Chapter Text
The moon was still in the sky as they walked through the empty corridors of the school, Izuku trying not to trip on the ornate hallway runners as he trailed after the other two boys, Grim walking on all fours by his side.
“Expulsion rescinded… man, I’m beat…” Deuce groaned, his eyes half lidded with exhaustion.
“Ugh, I’m going to be so sore tomorrow…” Ace reached up to rub at his shoulder, rolling it back and forth.
“That reminds me,” Deuce said, blinking away some of his exhaustion to look back at Izuku, frowning at his slow and injured gait. “Why did you try to lie to the Headmaster about your injuries?”
Izuku stumbled to a stop, Ace and Grim also pausing to look back at the teenager.
“I-I um…” Izuku tried to think of an excuse, trying to come up with a lie about why he couldn’t turn to the teachers for help. “I-I-I-”
“You not like doctors or something?” Ace asked him, tilting his head slightly.
Izuku latched onto the explanation, grateful for the unexpected out. “Uh, y-yeah. Th-That’s it e-exactly.” The green haired boy said, rubbing the bandages along his forearm self consciously. “I-I um, h-haven’t always had g-good experiences with doctors…” He ignored how the burn scars on his back seemed to ache in response to his words.
“Yeah, I get you. I hate all the weird potions and medicine they have to feed you.” Ace made a gagging motion.
“But still, this could’ve been a serious injury. It wouldn’t do you any good to avoid the doctor if it leads to infections or death.” Deuce said, “You will go to see the Nurse tomorrow won’t you?” He asked, leaning forward.
“W-Well, th-the Headmaster ordered m-me to. A-And I’m s-sure the nurse w-would tell him if I-I didn’t go.” Izuku replied. Though, whether the Nurse would be expecting him to provide his own supplies to avoid him draining on theirs was another issue. One step at a time.
“Well don’t take too long human!” Grim said, looking up at Izuku with a surprisingly stern expression. “I’m starting school as a student at Night Raven College tomorrow! I don’t want you to make us late on the first day!” He flashed a cocky grin at the other two. “I’m gonna take the top spot and leave all of you in the dust! Just you wait!”
“That’s big talk from someone who’s only half a student.” Ace said, staring down his nose at the cat. “But sure, go ahead.”
Deuce looked over and smiled at Izuku, crossing his arms.“As of tomorrow, the four of us will be classmates. Quite a step up from this morning as janitors huh?”
“Y-Yeah…” Izuku murmured, looking at the floor. “I-It doesn’t feel real…”
They had gotten so lucky that night. Between the ghosts, the monster, and the final battle, it had seemed like fate had it out for them, the situation growing more and more dire as the night went on. But they had succeeded. Besides the injury Izuku took, they had escaped the encounter relatively unscathed. If Deuce had taken that hit... If they hadn’t come back for him…
Izuku stopped in the middle of the hallway, working up the courage to speak. “H-Hey guys…?”
The two boys stopped in the hallway, glancing back at Izuku.
“I-I-I, um…” Izuku swallowed, taking a deep breath. “I-I wanted to th-thank you, f-for saving me back th-there. Wh-When the monster h-hit me, y-you could have t-taken the crystal and l-left. Y-You didn’t h-have to come b-back for me...” His hands twisted in his sleeves, not meeting their eyes. “B-But you did. Y-You came back. S-So um, th-thank you…”
Deuce looked moved by the show of gratitude, while Ace looked away and coughed awkwardly.
“W-Well, obviously we weren’t going to leave you to die.” Deuce said, and elbowed Ace in the ribs when he didn’t respond right away.
“ Ow ! Jeez! Yeah, we weren’t gonna abandon you or whatever. It was your idea that let us defeat that thing after all…” Ace shifted, looking more constipated by the moment. “Look, can we cut it out with the mushy talk? I kinda just wanna head to the dorm, eat, and crash face first into my bed.”
“I’m pretty exhausted too.” Deuce admitted, and nodded to Izuku. “See you tomorrow morning?”
