feels good knowing that U.A is willing to go this far to check up on us."

"Indeed. Tsu-chan and I talked a lot over the past day or so." Mr. Asui spoke. "But our girl is strong and she's handled this better than I could have."

"You better make sure to thank this Parker-san." Mrs. Asui turned to her daughter. "He is your hero you know."

"Obviously, but he hasn't gotten out of bed yet. No word yet, ribbit." Tsuyu responded to her parents. "Got a get well soon card and Z's Candy for him too. Everybody likes chocolate after all. Well, except maybe dogs. And health freaks. Ashido-chan is getting everyone together to make a scrapbook."

Yagi launched to his feet, "Hahaha! Of course! You're the heroes of tomorrow after all! No one in U.A is more important than you!"

He coughed into his hand seeing Mrs. Asui roll her eyes, even though Tsuyu smiled lightly at him showing off his charisma.

"But if you're fine, then I shall leave you to your studies! I am off to visit your other classmates! Take care Young Asui, and..."

He paused, bowing deep in respect to the parents.

"Thank you for accepting me into your household, Mr. and Mrs. Asui."

"Don't mention. You maybe the Symbol of Peace." Mr. Asui spoke with a gravely voice, which made sense since he was a toad. "But you're only human in the end. We all make mistakes."

"Just don't do it again." Mrs. Asui added sternly as she stood up, storming off to the kitchen despite the look from her daughter. Tsuyu looked back, feeling offended.

"Don't mind Mom. She was worried sick. Like, she broke out into hives when I got home after she heard the news." Yagi nodded. Well... that is one worrywort of a mama-bear... or mama-frog in this case.

"I can understand Young Asui. If you need anything." He reached into his pocket, giving to her what he gave Kirishima, Todoroki, and Bakugo. "Don't be afraid to call this line if there is anything weighing on your mind in regards to this incident."

All Might gave a friendly wave.

"And now, I am off!" He took off, heading straight to his car, then shrank down to his skeletal form the moment he was out of sight. He let out a deep sigh and spotted the next address in his handy dandy notebook.

The wealthy uptown neighborhood of Nyabu Heights. Yaoyorozu's estate. That's next.

Ten down... Ten to go.

(X)

She was quiet, eerily so.

Yagi couldn't pretend that he had a perfect grasp on all of his students' personalities, but from what he remember, young Yaoyorozu was no stranger to conversation. With how effortlessly she deconstructed the Hero vs Villains exercise, he wouldn't be surprised if her grades were the top of the class despite her peers possessing no shortage of tactical skills themselves.

Yet her appearance made his blood chill. He didn't know her well, but she had always taken care of her appearance, looking as professional as her preference for skimpy attire allowed.

Now she was dressed in pajamas and a bathrobe. Her long obsidian hair was a scraggly, knotted mess. There were bags under her eyes. All in all, she looked like she had been in bed for two days.

Even so, her eyes were downcast, barely looking at All Might even as she served him a cup of tea, her hand shaking just a little.

"I hope you like green," she croaked lightly, taking a seat on the comfortable chair behind her. All Might did his best to keep his smile up. He thought Kirishima was the worst. He was wrong.

"It has been a while," Yagi admitted, "But I do remember enjoying a good cup every now and then."

He kept up his smile, even though the cup barely fit in his massive hands. Yaoyorozu took her own and sipped once. Twice.

The trembling of her hands was clearly visible now, little ripples and jumps in the tea she held in her hand.

She set the cup down on the table, clasping her hands over her lap.

"I'm sure you've no doubt figured out why I've come." Time to get to the point.

Momo nodded, not taking her eyes off the tea on the table between them.

"Most students only get their first taste of live combat in their internships," Yagi said, "But you were had to contend with it early. I suspect you need to speak of it."

She didn't move. Yagi shifted in his seat.

"I understand if you feel like you don't want to talk... but, as your teacher I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that you do." He gripped at his knees lightly.

Yaoyorozu's head snapped up. "Oh no no! I want to it's just that…"

She set her cup down, and averted her eyes in something resembling shame. She coughed.

"I don't know what to say."

