“I was going to walk you to class,” he said.

“O-oh,” you murmured. “Thank you. You don’t have to though.”

“Does it bother you?” he asked, his eyes watching you carefully.

“No,” you said, clicking the door shut behind you.

He nodded before turning to let you follow him. You adjusted your backpack straps before chasing after him.

“You look a bit pale,” Todoroki said, having matched his pace with your own.

You touched your face out of reflex. “Really?”

Todoroki hummed in response. You didn’t say much else to each other on the way to class, that was until it came into view, and you saw a tall purple-haired boy standing outside the door. You smiled brightly, remembering how he’d tried to help you find your way around yesterday.

“H-hey—”

Todoroki’s hand went over your mouth, and his expression hardened. You furrowed your eyebrows at him, pulling his hand from your face.

“Don’t talk to that guy,” Todoroki warned.

The purple-haired boy rolled his eyes, turning to the two of you. He slid his hand over the back of his neck, before placing his hands in his pockets.

“Hey, newbie,” the boy said. “Looks like you found your classroom after all.” He smiled weakly at you, ignoring the glare he was getting from Todoroki.

“His quirk is brainwashing. If you talk to him, he could control you,” Todoroki said, trying to guide you into the room without acknowledging the boy.

You stopped short just outside the door. “And, if you talk to me, I could read your mind, Todoroki,” you said.

Todoroki frowned at you. “It’s not the same,” he said. He tried to grab your hand to lead you inside the classroom, but you pulled back from him.

“Todoroki, it’s fine. I’m sure he wouldn’t do that on purpose, just like I wouldn’t. I’m not just going to ignore him.”

A grin started on the purple-haired boy’s face, and he gave Todoroki a sly smile.

“You can call me Think,” you said, “It’s nice to run into you again.”

“A name to a face,” the boy said, side-eyeing Todoroki. “The name is Shinso.”

Todoroki came back and stood by you, as it seemed you were not going to budge.

“What brings you here?” you asked.

Shinso’s eyes lingered on Todoroki before his sleepy expression came back to you. “It’s a surprise,” he said coyly, running a hand through his mess of hair.

Your eyes glistened. A surprise? You couldn’t help but start to bounce a little. “What kind of surprise?” you asked.

“Depends on the person,” Shinso said mysteriously.

“Shinso?” Midoriya’s voice called.

Shinso’s expression appeared to drop a little. He peered up to see the green-haired broccoli boy jogging up to the three of you.

“Hey,” Shinso said gruffly. His cockiness faded a little.

“What are you doing here?” Midoriya asked quizzically.

“It’s a surprise,” you interjected, wanting no one to ruin it.

“Oh, well, it’s nice to see you. Todoroki, you remember Shinso don’t you?” Midoriya said, noticing how Todoroki seemed tense.

“I do remember, Shinso,” he said coldly. “I hope he remembers me as well because if he tries anything he’ll have me to deal with.” The air froze around you, and you shivered.

Shinso lazily looked at Todoroki, his smile having disappeared. “Icy Hot, right?” Shinso asked sincerely.

The three of you blinked up at him in surprise. Midoriya opened his mouth to correct him but was cut off by the maniacal laughter echoing down the hallway.

“He called him Icy Hot! Ha!” Bakugo was doubled over in fits of laughter, while Kirishima smiled tensely next to him.

“Is that not your name?” Shinso asked.

When Todoroki just glared at Shinso and didn’t respond, Midoriya kept pushing his index fingers together, nervously fidgeting next to you.

“It’s Todoroki,” Midoriya said.

“Oh,” Shinso said. “Sorry.” Shinso rubbed the back of his neck, shifting in his place on the wall.

“Move it, Extras. Stop standing in the hallway like dumbasses,” Bakugo snapped.

“You’re one to talk,” Todoroki murmured, entering the classroom, seemingly done with the whole exchange.

“Oi, what did you say to me, Icy Hot?” Bakugo growled.

“Let’s not fight,” you said, frantically waving your arms.

Bakugo narrowed his eyes at you and clicked his tongue. “You look like shit. Did you even sleep?” he asked. He didn’t wait for you to respond and entered the classroom.

A twinge of guilt pinched your chest. You knew he asked because he’d tried to help you last night. You were tired, but thanks to him you had slept comfortably until morning. It took all you had not to thank him, even though he was being so rude.

Kirishima squeezed your shoulder in reassurance. “It’s almost like he hates you more than Deku. Sorry about him,” Kirishima said apologetically.

“Kacchan doesn’t hate me,” Midoriya said.

“Yes, I do, you damn nerd!” Bakugo barked from the classroom.

Midoriya trembled nervously, and you patted him on the back. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it,” you whispered.

Midoriya just hung his head, making his way into class and Kirishima followed suit.

“Odd bunch,” Shinso offered.

You smiled shyly up at him. “They are interesting. I don’t really know them all that well yet, though,” you said honestly.

Shinso smiled back at you. “So, can you read minds?” he asked, leaning down so that he was eye level with you and gently pressing the tip of his finger to your forehead.

You began to blush a bit. “I can,” you admitted. “But, my quirk is a lot more than that. You don’t have to worry though! I won’t read your mind without asking first. That doesn’t count for training however.” You were shifting from both feet now, worried that he might not like you as much, knowing this about you.

“Interesting,” he muttered, going back to standing next to you. “A lot of people must be nervous around you…” he trailed off with a far-off look in his eyes.