Izuku blinked, taken aback for a moment before nodding. “Y-Yeah, sure…”
“Alright, see you tomorrow!” Ace waved over his shoulder, the two teens walking away to their respective dorms.
Izuku waved after them, Grim sitting down beside him.
“Those guys might actually make a great team.” He observed, looking up at Izuku. “They’re the ‘argue because they’re so similar’ type of guys.” The cat stretched, his furry back arching, forked tail waving lazily as he did so.
“Anyway, let’s go back to the dorms. Tomorrow, we’re not gonna be handymen anymore! Finally, our bright and shiny life at Night Raven college begins!” Grim cackled, playfully running ahead of Izuku, glancing back at him with a fanged smile.
Izuku smiled back at Grim, waiting until the grinning cat had turned away before allowing his own to fall, the somber realization of what tomorrow would bring washing over him. The students would have more access to him as a fellow student than as a janitor who worked outside of their class times. Ace and Deuce would soon come to realize how useless he truly was, and would eventually leave for greener pastures. They would figure it out.
They always did, when it came to quirkless Deku.
----
The ghosts got a kick of jumping out and scaring the two of them as they entered the dorms, popping up from the floor board and nearly causing Izuku to hit his head on the doorframe when he stumbled backward frantically, falling onto his rear.
They had cackled in delight, that is until Grim had sent them scurrying with a few blasts of blue flame, thankfully not managing to scorch any of the walls or furniture in the process.
“Back off!” Grim snapped, glaring at the ghosts as they patted out the flames on their cloaks. “We’ve had a freaking long day and we’re going to bed! So get out of our way or get roasted!”
“Aww, but we just wanted new friends was all…” One of the ghosts moped, the chubby spirit next to it patting it’s back in a comforting manner.
“Well you can wait til we die of old age!” Grim said, and looked back at Izuku. “You okay human?”
Izuku staggered to his feet, nodding. “I-I’m fine…” He smiled reassuringly, fighting off the urge to curl a hand around his aching stomach, his abs tender and inflamed. He could wait until he was alone to examine them, though he knew they were going to be an eyesore.
“Ugh! Let’s just go to bed! I need to be bright eyed and bushy tailed if I’m gonna be the top student in this school!” Grim said, jumping up the creaking staircase two steps at a time.
They made it to the bedroom, Grim making a beeline for the bed and curling up against the pillows with a sigh as he fell asleep, instantly.
Izuku stared at Grim for a few seconds, giving himself a moment to envy the gremlin cat’s ability to fall asleep in under 5 seconds flat. He sighed, turning and walking away into the ensuite bathroom, shutting the door behind him with a click. He stepped in front of the mirror, slowly peeling the filthy, burnt outer robe from his body, leaving him in his button down shirt and slacks. He unbuttoned his shirt, bracing himself for the damage. His stomach was an enormous bruise, broken capillaries darkening to black and purple splotches across his abdomen, the edges of it tinged in livid reds and sickly yellows. He gently prodded at the bruising, wincing at the pressure but not feeling any concentrated pain in any particular area. Small mercies.
He let his shirt slide down to his elbows, turning around to assess his back. He hissed. Izuku’s back had an angry streak of bruising where he had collided with the pillar earlier that day, along with other spots of bruising from the day before. He could see the white shadows of bone and cartilage showing through the bruising along his spine, shifting with his movements as he tried to get a better look.
Izuku sighed in resignation. He’d have to avoid letting Deuce or Ace see either of these bruises tomorrow. There was no telling how much the nurse was willing to heal and how much they were going to leave him to deal with on his own. But he knew that the two boys couldn’t see these under any circumstances. He shrugged his shirt back on again, buttoning it high enough to where the bruises wouldn’t show, and slinging his robe over one arm.
He walked out of the bathroom, tossing the dirtied robe onto a nearby chair next to the fireplace. He toed off his boots before stepping over to the bed, the sheets cool and soothing against his aching body.