"Anything you want to say," All Might confirmed, leaning forward, "I'm here to listen and help. If you want, this conversation doesn't need to reach your parents. They're doing well, I hope?"

Surely they must have heard the news. Yaoyorozu blinked as if the thought never occurred to her.

"Oh, yes, that would be best, wouldn't it. And yes they... they called me when I came home. They're at a conference in Dubai right now." All Might perked up. Dubai? Why that was where…

"I-Island is there right now is it? Touring the world?"

He recalled that her parents had connections there. Father was an investor of sorts, while the mother had ties to security groups across the world. For the first time he saw Momo's eyes lit up.

"Yes, they were on holiday touring the Middle East. Since my dad has work tied with I-Island, they figured to schedule it when I-Island came to Dubai for an expo. They're going to fly back tomorrow though." Yaoyorozu shook her head as the light faded. "I made them worry."

"Don't be ashamed. Your parents are only doing their jobs." All Might reassured. "Now..." He rested his elbows on his knees, inter clasping his hands. "Something's weighing on your mind, isn't it?"

Yaoyorozu gripped her arm and nodded. "I just, I can't stop thinking about it. That monst-Noumu thing… what was it?"

Yagi shrugged, "According to the reports? Something made to hold several quirks and fight me. You were courageous to take it on."

"Yes, I... I had to. After all, I am a hero in training." The girl muttered, looking at the table. All Might relaxed a little.

"Do you have any questions about, well, 'it'." Yaoyorozu bit her lip.

"I had…I had no choice. I, whatever situation I thought of that... that didn't end with that, everyone would have-"

"Do you regret killing the Noumu?" All Might asked, and the black haired girl gripped at her robe, shaking.

"There was no other way... it was made to kill you and... if I didn't do what I did... I don't even know if it was being brainwashed or made from a laboratory or it was a plain sociopath." The girl shook her head. "I... I killed... I killed... oh god...." She looked up, eyes wet. "All Might-san have you... you've killed before in the past... yes?"

All Might was silent, as still as a statue.

"No. I have not." He said. "But I recognize that is a luxury I have because of my abilities. I know of many fine, exemplary Heroes who don't share it." He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees as he drew closer to the distraught girl. "Our profession is a dangerous one Young Yaoyorozu. The fact you are saying these things, contemplating them, is good. One can't be a hero if they care nothing in regards to taking a life, even a villainous and heinous one. Killing isn't something we heroes should do. Should ever want to do. Unfortunately, sometimes there is a situation that is so impossible to overcome that in order to save lives, one must be lost in the process." He rubbed his forehead a little, reaching forward and taking a sip of tea.

"As I said, I've never had to. But, if I have no choice, if the choice is between an innocent, or a friend, or a fellow Hero... then I won't regret my choice, even if it means I do not like it. We heroes don't really have a say when a crisis gets out of control. All we can do is handle it as best we can."

All Might leaned forward, resting his elbows on his mighty knees as Yaoyorozu looked back with wide eyes.

"Killing should only come as a last resort, Yaoyorozu." His voice was stern, but not harsh. It was lecturing, but not condescending. "As you said in your testimony to the police, you thought of the best possible situation to save yourself and your classmates. Had you not have concocted your plan it would have been worse. That was your last resort."

"And because of it Peter-san…!" She paused, eyes watering as she put her hands to her face. "Forgive me... I shouldn't shout..." She bowed her head. All Might raised a hand. This was feeling a little familiar, sadly but thankfully.

"Don't apologize, it's quite understandable."

The girl froze at Yagi's words. She took several deep breaths, but it didn't stop the shiver from running through her.

"I've been thinking... about that moment in the plaza," she whispered, "I keep running through the variables over and over in my head. Asui, Midoriya, and Kaminari were in danger, Mr. Aizawa was a hostage. We had to give a distraction for the three of them to escape the leader, and occupy Noumu so we could get Aizawa-sensei."

She grips her head, her fingers digging into her scalp.