“Me?” you squeaked. “I-I’m not someone anyone should be nervous around.”

Shinso chuckled, tucking a loose strand of your hair behind your ear. “You shouldn’t sell yourself short.” He held his hand over your head, as if making fun of your height.

You puffed out your cheeks. “H-Hey, don’t make fun of me,” you said. “I might have to say something like, ‘How’s the weather up there?’

“Oh no, you’ve slain me with your coarse words,” Shinso said. He staggered back playfully, a smile cracking through the permanent frown on his face.

“Serves you right for making fun of a short person,” you said, batting lightly on his arm.

He continued to ward of your attacks with upraised hands in defense, until both of you were grinning.

“Think!” Ochaco called your name.

You turned to her with a wide smile, only to come face to face with a very displeased Uraraka. She had narrowed her eyes at Shinso, who had once again locked himself away behind a bored expression.

“Is this guy messing with you?” Uraraka asked.

“We were just talking,” you said. What was everyone’s issue with Shinso?

She looked like she wanted to tell you something, but she stood firm with her mouth shut. Uraraka wasn’t one to be rude or say things that were unkind, but her expression made you a little more than tense. Shinso sighed behind you, planting his large hands back into his pockets. When you turned back to Shinso, he glanced anywhere but in your eyes.

“They don’t trust my quirk,” Shinso said.

You turned back to Uraraka who couldn’t seem to meet your gaze. You couldn’t believe what he said was true. How could they treat someone so poorly for the quirk they had? It wasn’t fair. After all they did to make sure you didn’t get bullied, they were just bullying Shinso for the very same thing.

“Ochaco,” you said softly.

She didn’t speak. Her glare went back up to Shinso, and she walked into the classroom. You couldn’t believe it. Ochaco, of all people, was wary of him? What did Shinso ever do to them?

“I can brainwash people. That’s my quirk,” Shinso murmured, reaffirming what Todoroki had said to you. “I brainwashed a few of your classmates at The Sports Festival, so it’s probably why they’re all so wary.”

“So, what?” you asked incredulously.

“What do you mean so what?” he repeated. “Doesn’t that scare you?”

“Should I be scared of you?” you asked him.

He seemed taken aback, eyes widening. He cracked a small smile. “No,” he said with confidence ringing in his tone and his head shaking back and forth.

“Good then. I was worried I’d have to find a different purple-haired boy to bump into.” You put your hands behind your back, gently rocking back and forth.

“Not too many of those around here,” he said. “It would be a real shame if you had to find me a replacement.”

You nodded firmly, but then you looked pensively at the classroom. “I have to get to class but hope to see you around, Shinso.” You waved goodbye. As you passed him to enter the room, you could barely make out his final words.

“You will,” he said. “Sooner than you think.”

You wanted to go back to him, to ask him what he meant, but you were suddenly surrounded by the majority of your classmates.

“What?” you asked them, sitting down at your desk.

“You don’t feel different, do you?” Todoroki asked.

You stood up from your chair, and it made a harsh scraping sound across the ground. Anger rose in your chest. Your classmates took a step back, and you felt your quirk activating from the way your hair started to come up off of your face. You suddenly let out a breath, noticing their worry. The tension in your face softened into sadness.

“I’m fine,” you said. Your voice had grown small again, and you sat back at your desk.

Ochaco and Todoroki were the only ones who stayed when the rest of the class lost interest in checking on you. Midoriya, who hadn’t been one of the people who crowded you, slowly approached as well.            “You know, Shinso is not a bad guy,” he said.

“You didn’t see what he did to you at The Sports Festival, Midoriya. He could control any of us at any time. Ojiro is still emotionally scarred by the incident,” Todoroki said, his voice detached.

“Stop it,” you snapped at Todoroki. “Stop treating him different because of his quirk.”

Todoroki jerked back. He grabbed at his shirt and peered down at his shoes as if it had struck him. You placed your hands on the smooth surface of the desk and lifted your face so that you knew he was listening.

“I could read your mind whenever I wanted to. Midoriya could blast down half of this building. Uraraka could send someone floating forever into the atmosphere. You could simultaneously freeze and burn someone to death. It’s not fair to judge people solely on their quirk, and it’s not rational to deem someone a bad person because of their quirk. It’s how you use it. It’s how you are as a person.” Tears suddenly pricked your vision. It reminded you of all the people who wouldn’t even talk to you because they were afraid that you’d read their mind. It reminded you of all the bullying. It reminded you of how your parents looked at you.

“I just wanted to protect you,” Todoroki muttered. “I’m sorry I misjudged the situation.”

You sighed and adjusted your glasses that had moved since your quirk had flared up. “Please give him a chance. If not for him, then give him a chance for me. No one should be treated like that, like their some kind of monster.”

Todoroki cringed, and he balled his fist. Something triggered in him then, and his eyes went glassy.

“Todoroki?” you asked.

In the blink of your eyes, he seemed to wake up from whatever memory had taken him. He covered half of his face with his hand, letting out a ragged breath.

“Are you okay?” Midoriya asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m fine,” Todoroki said, twitching away from his touch. He was definitely not. His whole body was shaking. “I was a fool for being so…judgmental toward him. Please forgive me.” Todoroki bowed, and you frantically waved your arms.

“It’s okay, Todoroki. I’m not really the one that you should be apologizing to though.”