Izuku laid on his back, pulling the blanket up to cover both him and Grim, before letting his eyes slide shut into darkness.
----
It was dark.
Izuku stood in the middle of the shadowy abyss, obsidian mist swirling through the dim landscape around him.
“What is…” He murmured to himself, blinking at his surroundings.
A dream. The realization hit him, like the sudden shock of a raindrop landing on his nose unexpectedly. He was dreaming.
The sound of tiny footsteps suddenly broke the silence that surrounded him, Izuku’s head whipping towards the source of the noise.
A small figure darted through the black smoke, the sound of a child's muffled sobs echoing through the darkness. It was a small boy, wearing a pressed white button up shirt and khaki shorts, his short red hair neatly groomed without a hair out of place. His young face was pinched as he scrubbed at his cheeks, furiously rubbing tears from his eyes as he ran past Izuku, vanishing once more into the darkness.
“Hey!” Izuku cried after him, stumbling after the boy. “Hey! Come back!”
Izuku didn’t know what the point of this particular dream was, but something about that little boy seemed important. And Izuku knew he had to follow him.
The little boy didn’t heed his words however, and ran deeper into the shadows, Izuku struggling to keep up with the child’s weaving path through the darkness.
“I just wanted…..”
A voice rang out, rippling through the dreamscape like a gong overhead.
The little boy continued to cry, his wails seeming to swim through Izuku’s ears, his tears threatening to drown them both in their intensity.
“I just wanted….!”
A sense of stomach dropping dread filled the teen, watching the boy stumble into the darkness around them. A sense of bone deep knowledge that that child shouldn’t be here. That neither of them should be here, and to stay here was more than dangerous.
It was a death wish.
“Please! I’m not going to hurt you!” Izuku cried out after the boy, as the space between them seemed to stretch, the boy drawing farther and farther away by the second. “I just want to help you!”
The boy didn’t heed his words, Izuku falling further and further behind, the boy almost being swallowed by the darkness.
Izuku slipped, the ground beneath him seeming to give way to a dark viscous fluid, the ink-like substance seeming to cling to his clothes like desperate hands, threatening to drag him under. He thrashed against the liquid, struggling to keep his head above water as he looked for the boy, the child’s figure a mere pinprick in the distance.
“Please!” Izuku shouted, reaching a desperate hand towards the boy, the ink rising up to his chin, threatening to drown him in the black muck.
“I just wanted to play!”
The darkness swallowed him whole.
----
“Hey! Hey Human!”
Izuku jerked awake, a strangled gasp escaping him as he was shot back into reality. The last tendrils of the dream slipped away, fading into the darkness of the ramshackle dorm’s bedroom. It was still night time, the moon suspended in the sky through the dusty window pane.
Grim was leaning over him. “Took you long enough to wake up! Someone’s banging downstairs.” The cat said, his paws pushing at his shoulder.
Izuku paused, listening. He could faintly hear loud knocking on wood down below, echoing through the emptiness of the haunted dorm.
“I think it’s one of the ghosts again.” Grim scowled as Izuku sat up, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “They just don’t know when to quit! I’m gonna have to cook ‘em some more if they keep this up…”
“Wh-What time is it?” Izuku asked, looking down at Grim.
“It’s 2am, but they keep knocking. We gotta go down and you gotta tell me where to shoot so we can go back to sleep.” Grim said.
Izuku nodded tiredly, walking over to toe on his boots. He wondered if his feet would fit the school uniform shoes, or if he’d have to try to find custom shoe makers in this world. Were quirkless toe joints even a thing here?
He opened the door, Izuku and Grim walking down the main staircase into the common room, looking around for any signs of the mischievous spirits that haunted their dorm.
But it was silent, not even a single wisp of any nearby phantoms to be seen in the dim lighting. Izuku turned about, looking around the room in confusion. There was another loud series of bangs, startling both of them as dust began drifting down from the ceiling from the action. Now that he was downstairs, he realized the sound was coming from the front entrance, and the banging was from someone’s fist against the door. Who was knocking to come in at 2am in the morning?