"I-I try to think of s-something but there's nothing. I didn't have all the information, I couldn't make anything that would help that wouldn't put Aizawa in danger. Maybe if Todoroki arrived sooner, maybe if we kept the leader talking long enough for you to arrive things would've been different, but, it didn't. All I could think of was sending Parker to fight it, and what I had to do to get him out of it." She shook her head, letting out a sob. "I tried to think of me creating new items. New strategies but... they ended up in worse scenarios than the one we had and Peter-san..." Yaoyorozu looked away, biting her lower lip. She couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence, and Yagi felt a nostalgic pit in his stomach form.

He was in those shoes, or slippers in Yaoyorozu's case, decades ago. Following that day in that dark sea when he failed to save the closest thing he had to a mother.

Her breath hitched, and she trembled at the mere memory. "I don't know... how we could have been better... I tried and tried to think of the best scenario with what we got and." Yaoyorozu let out a bitter sigh. "And because of it, Peter-san hasn't woken up..."

"You can't blame yourself," Yagi said, as gently as he could, his usual bombast absent. "I've had countless what ifs in my time, some of them even keep me up to this day."

Young Yaoyorozu didn't need to have those kind of thoughts now. In a perfect world, she'd never have them again.

Give what had happened though...

"The actions you took were the best possible scenario, as you yourself stated back when you were questioned. Never killing a villain is one thing. But not doing so and resulting in a comrade perishing is an entirely different matter. You must accept your action, and that it was the one winning strategy. No matter what happens, as Heroes we have to keep going, living with the consequences of our actions and how they affect those we serve. At the end of the day, if you ask Parker, I don't think he will ever blame you for your plan. He knew the risks, and while I know that's a small comfort, it's something that you shouldn't ignore."

Yaoyorozu stiffly whipped a tear out of her eye and shook her head.

"How can you be sure? Peter-san... I don't know how he'll react..."

The question gave Yagi pause, then the answer came to him.

"Someone like him, willing to throw himself against impossible odds for saving his peers and classmates," Yagi stated, "His suit might be broken, but Parker is a rare breed of young hero. When he wakes up, I'm sure he won't regret a thing."

The young girl didn't nod, but she finally looked him in the eye. All Might smiled widely, and flashed a thumbs up.

"Take heart young Yaoyorozu. Your journey as heroes is just beginning. This is but one part, a small bump in the road in front of your starting line. Learn from it, and no matter what you've lost, let it help you to face the challenges ahead."

This time, she did move. A single resolute nod.

"I got a text from Ashido-san this... morning, she was getting some of Peter's classmates together. We were going to visit him in the hospital tomorrow."

"I'm sure he will appreciate it," he promised. And Yong Yaoyorozu smiled for the first time in what he gathered was several days.

"Thank you."

(X)

'You can be anything you want Pete, but you gotta remember, when you have power, you alone bear the mantle…'

'You're different.'

'You got heart kid.'

'I wanted you to be better.'

'You're an Avenger now.'

(X)

A day later.

The first thing that Peter felt was relief. The plush of the covers over him, the bed below him. It was divine. Peter felt himself sink deeper and deeper into the mattress.

Sweet Jesus, he had missed this. It was bliss, but it couldn't last. The weariness that had been sinking into him for what felt like a whole year was finally gone. As much as he might want to doze all day, his body wouldn't let him. He opened his eyes, and looked around. He was in a hospital room, or that was what it looked like anyway. There was an IV machine by his side, and a bedside table with a vase of flowers. The flowers looked fresh, lively.

But what really surprised him were the cards.

They piled on the table, some of them close to falling off. The only thing stopping them was a book, its pages blocky and uneven with pieces of paper sticking out of it at odd intervals. Peter reached out, his finger barely managing to get far enough to touch it. He felt that old sticking sensation and he pulled the book to him.

Get Well, said the title, with glitter and stars stickered onto the top.

It was a nice sight, but pulling the book back started spilling the letters onto the floor. From behind an opening door, there came a gasping sound.

Midoriya was there. With a great big grin, his eyes bubbling with joyful tears.

"You're awake! Hey-"

"This is a hospital! Quiet!" snapped someone – probably a nurse - from outside.

"Sorry!" Midoriya fiddled with his fingers as he walked inside. Then he noticed the book in his hands and a smile emerged on his freckled face. "I see you've found your little gift."

Peter looked down at the book, running a finger down the cover.

"Yeah, who made it?"

"It was Ashido-san's idea."

