Basically an awkward filler. It's three in the morning. This isn't edited, and I was heavily sleep deprived while writing it. You've been warned.

Third person pov

Really, Harper didn't have the energy to even think about whatever was going on in the mind of Izuku Midoriya. The rise in the voices in his head lasted only a moment. For Harper, they were clear, but something blocked them off from Izuku. From where she sat, she could somehow tell he wasn't hearing their voices. Maybe wisps of what was being said, but no full, solid phrases. A bucket of encouragement, fondness, and reassurance was being dumped over the freckled boy, and he had no idea.

He snapped out of Shinso's control anyway, after breaking a finger. Harper had to groan out loud at that. How self-destructive could a single person be? She didn't understand his mentality at all. The little-to-no self worth he held for himself was startling even to her. Sure, he had dignity. Like her, he held some small amount of value for himself. But aside from that, there was nothing. Harper recognized her own rights as a human being. She knew that, no matter how shitty she was, she impacted the people around her, and that she meant something, whether that was a good or bad something. Izuku... he didn't see any of that at all.

"Look at him go!" One of the many voices crowding within Midoriya's head without him even realizing they were there crowed, loud enough that it rang clearly even in her ears. It was a male, gruff but genuine, and so, so alive despite not seeming to belong to a body. "Kid's got spunk. I like that."

"You said it. Toshi really knows how to pick 'em, don't he? I'm proud of the little sprout." That voice was a woman's. It was earnest and incredibly fond. She could only assume Toshi meant Toshinori, as in Toshinori Yagi. The man most people knew as All Might. Harper shivered slightly, wondering just what secret she'd stumbled upon. It felt... old. The more she prodded at it, the more she realized that these voices-- these mentalities-- seemed more mature than anyone she'd come across. While the earnest woman's was the youngest, the gruff man's appeared to be wise, old. An antique, Harper might describe it.

She could usually gauge a general age based on the state of their mental development. She wasn't sure how, but she could. Harper could easily see that her classmates were teens without even looking at them. Just like the brunette didn't need to look at a Third Year to know they were just that-- a senior. The jump in mental growth was immense enough to place it. Just like she could tell younger children placing in the preschool and kinder levels apart from those who were in third-to-fifth grade. 

People in their twenties were the same way. They were different than teenagers, but not as mature as someone in their thirties or forties. That being said, late thirties to early fifties was hard to place in. The brain was completely and fully developed, and learning had slowed down considerably. Not in the same way someone who was in, say their eighties, might have, but in its own way. 

"Hey, Harper, are you okay?" Ochako checked. "The match ended, but she's still staring down there. Is she worried about Iida?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Harper didn't look away from the field, her intense gaze focused on the dirt. This was truly too much for her small, aching little mind to handle. God, she doesn't want to deal with this. Of course she doesn't. Harper doesn't even wanna deal with shit, but what does she end up doing every time? What does fate force her into? It forces her into dealing with, that's right, you called it, shit. It'd ridiculous how much of a mess her life has become lately. She's separated from her parents, living with a police detective who doesn't even know what the words "healthy" and "lifestyle" mean when put together, and the League is on her tail because she was a dumbass.

"That didn't sound very convincing, ribbit." Tsuyu commented. "She looks tired. Maybe her quirk wears her out? It's got to be hard, having it on with all these people. I wonder what its range is, ribbit. It could be that she's experiencing sensory overload. That's got to suck. Hopefully she'll be okay by the time she's up for her match."

"I'm just... tired." Harper replied, ripping her eyes away from the empty stadium as Mic dumped commentary on the match that had just ended out, his voice barely managing to echo above the cheers of the crowd. Ochako and Tsuyu both shared concerned glances, but didn't say anything else to push it. Harper adjusted her position, eyes crawling to Iida. His match was next, but he was hesitating. Lingering there was though waiting for something. Harper blinked slowly at him. It took her a hot minute before it occurred to her just why he was hovering.

"Good luck, Iida. I know you'll win." Harper encouraged. And yes, she did try to put some pep in her voice. She was sure it only made her seen more exhausted, but Harper really couldn't change that. She was dead tired, and would continue to be until she got a good nap and some cheese cubes. She and Tsukauchi were addicted. "You've got this one in the bag. Your brother's already gotta be so proud. This will probably send him over the moon."

Even Mina turned around to give her an odd look at that. They honestly shouldn't have been so surprised. She was constantly overdoing it with Iida. A lot of people assumed she had a crush on him for it, not realizing in the slightest that she was actually working to combat his crippling self doubt and suicidal thoughts. If all went well and he continued a steady incline into a healthy mentality like he was, they'd never have to. Harper was just glad he was showing improvement at all, even if it was minor.

Iida seemed immensely relieved, as though a weight had been lifted off his chest. "Thank you, Harper. I should get going. Your encouragement brings me great confidence, however! I'll do my best to prove your words are not misplaced." Iida gave a near-formal bow before scurrying off. Harper caught a whiff of his thoughts anyway. "I'm going to disappoint her. Of course I will. Why did I say that? Or do that? I'm being absolutely ridiculous-"

Harper lost her hook on him when she caught sight of Ochako and Mina's shit-eating grins from the corner of her eye. They'd both moved closer which was the first red flag. The second was the fact that they were slightly leaning forward, and the third, their thoughts. They were absolutely buzzing, words like "crush" and "true love" and "so cute" bouncing around in a way that made the space behind Harper's eyes ache painfully.

"Why're you looking at me like that?" Harper raised an eyebrow, as though she didn't already know. She looked at Tsuyu. "Why are they looking at me like that?"