“Go see who it is!” Grim urged, pushing at Izuku’s leg with a paw.
Izuku slowly moved over to the front doors, the warped shadows through the leaded glass the only clue of who it was behind the doors. “Wh-Who’s there...?” Izuku called out tentatively, stepping closer to the door.
“It’s me Ace! Let me in!” The ginger teen’s muffled voice rang through the door.
Izuku jerked. What was Ace doing coming to see him this early in the morning?
He undid the latch, barely managing to open the door before Ace stormed his way inside, almost knocking him over.
“I’m never going back to Heartslabyul again! From now on, I’m joining your dorm!” Ace snapped, practically seething with rage as he stalked into the center of the room, his fists clenching and unclenching intermittently.
Izuku blinked at the declaration, only for his eyes to widen in shock as Ace turned around, revealing a heart shaped metal collar dangling around his neck and his face twisted into an enraged scowl.
“Wh-What’re you...Wh-Why are you w-wearing a c-collar?” Izuku asked, closing the door behind him.
Grim gasped in recognition, pointing sharply at the collar with a paw. “That’s the same collar that red-haired upperclassman put on me during the entrance ceremony!” He exclaimed, before tilting his head in confusion. “Why do you have something like that on?”
Ace glared at Grim, before looking away with a sour pout. “I ate a tart.”
Izuku blinked.
A tart…?
Ace bobbed his head, jaw clenching as he smiled sarcastically. “Yup. Just that.” Seeing Izuku’s continued confusion, he sighed, crossing his arms. “I got hungry when I got back to the dorms, so I went to the shared fridge in the dorm kitchens and saw all these tarts chilling inside. Three huge tarts!” He said, holding his hands out wide for emphasis. “They looked so good, and they were big enough that no one was gonna miss one tiny slice, right? So I had one, and it was really good! It was ten times better than the stuff most stores sell…”
Izuku nodded, still not understanding where this was going.
“Anyway, my Dorm Head Riddle snuck up behind me, and they were apparently his tarts. He said I was breaking some dumb archaic Queen of Hearts rule about tart eating, and how it was one of the most unforgivable crimes. And before I knew it, he was cutting off my head!” Ace shouted, throwing his hands in the air.
Izuku’s brows furrowed, feeling more bewildered than before. “I-I don’t think y-you’d be able to t-talk to m-me i-if your head was actually cut o-off…” He said, looking up at Ace’s very attached head.
“It’s the name of his unique magic.” Ace explained slowly, once again giving Izuku a strange look. “It really hurt when he slapped it on me. Felt like I was gonna lose my mind for a hot second there.”
“O-Oh…” Izuku looked down, thinking. Unique magic?
“...You’re both in the wrong.” Grim said, looking thoroughly unimpressed with Ace.
Ace turned to look at Grim, looking betrayed. “You don’t think sealing my magic for stealing a bit of tart isn’t going too far?! For a Magician, having your magic cut off is like having your arms and legs chained up! And there were three whole tarts! He wouldn’t have been able to eat them all by himself!”
Izuku leaned forward, looking over him. “A-Are you o-okay? Are y-you in any pain a-at all?”
Ace sighed, tilting his head back with a grimace. “I mean, sorta? I’m not in pain anymore but I sure as hell ain’t comfortable. God, there’s a limit to how narrow minded you can be! What he did was too extreme!”
Izuku looked at the heavy collar, no sign of a lock or hinge he could use to help pry it from Ace’s neck. He frowned. “I-It does seem a l-little extreme…” He murmured.
“ Thank you!” Ace said, throwing his hands out. “I knew you’d understand!”
Izuku shifted, thinking. What possible reason could the Dorm head have for placing such a huge consequence on such a minor infraction?
“D-Did you know wh-what he was g-going to use th-them for?” Izuku questioned, looking over at Ace. “W-Was there going t-to be a p-party, o-or…?”