"Mina?"

"Yeah when you didn't wake up on time she…" Midoriya's enthusiasm petered out as the words out of his mouth caught up to him.

"On time?" Peter repeated, "How long have I been out?" He looked around and out the window. This wasn't U.A., but a hospital. He must have been transported.

Izuku rubbed his arm, looking to the side. "About three days, give or take."

Three days?

Peter didn't know what to think. He'd seen Recovery Girl fix Midoriya's arms and legs in seconds back at the entrance exam. Was he so beaten up that it took Recovery Girl that long to fix him up?

Two pairs of bloodshot eyes. One having razor sharp teeth, the other with patched dry skin with the devil's grin...

He grabbed his wrist as the phantom shock jolted through him. Peter took a deep exhale through his nose.

"You don't have to worry about classes too," Izuku continued, "They were cancelled after the USJ incident. In fact, we have a few days left. Oh, and Recovery Girl told me to tell that you should have healthy meals and at least ten hours of sleep a night. Only, ummm, paraphrasing of course."

"Yeah... right. Rest. Got it." Peter nodded. Rest, yes, that would be the best thing to do.

Silence followed. A long, awkward silence; the kind that happened when both had something they needed to say, but didn't know how to say it.

"I know that you've been having nightmares."

Peter winced. How did that happen? Was he talking in his sleep? What else might he have revealed? "Ummm, I was there when Recovery Girl talked to your guardian, Mt. Lady-san. They had a big talk about it too and she looked worried sick.

Yu showed up? Peter felt his stomach churn. God, it was like the time that Aunt May freaked out after she found him with the spider suit on. The American bit his lip and sighed, looking away. Izuku took a seat close by. "Do you... wanna talk about it? Recovery Girl said that your brain scans weren't good, least from what I know."

"It's… difficult," Peter admitted, closing his eyes. How can one tell of seeing their comrades turn to dust, have the implication that their only family and few loved ones joined them, and leaving their one and only idol and hero alone on a dead alien planet.

That's not even getting to the part of literally dying.

"And that I'm here to help you, whenever you want." Peter opened his eyes. Izuku was staring at him, his eyes resolute; in a way Peter hadn't quite thought him capable of. "I... I don't know how I can help but... if there is anything I can do, anything at all..."

A tense silence followed. Peter stared down at the sheets below him. He knew what he was saying. He was grateful, happy to see Izuku open an ear to him.

But… it wasn't that simple. What was he supposed to say? That he came from a completely different universe? That he fought aliens alongside heroes and wizards? That he got his 'quirk' from a spider bite? That he had seen technology that was little more than magic to everyone here?

That he died?

Peter looked down, then back up as his chocolate eyes met Izuku's emerald orbs. Those same eyes wanting, pleading to help him.

He wouldn't believe him. No one would. They'd take him for a fool, or a lunatic. He would have to go with the cover story he and Yu had gone over months back. A veiled version of the truth...

"I-"

"HE'S AWAKE!"

Peter jerked back, and Midoriya almost fell out of his chair as Mina all but exploded through the doorway. The pinkette had a bundle of fresh flowers in her hands, but they were quickly forgotten, thrust into the hands of a surprised Tenya who barely managed to catch them.

"Ace is awake!? HEY ACE!" Eijirou called, barrelling through the door and racing to his bedside, sending Tenya stumbling into the wall. "Uh… sorry there." Eijirou admitted, as he saw his classmate's predicament. Tenya adjusted his glasses, frowning at Kirishima,

"Kirishima, your enthusiasm is commendable, but this is a-!"

"Quiet!" bellowed a passing nurse, making them all jump.

"…a hospital!" Tenya finished his sentence in a loud whisper. "Be courteous!"

He blushed. Mina and Eijirou had the decency to look a little embarrassed about their behavior too.

"You're all here?" Peter asked aloud, eyes wide. The door opened again, and in came Ochako, Momo, and Asui.

"Sorry about that," Ochako said with an indoor voice. "Was grabbing something to snack on with Asui." .

"Heya Parker." The frog girl waved cheerfully; or about as cheerfully as she could manage.

"H-Hey Asui-san."