Todoroki pressed his lips into a firm line, eyeing the door. “No one should be treated like a monster,” he said.

Ochaco finally gave a sigh of surrender. “I shouldn’t have judged him so harshly either,” she said. “I just worry about you.” She flicked your forehead. “You trust people way too easily, and you give everyone way too many chances to make it up to you.”

“That’s not true,” you whined, rubbing your head.

“It is too,” she said, giggling. “You’re lucky you have so many people looking after you.” She playfully pushed you on the shoulder.

Kaminari, Mina, and Sero were the next three people to come into class. Well, almost all three of them came through the door. A sulky Kaminari was holding his hands out in front of him like he’d lost something precious, then you remembered the text messages and knew that he was upset because Bakugo had destroyed his phone. His normally cheerful front had been dipped in despair, leaving his bright eyes lifeless. Kaminari suddenly caught sight of Shinso, and the sadness was drawn from him. His electric smile pulled at the corners of his mouth, and before anyone knew what was going on, he had exchanged a few words with Shinso, resulting in stretches of uproarious laughter. Finally coming into class, Kaminari’s lost phone had been forgotten, and his sadness had left him.

“You bounced back fast.” Kirishima came up to Kaminari with a toothy grin.

“Oh, that’s right.” Kaminari melted in on himself again, dramatic despair dripping from his movements. He looked like a deflated yellow balloon.

“Come on, man. You were going to get a new phone anyway,” Kirishima said.

“You shouldn’t have recorded that damn video,” Bakugo said. “The only person you have to blame is yourself.” Bakugo grinned cracking his knuckles.

That’s fair, you thought. Kaminari really should have known better, recording something like that was not cool.

The bell rang, sending everybody scattering to their designated seats. Mr. Aizawa rolled his way in like he did yesterday. Agitation creased his forehead, and exhaustion painted his features. He stepped out of his sleeping bag, giving an unenthusiastic, “Good morning. Please take your seats.”

His eyes searched the room, before he leaned back with his arms crossed over his chest, and his eyes peered out to the hallway. “Hitoshi Shinso, I do not tolerate tardiness in my class,” he said in a stern tone.

The whole class went quiet, shock ripping the sound from the air. Hitoshi Shinso, the purple haired and very attractive boy was going to be in your class. He stepped into the doorway with a nervous smile and cleared his throat.

“Hey there,” he said.

There was a series of stunned gasps and displeased mutters that sent Mr. Aizawa’s eyes flaring open. “Is there a problem class?” he asked.

“No, sir,” the class responded.

“Shinso, please introduce yourself and demonstrate your quirk.” Mr. Aizawa let out a heavy breath and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m going to need a bigger classroom,” he muttered.

Shinso took his place in the front of the classroom, tugging nervously at his scarf. “Most of you already know me.” He gave a weak smile, pulling his scarf further from his throat. “I’m Hitoshi Shinso, and from this day forward I will be a part of class 1-A.” His eyes shined. You could see the pride bubbling inside him, despite his tired appearance.  His confidence faltered a bit, however, after he’d introduced himself.

His violet eyes locked onto you, and he managed to relax his shoulders. “Would anyone like to volunteer to help me demonstrate my quirk?” he asked.

A hush washed over the students again, but you weren’t going to be so easily deterred.

“Me,” you said raising your hand and practically springing up from your chair.

Shinso’s tired eyes fell on you, and he bit his bottom lip. “Would anyone else like to help me demonstrate my quirk?” he asked.

The other students shifted uncomfortably in their seats. No one else was willing to help, but you didn’t want to pass up the opportunity. That was such a cool quirk to have, and if you could help Shinso feel more welcome you would.

Shinso carefully rubbed the back of his neck, motioning for you to come stand next to him. You came up to the front, beaming. The rest of your class was not as excited, in fact they appeared nervous.

“I’m sorry about this,” he barely whispered to you. “Would you mind taking a small step back?” he asked.

“No probl—” Your words stopped in your throat, and a numbness filled your limbs. Your head became blank, a lulling hum seemed to take you. You couldn’t move.

Your classmates tried to avoid your gaze, almost as if they didn’t want to watch. You wanted to tell them it was okay, that you were fine, but your mouth felt dry, stuck. Shinso’s low voice suddenly gripped you, restraining all thoughts in your mind with a numbing marionette string that stretched from his lips to your consciousness.

“Take a seat,” he said.

You readily complied, dropping to the ground with your legs underneath you, and your eyes focused straight ahead.

A pain formed in the base of your skull suddenly. The hum that had originally calmed you slowly became a disorienting buzz. The invisible string wrapped around your brain tightened. You could see Bakugo’s expression growing darker, and his fingers trembling around his pencil that seemed about to snap. Todoroki was the next one you noticed. His fingers curled around the edges of his desk. You couldn’t see his face, but you were sure that he looked tense.

“Why don’t you stand back up and give us a twirl?” Shinso asked. His voice was enchanting.

You stood, but a sharp sting crashed into your head, the thread growing ever tighter. Your breath caught, and you could hear the gasp leave your lips with a single harsh sound. Loose strands of hair hovered just above your forehead, and your glasses begin to lift from the bridge of your nose. Panic set in, as you realized you weren’t going to be able to stop it. You took a jarring step to the side, stumbling a bit before your body was compelled to spin. As you came to a halt, your hands twitched as another burst of excruciating pain broke through your empty mind. You wanted to reach up, to keep everything from splitting, from burning.