The ginger blinked, the possibility of the tarts being used for anything but selfish use apparently never occurring to him. “What...like a birthday party or something…?” He asked, scratching the back of his head.
“I-It would explain h-his anger…” Izuku said, thoughtfully pressing his thumb to his lips.
“What kinda weirdo eats tarts at a birthday party?” Ace asked, scrunching up his nose at the thought.
“Did you apologize to him?” Grim asked, plopping down on his rear next to Izuku’s feet to look up at Ace.
Ace shifted awkwardly, looking down at Izuku. “No. I hoped you were gonna say he was tyrannical or something.” He said, pouting slightly.
Izuku blinked. Oh. He wasn’t used to people coming to him for validation or things like that. He nodded with Ace’s assessment. “I-It was extreme f-for him to c-come down on you s-so hard like that. B-But you also a-ate the t-tart without permission. I-I just think th-that an apology w-would probably go a l-long way t-to getting back o-on his good side...” Izuku stuttered, looking down at his hands.
“Yeah, food grudges are the worst.” Grim said, putting his paws on his hips. He suddenly perked remembering something. “Wait, I never got those tuna cans the Headmaster promised me!” He gasped, looking affronted. “That bastard…!”
Ace and Izuku glanced at the demon cat with weird looks before shrugging off his antics.
Ace sighed, sagging in defeat. “Fine. Whatever. You said I should just apologize right? Well, it’s your idea, so. You have to come with me tomorrow. I won’t forgive you if you try to skip out on me.”
Izuku squirmed uncomfortably but nodded. If the apology went wrong, Ace would know whose shoulders to place the blame on. Not to mention they would have classes together now, so even if Izuku tried to avoid him, there would be ample opportunity for Ace to seek his revenge on him. “A-Alright, I’ll go.” He said, his fingers tangling in his tattered sleeves.
Ace nodded, before rolling his shoulders, the metal clinking as it shifted. “Okay so, where should I sleep tonight, ‘cause I’m not going back to that dorm tonight if I can help it.”
Grim scowled, crossing his paws over his chest skeptically. “You’re seriously staying the night? All the rooms here except ours here are still a mess. Go clean a room for yourself.”
“Blegh. Yeah no. I’m not cleaning.” Ace said, crossing his arms. He turned to Izuku, brightening. “Hey, can I stay in your room? I’m slim, so I won’t take up a ton of space. I won’t even hog the blankets! Please!”
Izuku stared at him, and suddenly felt his lips move on their own. “You can have the bed.”
Grim and Ace both froze, for entirely different reasons.
“What, really?!” Ace asked, brightening considerably. “You’d do that?”
“Hey!” Grim snapped, standing on his hind legs to point accusingly at the ginger. “I didn’t agree to share a bed with this guy! Where do I get a say in this?!”
“I-I’ll sleep down here o-on the c-couch.” Izuku said. “B-Both of you can share the bed upstairs. T-There’s more than e-enough room for the t-two of you.” Izuku said.
“B-But-!” Grim tried to argue.
Izuku knelt down before the gremlin cat, taking tiny paws into his own. “I-It’s only for t-tonight. H-He’ll be b-back in his dorm by t-tomorrow.” He reassured. “B-Besides, it’s w-warmer up there, a-and you’d just be uncomfortable d-down here with me.” The green haired boy coaxed, forcing himself to meet the feline’s blue eyed gaze.
Grim frowned, before turning to Ace. “Bah! Alright. But you’d better not snore!” He said, pointing a paw at Ace warningly.
“Pfft. As long as you don’t set the bed on fire.” Ace said. He turned to Izuku, a thought occurring to him. “You sure you’ll be alright? With your stomach I mean?”
Izuku plastered on his most reassuring smile and nodded, ignoring the way his body ached with practiced ease. “I’ll be f-fine, I s-swear. I-It’s just a little b-bruising. Th-that’s all.”