"No need to be formal, just call me Tsu." Asu-Tsuyu said with her long lips forming a light grin. Peter looked over to Momo, who was dressed in a black blouse and form fitting jeans.

Momo flinched when she caught Peter's gaze.

"I might've gotten a little excited when I saw Parker," Mina admitted, rubbing the back of her head as she giggled.

"Y-yeah, you know how it is," Eijirou added nervously.

"I'm surprised that door is still on its hinges! I swear no one knows how to properly enter an office anymore!" Tenya whispered loudly, again. Everyone looked at him funny.

'You were shouting too you know.' Everyone thought in unison.

Peter barked out a laugh, he honestly couldn't believe it. They were okay! Beyond Midoriya getting hurt, nothing had happened! They were unharmed! He let out a sigh of relief.

Thank god.

"When did you wake up, Parker? Ribbit," asked Asui, as they all gathered around the bed.

"Just now," Peter answered. Mina's eyes light up at the sight of the book in front of him.

"Yes~!" She squealed. "You found your book!"

"S-sure did. Thanks for making it. I was just about to read it too."

"No sweat!" Mina declared, with a thumbs up.

"After what you've done for us, it was the least that we could do," Tenya said. The American held up the book, finally taking it in...

The English words "Fight! Get Well Soon!" were on the front page, with red, gold, and blue highlights as he turned the page, finding the first of many get-well cards he will need to read. But man...

So much glitter!

"It's really…" Peter paused, struggling to find the right word, "Sparkly?"

Mina and Ochako shared a look and nervously coughed into their hands. "Yeah well, you see, Aoyama wanted to help out as well and he kinda…" Ochako trailed off and Peter knew exactly where she was going. Mina couldn't help but snicker.

"Guess I've been giving people a hard time," Peter's shoulders slumped a little.

"Not really," Asui said, "With classes cancelled, it was getting rather boring all things considered. Just some online stuff and us being cooped up at home."

"I know right?" Eijirou asked, "I haven't done anything except punching the old bag and all..." His red eyes trailed, looking at the pony-tailed heiress who was fidgeting with whatever she was holding. "Hey Yaoyorozu, you doing all right?" Kirishima asked.

"Yes," Tenya said, adjusting his glasses, "You've been rather quiet this entire time."

The girl stiffened under the attention. She looked down at the floor, and Peter could practically see the dread in her eyes. They had small bags under them. Was she not getting enough sleep?

"Momo-san?"

She jerked back. For a second, it looks like she wanted to run. Then her shoulders slumped, and Peter saw tears at the corners of her eyes.

"Parker-san… I'm sor-."

"Were you hurt at all during the attack?"

Momo paused, eyes widened as she looked at Peter.

"E-Eh?"

"Are you you okay? Did those villains hurt you?"

"I... n-no. No they didn't I... I got a few burns but nothing major. Recovery Girl healed them in no time."

"That's good. I'm just happy." Peter gave her a warm smile. "That you're all okay. The plan worked, we all got out of there. That... that's good enough by me."

Momo remained quiet, pink rising to her cheeks as she stood still. She smiled lightly, rubbing her eyes.

"Yes. T-That's right. That's all that matters."

"Well, the Sports Festival will still take place." Tenya stated. "It will occur in a week's time, according to the press conference Principal Nezu gave a couple of days ago. You sure you want to participate?"

Oh yeah! He remembered! It was in the syllabus! "Why not. I mean, I am your Deputy Rep. I gotta step up and- His stomach growled, loudly, and Peter let out a sigh as they all burst out laughing. "And I need to get something in me. I'm starving!"

"I'll get something from the cafeteria!" Mina declared. "Oi, Eijirou-kun, mush!" She tugged on the red haired boy's arm, tugging him along.

"Okay okay, easy!"

"I'll come with you! Parker, what would you like to eat?"

"Well... anything."

"Anything coming right-"

"QUIET!" roared the same nurse again. Mina shrank, and the rest all tiptoed carefully out of the room.

"…up."