Shinso appeared to notice because he hesitated to say his next command. “And now jump two times,” he said, voice becoming shaky.

You jumped once, your legs trembling. You leapt up a second time, and as if someone had point blank shot you in the head, pure agony shattered your consciousness. The string snapped. The air around you stilled, and for a moment you felt your consciousness fly between your mind and Shinso’s. His arms came around you, before you collapsed. A single tear helplessly slid down your cheek, and a choked sob loomed at the end of your lips.

Something’s wrong, Shinso thought. I can see pain in her face. She didn’t follow the command correctly, but she doesn’t seem out of my control.

With lifeless eyes staring straight ahead, you saw Todoroki and Bakugo stand from their desks. Both of their quirks flared as if ready for a fight. The throbbing ache began pounding mercilessly at your skull. The repeated bludgeoning felt like a clicking lighter in your mind. Something deep in your consciousness felt like it was trying to wake up.

“Get back. Stand down,” you heard Mr. Aizawa’s voice. He’d held his hand up to the class, facing away from you for a moment.

Please stop, you begged. It hurts.

Shinso shook next to you, and his eyes widened as if he was able to hear you. Your mind was suddenly his, and the pain had melded together. He grabbed his own head as agony tore through his features. The two of you collapsed to the ground, the same way, the same position, writhing in pain. Your quirk lit, bursting from your mind and sending your desk back with a force that nearly knocked Kaminari clean from his seat.

Mr. Aizawa was by your sides in an instant. He kept both of you in his line of sight as he erased your quirks. Your head cleared, and your wet eyes opened to Shinso’s. The sob that couldn’t escape you before broke out of your trembling lips. The two of you stared at each other breathless and afraid of what happened. You sat up first, steadying yourself and hiding your face in your hands.

Mr. Aizawa breathed out a sigh of relief. Shinso’s trembling form came around you, and he helped you to your feet.

“Let this be a lesson,” Mr. Aizawa said, assisting the two of you from collapsing by keeping his quirk active.

You tried your best to steady your erratic breathing before Mr. Aizawa had a chance to blink. It wasn’t going to be a good thing if you couldn’t keep your quirk from expanding again.

“Some quirks are affected by other quirks, both in positive and negative ways.”

You wiped furiously at your eyes. Shinso squeezed your shoulders, and Mr. Aizawa made sure that he had completely blocked the two of you from the class. When he was certain that you’d calmed down enough, he’d turned away, taking the full attention of the classroom again.

“Shinso’s quirk deals with the mind, brainwashing. Think’s quirk is the mind. Have those quirks face-off, and you could have a catastrophe. Luckily, we were able to stop something much worse from happening today. This kind of quirk opposition had two effects on Think and Shinso: an involuntary fight for quirk dominance and a negative reaction to this collision of power. This type of occurrence is rare but not unheard of.” Mr. Aizawa ushered the two of you to the door, keeping his string of words going as if to cover your exit.

“For example, should Kaminari face off with an electric quirk, both individuals could feed off of each other’s power forcing one to overpower the other or they could essentially overcharge and short out. Should Takagami come across a villain whose quirk is darkness or shadow, it could fuel a loss of control on both sides making them untouchable or it could lead to one power consuming the other. These are all things to keep in mind when you become Pro Heroes.” Mr. Aizawa’s fingers tensed on your shoulder. His voice lowered to a mere whisper, “This was my mistake for not thinking this could have been a possibility. Please get yourselves checked by Recovery Girl and come back to the class when you are able.”

“But—” you started to argue.

Mr. Aizawa deepened his frown, and you quieted. Shinso didn’t bother disagreeing. He looked numb as he led you out of the room with him.

You continued to prod at your own skull as you trudged down the hall, surprised that the pain had dissipated to such a degree. Shinso hadn’t touched you again since leaving the room. He’d distanced himself from you. His disinterested demeanor had completely dissolved into uncertainty. He couldn’t find a place for his hands and ultimately he settled for tightly holding his scarf.

“T-that’s never happened before,” he said. You heard the tremble in his final word.

You paused from your inspection of your head, and you carefully wiped at your eyes again. “I’ve never run into someone else with a quirk that dealt with the brain before. I didn’t know quirks could react to each other like that.”

“I hurt you.” His voice cracked.

“N-no,” you muttered softly.

“I did. I heard you in my head. I was hurting you,” he said. His hands gripped his hair.

“You didn’t mean to. Neither of us could have known that could have happened.”

“I should have known,” he said. “You trusted me. You volunteered…” He dragged his palm over his face. “I could have…” his fingers gripped tighter on his hair.

You couldn’t help it. You wrapped your arms around him. He was trembling. You heard his heart racing in his chest with your ear pressed to him.

“I don’t want to hurt…”

You squeezed him tighter. “You’re not hurting me,” you said softly into the fabric of his shirt.

“I-I…” he trailed off. You could feel him shift uncomfortably in your grasp. His body was rigid.

Your small fists balled around his school jacket, tugging at the fabric and hoping you could make him stop shaking.

“It’s okay,” you muttered. “We’re okay.”

His arms tentatively wrapped around you, pulling him to you. He breathed in a single breath that uncoiled his tense muscles. He ran his long fingers over your hair.