“Well, as long as you’re sure…” Ace said giving him one last look. He stretched his arms as much as he could while wearing the collar, releasing a wide yawn. “I’m beat. I’m gonna hit the sack now.” He said, and started heading up the stairs. “Night.”
Grim gave him a lingering look, to which Izuku nodded encouragingly. The cat sighed, and hopped up the staircase after the teen, grumbling under his breath.
Izuku sagged as soon as they were out of sight, running a hand through his hair. He grimaced, feeling the greasiness of the curly strands. If he wanted to be presentable for class tomorrow he had to, at the very least, wash his hair.
He resigned himself to losing a bit more sleep, and wandered through the halls, spotting a spare bathroom down the hall.
Making his way inside, he flicked the switch, revealing a shoddy interior within. A few tiles were missing, and there was tons of dust coating the toilet seat and sink, but it appeared that whatever mess happened in his personal bathroom, this particular bathroom was spared from. The tub was relatively clean, surprisingly, and minus the half torn shower curtain, it was actually in pretty decent shape.
Izuku began to run the water, grateful to see that it was clear of rust, and turned, easing himself out of the ceremonial uniform. He tossed the robe unto the closed lid of the toilet seat, and carefully unbuttoned the black shirt beneath, being careful to shimmy it off without aggravating his already extensive bruising.
He heaved a sigh of relief, the cool air of the bathroom soothing against the inflamed contusions across his skin. He had just turned to turn the faucet off, the tub warm and steaming when a quiet sound made his heart drop into his stomach.
“Oh…”
Izuku flinched hard, whirling around to see the three ghosts from before floating behind him, hands lifted to scare him. They were staring at his stomach, still bruised and dark, made harsher by the washed out lighting of the bathroom. But it was the scars, the starbursts and burns and criss-crossing slashes over his body that had the spirits floating there stock still in shock.
Izuku could feel himself panicking, they had seen. They had seen -
“D-Don’t tell Grim!” He blurted out, eyes wide and afraid. “O-Or Ace!”
The ghosts looked taken aback, for once not jovial or aggressive in their demeanor. “Why?” The lanky one asked, confusion marring its features. “You look halfway dead already?”
Izuku held out his hands, pleading with them desperately. “I-I-It’s just some s-scarring. I-It’s no big d-d-deal. J-Just some ch-childhood rough housing. Please. P-Please,” He begged, his breath coming shorter as tears burned at his eyes.
The ghosts looked more confounded by the minute, holding their hands out placatingly.
“We won’t tell them.” The chubby one reassured, though still confused as to why.
“Your secret’s safe with us.” The smallest ghost added.
Izuku’s knees were shaking, and he wiped at his face with shaking hands, sniffling to himself. “They d-don't need to know anything about th-this. I-It’s not a big deal. It’s n-nothing.”
The ghosts exchanged a look between them, the largest one shifting awkwardly. “If you’re sure…”
“What… W-What are you d-doing in here a-anyway?” Izuku asked, curling his hands against his chest, suddenly feeling very self conscious of his state of undress in front of these spirits.
The lanky one leaned forward. “We thought it’d be fun to scare ya!” It grinned, waving its translucent hands animatedly. “We were gonna push you in the bath!”
“Or jump out through the mirror!” The smallest one added with a giggle.
The chubby ghost scratched its head. “We hadn’t decided actually. You turned around before we could choose.”
“I-I thought y-you were here to k-kill me.” Izuku asked, tilting his head.
“Well yeah!” The smallest ghost nodded with a grin. “That way you could stay and play with us forever!”
Izuku stared at them, before the realization clicked. “You guys are l-lonely, aren’t you?”
The ghosts blinked at him, taken aback by his words.
The chubby one twisted its fingers, suddenly shy. “Yeah…” It admitted, looking at the floor, the other two joining him. “But everyone kept running away. It was just a few pranks. We just wanted someone to play with, that’s all.”