(X)

The next hour or so went by fast. Peter and his friends ate in his room, making sure to keep quiet. A doctor came by for a quick check up, and Peter was as good as new thanks to Recovery Girl. All that remained was to sign some papers, and he was free to go! Peter was glad to have seen his friends. Glad to hang out with them, to talk with them, and laugh with them. And what they all wanted to talk about was the Sports Festival; a competition hosted by U.A., and broadcast across the country. It was a week away, and Peter was wanted to get ready. A lot of hero firms would be watching, ready to scout the most promising candidates. He looked over them all. Ochako and Izuku chatting with Tenya, Mina and Eijirou gossiping with Tsuyu cutting in. They hadn't gotten hurt, not permanently anyway. He was so relieved.

"Peter!"

Peter perked up, and saw Yu racing towards him. She was wearing her hero costume, her arms outstretched to embrace him. The next thing he knew, he was in her arms, his head on her shoulder. She hugged him tight, and he couldn't help but return it.

"Whoaaaa, It's Mt. Lady!" Ochako said with a squeal. "You were right Deku!"

"Wait, she's your guardian?" Momo inquired with raised eyebrows. Peter let go and turned towards the pony tailed girl and nodded.

"Yeah, she-"

"You're up and at'em buddy! You doing okay Peter?" Yu asked in idiosyncratic but enthusiastic English, and Peter looked up, letting out a soft laugh.

"I'm alright Yu." He replied in his native tongue, smiling back. It felt so good to see her like this.

"You sure? You hungry at all? Wanna go get hotpot? Got an email saying that you're given the all clear from the medical staff." She then noticed the group of students in the room and the mass array of trays and food. "Or... wanna put a, what do you Americans call it? A 'rain check', on that?"

"What is she saying? I heard hotpot mentioned." Eijirou whispered in Japanese to Tsuyu.

"Beats me, English is the one subject I have trouble with." The frog girl replied back.

"Yeah, we can do that tomorrow or on the weekend. I'm gonna have a lot of work to do going forward."

"You aren't doing any work, you need relaxation and sleep." Yu said sternly. "I-" She paused, looking at the kids, and sighed. "We'll talk in the car. I don't wanna make a scene in front of your friends."

"You got it." The brown haired boy turned towards the group, beaming down as he collected the scrapbook full of cards. He had plenty of reading to do, and thank-you notes to write.

"Guys," Peter spoke in Japanese. "Thanks for checking in on me over the last day or so. I appreciate it."

"You'd do the same for us man. We're just happy you're up and walking." Eijioru waved his hand, grinning. Ochako beamed while Tsuyu waved her wide hand.

"School is out in two more days, that's more than enough time for you to catch up on sleep I bet!" Mina beamed with her arms behind her head. Peter turned towards Izuku.

The boy who saved him, and he held out his hand.

"Hey, Midoriya." Izuku perked up as he stood up, the shorter green haired boy looking up at the taller brown haired youth. "Thank you, for saving me." Izuku blinked, and then blushed.

"W-Well uh, I mean, I was only!" He paused, taking the time to regain his composure as he took a deep breath. Then he opened them, his green eyes staring back as he took Peter's hand and shook it. "It's not a problem. I mean, we are all heroes in training. Like how Kirishima said, you'd do the same for all of us."

Peter looked towards Momo after shaking his hand. "And thank you all, you all had a hand in saving the class." His gaze focused from Tenya, Eijirou, Ochako, Tsuyu, Kirishima, Mina, and finally Momo and Izuku.

'And me.' He finished mentally.

Peter let out a soft smile, nodding. "We should all keep in touch more often."

"Sounds like a plan. I suggest we have a group chat!" Mina raised her hand, eyes closed with a beaming toothy grin.

"I wouldn't mind that." Tsuyu added with a slight smile of her own, waving.

"Yeah, we can all be study buddies in this case. Help each other improve!" Ochako had her closed fist meet her open hand.

"A wise idea. A way to help us better ourselves as students as well as strengthen camaraderie... I approve!" Tenya stated with a raised hand of his own, rising it higher than even the pink-skinned pinkette.

"I could use it. My written scores wasn't something to write home about." Eijirou laughed bashfully, rubbing the back of his head as he pulled out his phone.

"Oh! That's right I don't have my phone on me, but I'd be happy to exchange my number." Peter said as his friends got out their mobiles. "Hey, if anyone has Jirou's or Todoroki's number, maybe they can join too?"