“You shouldn’t go around hugging strangers,” he said softly, but his grip tightened over you, and his shaking subsided.

Your hands loosened from his jacket, and you pulled back, but Shinso didn’t let go. You stayed in his embrace, until it seemed he’d steadied himself. He released you, settling his back on the nearby wall. His tired eyes relaxed.

“I’ve finally made it into the hero course, and I royally screw up on the first day,” he said. “I feel like an idiot.” He chuckled bitterly and sadness cracked his cool façade.

“If it makes you feel any better, my quirk nearly blew up the classroom my first day too.”

“It doesn’t,” he said, but he smiled. “You’ve got a lot of power in that little head of yours don’t you?” he asked. Shinso stepped from the wall, falling into a leisurely walk.

“Sometimes I think it has a mind of its own.” You giggled at your own bad joke.

“That wasn’t funny,” he said. He stopped short just before your destination.

“What?” you asked.

His eyes scanned you, and he hummed thoughtfully. “Nothing,” he said. “It’s nothing.”

You didn’t push him, not after the trauma you’d experienced together. It hit you harder when you sat in the waiting area again. You had felt the power pulsing through you. There was so much dormant, untapped potential. If Shinso hadn’t been sharing the weight, controlling the other half of your mind, you were certain your worst fears could have come to light. You shut your eyes, tightening your fingers around the edge of your skirt.

The buzz of your phone snapped you back. You pulled it from your breast pocket, opening a message from Todoroki.

“Are you alright?” it read.

“I’m fine,” you quickly texted back.

You couldn’t help but notice Shinso hovering over you. His gaze jumped away when you looked up. He wiped his hands nervously over his lanky legs, cocking his head to the side.

“Is that Todoroki guy your boyfriend?” he asked.

“B-boyfriend?” you stuttered. “N-no.” A deep flush brushed your cheeks.

“He sure acts like he is.” Shinso slid down his chair, leaning his head against the wall behind him.

“W-we just met yesterday,” you said.

“So did we,” Shinso said with a smile cracking his lips. His violet eyes moved over to you. “Does that mean I can hang all over you too?” he asked.

You puffed out your cheeks on reflex. “That’s rude. He doesn’t hang all over me.”

“Yeah, and I don’t look tired.” He sighed and crossed his arms.

“You don’t,” you said.

“I don’t?” he asked, sitting a little straighter, “Then how do I look?” Shinso leaned his face closer to yours.

Handsome, you thought. Absolutely out of my league. You blinked up at him with your words tangling in your throat.

Recovery Girl cleared her throat, and you both immediately straightened. “What are you doing in my office again, young lady?”

You fidgeted under her gaze and had the urge to disappear when Shinso also looked at you.

“Our quirks fed off of each other in a demonstration. This is just a checkup,” Shinso said.

Recovery Girl eyed you suspiciously. “Another handsome young man at your side as well. I’m starting to think you’re doing this on purpose.”

Shinso bristled a bit. “Trust me. I intend to make sure she doesn’t end up in here again.”

It was a nice thought, but you knew from experience that it wasn’t really something that was possible.

“It’s not that I don’t believe you,” she said, beginning to examine you. “But, this one is a lot like another overzealous green-haired boy that breaks his bones a lot. It’s going to take a lot to keep her out of here.” Recovery Girl suddenly touched your forehead, and you shuttered at how cold her hand was. She tutted a few times, before she pulled a thermometer from her pocket and placed it between your lips. After a few moments, she examined the number. “A fever.”

“A fever?” you asked. “But, I feel fine.”

“A high fever,” she peered up at you. “I’m surprised you’re not suffering. You don’t have a fire quirk, do you?”

“No,” you said in worry. “Is it that high?” You had gotten sick numerous times before, so this wasn’t a surprise. Normally, you’d have felt it by now.

“I’m afraid I’m going to need you go lie down. I’ll bring a cool cloth for you. Can’t push yourself too far if you’re sick.”

You gulped, wringing your hands. “I feel fine, really. There’s no need to go through all that trouble.”

“Mr. Aizawa said that we could come back when everything is taken care of. If Recovery Girl says you need to rest, you should rest,” Shinso said.

“She’s not the only one,” Recovery Girl said.

Shinso gave her a half-hearted smile. “Me?” he asked. “I always look like this.”

“I see sweat on your forehead too,” Recovery Girl muttered. She found another thermometer, taking his temperature as well. She looked at the two thermometers in confusion. “They’re exactly the same temperature,” she said.

“Now, I know it’s broken,” Shinso said. “I don’t get sick.”

Your eyes wandered guiltily to his. “Maybe we shared a little more than our powers.”

“No,” Shinso said in denial, before he pondered the thought a bit more. “Oh, come on. No, right?”

Recovery Girl motioned the two of you to the cots in the back, setting each of you up beside one another. Shinso couldn’t hide his frustration. He’d positioned himself to a sitting position. The wet cloth began matting down his hair in the front.

“I’m sorry,” you muttered.

“It’s probably some backlash from the transfer. It’s not your fault,” he said.

“Do you thinks so?” you asked.

“Yes,” he reassured. He huffed, staring angrily at the far wall. “I get into the hero course, I effectively flubbed my quirk introduction, and now I can’t even be in class. This sucks.”

“Super sucks,” you said, staring at the ceiling. Your eyes felt heavy. You wanted more than anything then to get back to class, but after last night’s issues, you weren’t surprised how tired you were. “I’m going to take a nap,” you said yawning.