Izuku felt himself sag in relief. They were lonely, like children who hadn’t learned how many pranks their friends could take before their friends lost their patience and left. While Izuku hadn’t had much experience with children, he knew something about being lonely. He could work with that.
“I-I think p-people d-don’t like being th-threatened with death when b-being pranked.” Izuku said, causing all three to look back up at him. “B-but I know I-I’m gonna be st-staying here i-indefinitely for the t-time being. I-I can teach you g-guys some other games to p-play in the m-meantime?”
The three phantoms eyes widened, all of them leaning in to crowd around Izuku.
“Really?! You mean it?!” The chubby ghost asked enthusiastically.
“Y-Yes!” Izuku said, shakily holding up his hands to guard his personal bubble. “B-But I need your n-names first. I c-can’t keep calling you all ‘ghost’ i-in my head now, can I?”
The ghosts seemed positively delighted, as if no one had ever asked for their names before. Perhaps no one ever had, Izuku thought to himself, as the chubby ghost pointed at himself.
“I’m Phineas!” he said, tipping his hat to Izuku. “I used to hitchhike and travel in my past life, then I got hit by a carriage! It’s good to meet you!”
“It’s g-good to meet you t-too Phineas.” Izuku said, nodding politely.
“I’m Ezra!” The skeletal ghost waved. “I used to forget to eat a lot, until one day when I reached for a snack, it fell right through my hand!” He cackled.
Izuku felt himself sweat drop slightly at the admission, but held his pleasant expression in spite of his discomfort. “It’s nice to m-meet you Ezra.”
The smallest ghost smiled. “I’m Gus. I was an escaped prisoner, once upon a time. But then my ball and chain got caught in the marshes near the school and I ended up drowning! Nice to meet you!”
“I’m Izuku M-Midoriya.” Izuku said, trying not to think too hard about the ghosts’ origin stories. “I’m going t-to be s-staying here until the Headmaster can f-find a way back to m-my home world, s-so I’ll try to b-be a good r-roommate.”
“You’re from another world?” Gus asked, leaning forward into Izuku’s space, causing Izuku to lean backwards.
“Y-Yeah…” Izuku admitted, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Th-There was s-some kind of i-issue with the c-carriages and I got b-brought here by m-mistake.”
All three ghosts gasped, nearly hitting the ceiling in their excitement as they spun around each other in the air. “That’s amazing!” “Incredible!” “Our new friend is so cool!”
Izuku watched them cackle and shout and quickly threw out his hands, shushing them loudly. “Shh! My friend A-Ace is a-asleep upstairs! P-Please don’t wake him!”
The ghosts clapped their hands over their mouths, if anything, looking even more excited than before. “Another friend?” Ezra whispered, his skeletal face leaning closer.
“Um, y-yeah,” Izuku said, quickly pressing on before they could shout in joy once more. “I p-promise I will i-introduce him t-to you g-guys later. B-But please j-just let him s-sleep for tonight. He n-needs his rest.”
The ghosts nodded, their faces screwed up in almost comically serious frowns. “We’ll let him sleep don’t worry. You can count on us!” Phineas promised, the other two nodding with him. Then, glancing down at Izuku’s towels set to the side, began to herd the others from the room. “We’ll leave you to your bath now.”
“Sweet dreams!” Gus called, before they phased through the opposite wall.
Izuku sagged as soon as they vanished from the room, the accompanying adrenaline rush from the panic of being walked in on slowly draining him away, leaving him even more exhausted than before.
Izuku sagged as soon as they were out of sight, turning around to finish undressing before sinking into the steaming bath that was waiting for him. The heat sank deep into his bruised muscles, a soothing balm against the aches and pains that lingered after such a wretched day.
All too soon, the water cooled down to a lukewarm temperature and Izuku’s fingers began to prune. He climbed out of the tub, carefully drying himself with a nearby towel before climbing back into his filthy school uniform, his shuffling feet beginning to drag as he wandered back into the living room.