"I don't have Jirou-san's number, but I'll be sure to ask her the next time I see. Same with Todoroki-san." Momo had her phone out.

Eijioru stood up, grabbing his mobile. "Here, tell it."

"Hang on let me get mine!" Mina rummaged through her purse.

So Peter gave his number to them all.

"I'll reply to your texts when I have it and it's charged up." He gave a big wide smile. "So, I'll see you all on... Friday I think? It's Wednesday right now so..."

"Yeah, one day of school and a half day, the next week the Sports Festival." Tsuyu covered for him.

"If you need to call on anything, if ya need to talk, I'm a ringaway Ace." Eijirou pointed at his chest with a gusto.

"I would be happy to assist in Class duties and what to offer as suggestions going forward! I am your Class Secretary after all!" Tenya waved his arms again.

"Are you... available for call any time, outside of school hours, Parker-san?" Momo asked lightly. "If you want to, well, talk that is." Her obsidian pearl-like eyes stared back into his.

"Well, ummm, I'm gonna be busy with stuff before the Festival." He looked back, seeing Yu cross her arms. "After I get enough sleep that is."

He noticed Yu standing by, looking patient, but he shouldn't keep her waiting.

"Okay you all." Came a doctor who looked like a giraffe, poking his long head inside. "Parker-san, you're free to go. I hope all of you follow suit as well. Got a nurse who was up in my case about loud kids." Mina bit her lip, while Eijirou looked away sheepishly.

"We will depart at once, thank you for taking care of our friend." Tenya stated with a bow.

"Just doing our jobs." The doctor's head then left the room and everyone got up and began walking towards the front courtyard, leaving the facility.

"Okay everybody... I'll see you on Friday! Oh, and Uraraka." Peter turned towards the brunette, who perked up.

"Yeah?"

"You called Izuku 'Deku' several times, from what I heard back during Battle Trials. Why do you call him that?" It does mean worthless, from what he can recall.

"Oh! Sure thing." The bubbly brunette stepped forth, standing beside the green haired boy who suddenly became as stiff as a statue thanks to being the topic of discussion. "I thought it was super cute when I heard it!" Ochako added with a beaming grin. "He even declared how it was the name of a hero too during the Battle Trial. Two birds with one stone I say!"

"IT TOTALLY IS!" Izuku yelled, grinning stupidly and making Mina and Tenya wince.

"Not so loud! You'll attract that nurse!" Mina whispered. "She could be anywhere..."

"Okay, well, if you like, you can call me Peter. Or Parker, whichever makes ya comfy." Peter came up, patting Izuku on the shoulder. "I owe ya. For now though, let's focus on being the best heroes we can be."

Izuku's flustered nature faded, and Momo stepped forward.

"Yes, let's. For all of us." She declared softly. The setting sun was pouring in from the windows, rays of light shining on them all.

"Alright, see ya guys soon. And I'll hear from ya'll too." Peter waved. "I have a lot of people to catch up with when my phone is charged, like Pony and Hatsume. So I apologize in advance if I don't get back to ya."

"Just an emoji is okay." Mina gave an okay sign, beaming. Peter nodded and turned towards Yu.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting. You ready?" He asked. The blonde didn't look the least bit annoyed, smiling.

"I'm happy you're okay... and I'm happy you've made some great friends Peter. Come on, let's go." Peter grabbed his belongings and walked off, hearing the chattering of his friends behind him as he and Yu walked down the lane leading to the parking structure, covered in shade from the trees lining both sides.

He looked back, seeing his classmates talk in the courtyard, ready to their separate ways as they looked illuminated by the grace of the sun.

They were unharmed. They won. They were safe. They won.

They won... but he...

He lost. Again.

He couldn't do a thing. He felt powerless in that monster's grip, in that man's grasp. Peter looked down, the shade of the trees pouring in becoming darker as he and Yu walked through the empty hospital, getting farther away from the light filled cafeteria.

He felt like... like...

A weak, meek, pathetic, insect.

Peter looked up, teeth clenched and eyes becoming sharp. His hands balled tighter into fists.

He remained silent, as he and Yu walked towards the dark and empty car park.