“A nap?” Shinso asked. “Here?”

“There’s not much else to do,” you said, punching your pillow to make it more comfortable. “You know what naps are, right?”

“Haven’t heard of them,” he scoffed playfully.

“I knew you were a vampire,” you said mockingly, blinking your eyes and shutting them.

“That’s not very fair,” he said.

You peeped an eye open at him and shushed him. “It’s sleep time.”

“You’re going to go to sleep next to a vampire?”

You pouted, scrunching up in a better sleeping position. “He doesn’t bite,” you said.

“And how do you know that?” he asked.

A devious smile curled on your lips. “Because he’s a nice vampire.”

“There’s no such thing as a nice vampire,” Shinso said back.

You shushed him again. “Nice vampires let their classmates sleep.”

Although you couldn’t see his expression, you knew he was smiling. A part of you didn’t mind staying awake and having a nice conversation with him, but you knew you needed to rest. He kept silent. You believed it was for your sake more than his. It wasn’t until you heard his even heavy breathing that you realized he’d actually fallen asleep before you. You peered over at him. His eyes were shut in peace. His head had tucked itself in the fabric of his scarf. His purple hair had curled where the cloth had dampened it. The tension in his face had melted, leaving his porcelain skin without a single crease.

So cute.

You shifted so your back was flush with the mattress. Day two and you’d barely had a chance to do anything heroic. Some hero-in-training you were ending up in the nurse’s office again. You shut your eyes and took a steadying breath in only to succumb to sleep.

 You opened your eyes to be inches from Shinso’s face. When he saw that you’d woken up, he was barely able to catch you before you fell backwards in surprise.

“I was starting to think you were just going to stand there for eternity,” he said.

You slapped your hand against your head. “What was I doing?” you asked begrudgingly.

“You got up and just stood there,” he said. A coy smile played on his lips. “I would tell you the other embarrassing things you did, but I don’t think you’d like to hear about them.”

“What embarrassing stuff?” you asked in worry.

“I’m just kidding.” He patted your head. “You should really warn people that you sleepwalk,” he said.

“And ruin the surprise?’ you asked. “Never.” You moved back to your bed and fell back into it.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack. I was calling your name for like five minutes before I realized you were asleep.”

“At least I didn’t leave,” you said. “I tend to get much farther than that.” You rolled over on the cot, burying your face in the sheets. “Stupid quirk messes with all my normal.”

“Who likes being normal?” Shinso asked, walking around the bed and kneeling down on the other side.

You looked up at him and rolled your eyes. “It seems everyone would rather me be normal,” you said. You blew a strand of loose hair out of your eyes.

“I don’t want you to be normal,” Shinso said. “If you were normal, you wouldn’t have even talked to me. We weirdos need to stick together.” He poked your nose.

You scrunched your face. “I’m not a vampire,” you said.

“Are you sure about that?” he teased. “You were sleeping for a long time, and I could have bitten you.” He wiggled his fingers spookily in your direction.

“I told you nice vampires don’t bite.” You stood up, grabbing your washcloth from the bed.

“What makes you think that I’m so nice?” He asked, standing as well.

“Where is she?” a calm voice asked, cutting off Shinso’s playful back and forth with you.

Your heart clenched as you moved the curtain across, and Todoroki was standing there at the end of the room. Recovery Girl jerked her thumb in your direction before busying herself with other matters. Todoroki blushed a bit.

“You said you were okay, but you never came back to class, so I got worried,” he said.

“Well, you see that she’s alright,” Shinso said coldly. “So, you can go now.”

Todoroki tensed, and you scowled back at Shinso.

“Oi, move it, Icy Hot,” Bakugo barked. He stomped in the room and proceeded to drop your book bag in front of you. “Big Brain forgot her books,” he scoffed. “Funny, you didn’t think of bringing them.” Bakugo shot his narrowed eyes toward Todoroki, who looked to be becoming a different kind of red.

You bent down picking up the bag and slinging it over your shoulder. “Thanks, but you really didn’t have to.”

Bakugo grinned sharply. “I didn’t come here for you. Deku broke his hand because of me, so Mr. Aizawa said I had to take him to the nurse’s office.”

“So where is he?” Todoroki asked.

“Hell if I know,” Bakugo said. Bakugo grunted, inspecting you with his piercing gaze. “You seem fine. What are you still doing here?”

“She’s waiting to be released,” Recovery Girl said, shoving another thermometer into your mouth. She checked it and nodded. “The fever’s gone down. You may go.”

“Really?” you asked.

“Kacchan?”

The small group in the room all turned back to the door. Midoriya slunk around the corner holding up his hand by the wrist. He looked nearly about to cry, and his bottom lip was quivering.

“Midoriya,” you said in concern, rushing up to him. “You poor thing. Does it hurt?” you asked.

He nodded. His freckled face was flushed, and his eyes teary. “Kacchan left me,” he keened. He leaned into your shoulder, and you gently started stroking his hair.

“The hell? Don’t coddle him,” Bakugo snapped.

“You left poor Deku alone, you big meanie. It’s your fault he’s here,” you said, holding Midoriya’s head protectively.

Bakugo’s eyes flared, and his pupils dilated. He raised his hand, ready for a fight.