He found a thin throw blanket with a few holes in it that had seen better days tossed over the edge of a patchy armchair, and resigned himself to a cold night. He sank onto one of the moth-eaten sofas, laying down on his side and pulling the thin blanket over himself, curling into a ball.
He let his eyes slide shut, and surrendered himself to sleep once more.
----
Izuku jerked into wakefulness to the sound of loud thumping on the front door for a second time. He twisted onto his side to sit up, releasing a pained grunt as his aching stomach seized at the motion.
“Who the hell is that?!” Ace’s muffled shout sounded from the floor above.
Izuku took a deep steadying breath before hauling himself to his feet, his body sore and throbbing as he slowly made his way over to the door. He fumbled with the latch, blinking in the pale morning light to see Deuce standing on the doorstep holding a red backpack.
“Ah Midoriya, you’re awake. Is Ace here?” He asked, trying to peek around Izuku.
“U-uh, y-yeah he is,” Izuku stepped to the side, holding the door open. “P-Please, come in…”
Deuce nodded politely, Izuku showing him into the common room as Grim and Ace appeared along the top banister, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
“Ugh, who comes pounding at the door this early-?” Ace stopped short, spotting the blue haired teen down below.
“So you did come here.” Deuce observed.
“Ah. Deuce.” The ginger said, looking at the blue haired teen like he’d been caught.
“I heard about what happened from the other residents in the dorm.” Deuce explained, placing a hand against his hip. “You got collared after stealing the Dorm leader’s tart…”
The indigo haired teen shook his head in disappointment, sighing. “You are, a complete idiot.”
“Oh you shut it you goodie-two-shoes! I don’t wanna hear it from the likes of you!” Ace snapped, before looking away guiltily. “...is he still mad?”
“Uh, not really.” Deuce, said, raising a finger to his lips thoughtfully. “He was a little irritated at roll call this morning, when a few students were late. Three of them got collared like you.”
Ace recoiled at the news. “What the hell? He obviously hasn’t calmed down!”
“W-Well, m-maybe if we c-catch him e-early enough today, i-it’ll improve his m-mood?” Izuku suggested, looking between them.
“Maybe…” Ace said, looking skeptical as he stepped down the stairs.
“Well, regardless, you forgot your books when you left, so I brought them to you.” Deuce said, holding out the bag for Ace to see.
Aced face colored slightly, snatching the bag from him embarrassed. “Y-Yeah. Thanks or whatever…”
“Anyway, you have to see the school nurse this morning right?” Deuce said, turning to Izuku.
Izuku looked down, nodding. “Y-Yeah… a-and I have t-to see a P-Professor Crewel f-for my uniform.” He wasn’t going to lie. He was really looking forward to climbing into something cleaner than the battle worn robes he had been wearing for two days straight.
“Well, we still have some time before class. We should be able to get everything done before school starts if we push it.” Deuce said, hiking his own backpack over his shoulders.
“Well let’s get going then!” Grim said, hopping up onto Izuku’s shoulder. He stumbled slightly under the unexpected weight, Grim tangling a paw in his curly hair to keep himself upright. “Now charge! The Great Grim is taking his first steps on his journey to being the greatest student in Night Raven College’s history!”
“I think you’d actually have to get down and walk for it to count as your ‘first steps’” Ace snarked, as they made their way to the door.
“Hey!”
Izuku smiled at their antics, grateful to be included, even if it was just at the fringes of their interactions. This is the closest he’d ever been to any kind of amiable interaction with people in his age group. He knew that it couldn’t last forever, don’t get him wrong. Be it the Headmaster finding him a way home or them just realizing how weird and creepy he was; this tentative relationship between the three of them wasn’t meant to last.
But Izuku was finding himself selfish, saying nothing as he basked in the banter between Ace and Grim as they walked through the cemetery towards the school.
Only to suddenly finding himself stopping short in the middle of the path.
“U-Um…”
The two boys turned to look back at him.
“Y-You guys d-don’t happen to know wh-where the Nurse’s O-Office is, d-do you?”