“You may leave as well,” Recovery Girl said, and your focus shifted back to Shinso, who’d finally been cleared too.

Shinso calmly headed in your direction, but stopped near Bakugo, hovering above him. “Do you want to fight her?” Shinso asked teasingly. His expression was dangerously suggestive, like he hoped Bakugo would say yes.

Bakugo gritted his teeth, looking the lanky teen over. He clicked his tongue, shoving his hands in his pockets and leaving, being sure not to knock into you or Deku on the way out. Shinso shrugged, straightening.

“Too bad. I was looking for some fun,” Shinso said, as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“No fun to be had here. Now all of you, shoo, shoo. Let me take care of my next patient.” Recovery Girl hobbled up to you and Midoriya as she motioned for you to let him go. “You shouldn’t miss anymore class today. He’ll be fine with me.”

You slowly released Deku from your grasp, and he wiped at his nose with his good hand.

“I’m glad you’re alright,” Midoriya said. “I’m going to get better for our special move on Friday. I promise.” He flexed his arm, but it wasn’t as heroic as he thought because his other hand was so limp.

You gave Midoriya a tense thumbs up. Shinso nodded toward the door to give you an out. You gave Deku a final wave, before heading out the door with Shinso and Todoroki. As you all were headed to your next class, you had noticed that the two boys had managed to separate themselves with you in the middle.

“You had a fever?” Todoroki asked.

“Yeah, we seem to think it had something to do with the transfer of power between Shinso and me because it was able to go away so fast.” You tightened your grip around your backpack straps.

“You appeared sick this morning. Do you think maybe you caught a cold?”

You shrugged. “It’s possible. I get sick a lot. You shouldn’t worry about me too much though. I bounce back fast.” You sprung up, gently landing on one foot again and falling into step with the two boys. “I’m a little more worried about Midoriya.” You took out your hair tie to get your braid back in place. You loosened the strands of your hair, running your fingers through your wavy curls and holding the hair tie in your teeth.

“You shouldn’t be. He breaks things all the time,” Todoroki said, glancing at you. “Did you dye your hair?” he asked.

“Huh?” you said in a muffled voice.

“There’s blue in your hair…” he trailed off, looking more closely. “…a lot of strands actually.”

You panicked a little, pulling your phone out and flipping the camera in your direction. To your surprise, your brown locks had streaks of blue forming through them. “I think somebody played a joke on me,” you said. “I’ll have to check my shampoo bottle when I get back to my room.”

“Odd thing for someone to do to someone else,” Shinso said, putting his hands behind his head.

You slid your phone back into your pocket. “I can’t really think of any other reason why it would change color like this.”

“Why don’t you ask, Icy Hot? He seems to know a lot more about strange hair color combinations," Shinso said with his expression closed.

“Like you’re one to talk,” Todoroki said, not looking at Shinso directly.

You glanced between the two of them sighing. “Can you guys not?” you asked.

They both didn’t respond.

“What if all of my hair turns blue? My parents are going to freak.” You started braiding it back in place.

“I think it looks good on you,” Shinso said, glancing away.

“Right,” you said sarcastically.

“It suits you,” Todoroki said.

“Am I hearing something the two of you agree on?” you asked coyly, spinning around and walking backwards.

They both rolled their eyes simultaneously.

You popped your lips, thinking. “Maybe I’ll keep it like this then. I’m sure the prankster will get bored if I start liking it.”

The calmness in the boy’s eyes suddenly became concern. They both reached out to you, but it was a little too late.

“Oof,” you said, backing up into someone who had grabbed you so you didn’t fall.

“A new face!” a cheerful voice said. You leaned up to a blond boy with a wide grin. He reminded you so much of All Might it scared you a little.

“M-Mirio, are you alright?” a much more closed off boy asked beside him.

“Do you really think running into this little one would hurt me?” he asked. Mirio spun you around, keeping his hands on your shoulders and examining you. “I’ve never seen you around before. What’s your name? I’m Mirio.”

“Think,” you squeaked.

“Cool name. Tamaki, say hi,” Mirio said, finally letting you go.

“Hi,” Tamaki said in a small voice, tucking his head down with a blush.

“Well, we’ve got to get to class. Nice meeting you, Think. Be careful walking backwards. See you around.” Mirio grabbed Tamaki by the arm, quickly going down the hall.

“Who were they?” you asked.

“Third years,” Todoroki said. “They’re part of The Big Three.”

“The Big Three?” You tilted your head. “Is that because their third years?”

“There’s three of them,” Todoroki said plainly. “You probably won’t run into them much. I haven’t really talked to them.” Todoroki took interest in his shoes. “You should be a little more careful when you’re walking,” he muttered. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Sorry,” you said, scratching the back of your head. “I’ll try to be more careful.”

Todoroki hummed.

You all went to class. You personally counted every minute on the clock. You tried to find Shinso at lunchtime, but he hadn’t come to the cafeteria. Instead, you sat with Midoriya’s group as usual, slurping up noodles with Todoroki. Nothing major happened, which was a miracle in itself. No outbursts of your quirk, no more broken bones, and no more drama. Deku had luckily come back from Recovery Girl without injury. He did appear tired for the rest of the day though. His normal sputtering words came out as muted mumbles. You checked on him once or twice, but he assured you he was just a little drained. Time passed sluggishly until the final bell rang.

Shinso and Todoroki waited for you outside the classroom to go to the dorms. They were talking, when Ochaco and you came in earshot.

“I have to apologize,” Todoroki said, looking a bit uncomfortable.

Shinso frowned. “For what?” he asked.

Todoroki hesitated. He gulped down his suspicion and answered him. “I had judged you for your quirk without getting to know you. I’m not saying that I trust you or you’re a good guy. I’m just saying that I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Hmphf,” Shinso made a dismissive noise. “You knew what I could have done and you answered me anyway. I can respect that.” Shinso glanced at you. “But, you know…” Shinso trailed off.

Todoroki hadn’t seemed to notice you and Ochaco approaching yet.

“…we might have a conflict of interest between us,” Shinso finished.

“What are you talking about?” Todoroki narrowed his eyes at him.

“Let’s just say, I accept your apology, but I don’t intend to be friends, as it could be to my disadvantage.”

“That’s fair,” Todoroki said. “But, what kind of conflict of interest are you talking about?”

Shinso stretched out his body, putting a hand up on the doorframe and finally regarding you. “Hi, Think. Hard day?” The way he was angled, his shirt had risen to barely show part of his abs.

You flushed. “U-um…actually the rest of the d-day was alright,” you stuttered, trying to hide your face with one of your notebooks.

Shinso raised an eyebrow at you. “Do you feel okay? Your face is red,” he said.

“D-don’t point it out,” you said, fanning your cheeks.

Ochaco observed the three of you for a moment, taking in the new turn of events. “Ooh, this is interesting,” she said.

“What is interesting?” Todoroki asked. The irritation was blatant in his tone.

“Nothing,” Ochaco said, eyeing you. “What could be interesting, Think?” she asked you.

You pouted, warning her with your eyes to not go there. “I don’t know, maybe I’ll ask Deku what’s so interesting.”

Ochaco glared at you, covering her own cheeks with her hands.

“Deku?” Todoroki asked.

“It’s nothing,” Uraraka practically whined.

“Anyway,” Shinso said, pulling his hands down and shoving them into his pockets. “I was hoping that I could ask you guys for some help.”

You perked up immediately. “What do you need? I may be small, but I am helpful.” You balled up your fist and raised it in the air a little too enthusiastically.

“I have to move my stuff into the 1-A dorms. I was hoping to get some help because I didn’t want to have to make a bunch of different trips.” He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “Actually, now that I think about it, I can manage just fine on my own.”

“N-no, let us help.” You gripped Ochaco’s arm, and she tried to free herself from your grasp. “We’re good at moving stuff, right?” you pleaded with her, giving puppy dog eyes.

She looked up and sighed. “Yeah, we’re a regular team of super movers,” she said in a deadpan voice.

“You really don’t have to,” Shinso said. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

“I’ll come help too,” Todoroki interjected.

“You really, really don’t have to come help,” Shinso said directly to Todoroki.

“It’s the least I could do,” he said. The temperature seemed to drop a few degrees while the two boys stared at each other with dead eyes.

“We’re losing daylight,” you said. You tugged at both of their jackets, heading in the direction you thought the dorms were in. “If we do it together, it won’t take long at all.”

“It’s the other direction,” Ochaco said.

“I knew that,” you mumbled, turning around.

The four of you made quick work of the boxes. Ochaco and you were able to use your quirks to get the heavier ones over to the right room. Shinso was all the way at the end on your floor.

“You know the dorms weren’t always set up like this,” Ochaco said. “They changed the set up recently with boys on the left and girls on the right. A few people shifted where their rooms were too.”

“Why?” you asked, setting a box on the ground.

“The drama,” Ochaco said. She fanned out her fingers into jazz hands.

“Yeah, right.” You bumped her.

She honestly gave it thought this time. “I think it has to do the limited space that UA has. They also wanted to make sure classes were separated together, so if anything were to happen, everyone was with the people they knew the best. It still doesn’t change the fact some of our classmates are still on different floors though.” Ochaco huffed.

“If anything were to happen? What do you mean?” you asked.

Ochaco released a box into her outstretched palms, and then set it down on the dorm room floor. “Do you remember when I told you about the USJ incident?” she asked. Her expression had darkened.

“Y-yeah,” you said. “It sounded pretty scary.”

“It was,” she said. “It’s got all of UA on edge, and their worried that The League of Villains might attack the school directly again. No one is really sure what they want, so they just want to be cautious. I mean it’s why we’re in the dorms in the first place, but once everyone got settled, I think they thought it would best to have classes together. During an emergency, it would take seconds for our entire class to be on one floor.”

“It makes sense,” you said.

“Last box,” Shinso said, sliding into the room.

Todoroki came in behind him with a lamp.

“Thank goodness,” you said and flopped onto the ground.

“Hey, don’t you fall asleep on my new floor,” Shinso said, nudging you with his foot.

“Too late,” you said, pretending to snore.

“Don’t you have your own stuff to unpack?” Ochaco asked.

You peeked one eye open to find her tilted over you. “How would you know that?” you asked.

“I didn’t, but now I do.”

You huffed, rolling over on your hands and knees and then getting up off the floor. “Fine,” you said in exasperation. “I’ll go unpack my stuff.”

“Do you need any assistance?” Todoroki asked.

You contemplated his offer, but then you remembered some of your more embarrassing nerdy items, and you shook your head. “I think I can manage,” you said.

“Don’t tire yourself out,” Shinso warned.