"Probably something to do with the way you're always supporting Iida, ribbit." Tsuyu said, just as blunt as ever. "There's no way there isn't something going on. She says more words to Iida than she says to everyone else combined. Plus, the positivity she shows towards him is pretty weird. I mean, Harper is pretty clearly not an optimist, so it's pretty odd how she's always encouraging Iida."

Great, Tsuyu was onto her. Sort of. Not really, but it was still concerning how perceptive she was. Just like she was with Izuku, she'd have to be wary of the frog-quirked girl as well. Ochako and Mina weren't looking nearly as deep into whatever was going on between her and Iida. Whether that was a blessing or a curse, Harper had yet to decide. She was going to go with curse, because just looking at them was exhausting, thoughts aside.

"You totally have a crush on Iida!" Mina burst out. Harper groaned as half the class's attention dragged towards them. "I mean, there's no way she doesn't. She'd be super cute with him! But... I'm pretty sure Kirishima has a crush on her too. Poor Kiri... but Harper is so nice to Iida! It's adorable to see her cheer him on!"

"Who has a crush on Iida?" Kaminari appeared out of thin fucking air. Harper heard a very faint-- and by faint she means she almost didn't catch it over the sound of his internal Wii remix-- thought. Fascinating. "Whoa, Harper and Iida? That's adorable, man!"

"Wait, seriously? Iida of all people? You?" Jiro checked. "That doesn't sound right. They're so... different. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that, but I just didn't see it coming. Harper takes naps in class. Iida is all... uptight and Iida-ish. It's just weird! Cute, but weird."

Harper opened her mouth to reply, but her jaw clacked shut on reflex when a wave of depression rivaling Iida's the first day fell atop her like a soggy blanket. Harper almost gagged at how physically ill it made her feel, her eyes straying to Kirishima. He was hunched over in his chair, not looking their way but clearly listening, his elbows propped on his knees and hands clasped behind his neck. Harper blinked rapidly a few times, clearing her throat. That wasn't good. That wasn't good at all.

Strong emotions were dangerous, to her and the person feeling them. Especially when that person was her classmate. Intense emotions, especially negative ones, could effect their performance and hinder their thinking process. Long term emotions of such a caliber were also extremely damaging and could prove to be hard to get rid of if you didn't quickly combat them. Harper had never felt someone get emotions like these so abruptly. It was just as concerning as it was startling.

"Of course she doesn't like me. I'm an idiot. My grades aren't even that good. If she's happy with Iida, though, then I'm glad. Seeing her happy makes me happy. I just... wish I could be the one to make her smile, you know? Man, I'm so unmanly. It's not like we were even friends. I just... man, there's no way she isn't my soulmate. What do I do?" Kirishima fretted, and Harper could tell he was near tears. Harper didn't not-like Kirishima. Teaming up with him actually proved to be quite the experiencing. He was a genuinely good person. Why he had a crush on her of all people was one of life's greatest mysteries, but his odd feelings were real. She didn't want him to feel like shit when he didn't have to.

"What?! You like Iida?" Hagakure appeared, scaring most of the people who'd begun to crowd around an already overwhelmed Harper. "Why didn't she tell me?! O-M-G!" 

"I don't like Iida." Harper said finally, and she felt Kirishima's depressive aura stutter with hesitation. Mina and Ochako let out disappointed 'awwws'. Harper shifted. God, would Kirishima be able to fight like that? No, not her problem. But seriously, why was he so depressed? She was... well, Harper was Harper. Sleep deprived, grumpy, and always stuck with a headache. Even now she had to stop herself from grinding her teeth.

Iida was nice. All the people in class were-- painfully so. Not counting Mineta and Bakugo's outer gruffness (because there was shockingly some semblance of a decent human being deep in there somewhere) that is. But being with Iida, like, ever? Too weird. Not to mention it would be emotionally draining to try and pair up with him the way he was now. Not that she would. She was far to young  to be thinking of boyfriends or girlfriends or anything of that sort. They all were, really, especially with them being in a course as serious as UA's hero one.

"Man, you don't? Then who do you like?" Ochako pouted, poking at Harper's cheek. The exhausted girl didn't have the energy to swat her hand away. "She's got to have a crush on someone! I mean, all the girls always talk about who's the cutest in the locker rooms, but she never participates."

"No one, at the moment." Harper said, which was the truth. She didn't have time for a crush. She didn't want to have a crush. Feelings were complicated, and her life was hectic as it was. Her hormones could damn well take the back seat. If they tried to climb up, she swore to fuck she'd physically beat them back with a metal baseball bat herself. 

"Do you at least have a type? You've never said." Jiro said, only half watching the ad Mei had dragged poor Iida into. "She's never really talked about it, and I'll admit that I'm kind of curious. I also sort of want to place matchmaker. Yee yee yeet." 

Harper prodded at Kirishima. Still heavily depressed, then. Fuck, she'd regret this.

"Yeah, of course I have a type." Harper snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. All the present girls, plus Kaminari, leaned forward. Harper made sure not to drop her voice on instinct. "Redheads. I'm into redheads."

Kirishima sat up so fast he almost banged his head on the seat in front of him, head swiveling. All the girls, plus Kaminari, all stared at her with wide eyes as though they'd expected something different. Harper just shrugged, grateful for the silence. Even their thoughts had stalled, barring the electric blonde's Wii soundtrack. Did that thing never stop? She wondered if it went on even when he was asleep. She really hoped not, more for his sanity than for anyone else's.

"Kirishima is a redhead, ribbit." Tsuyu was still blunt. Harper saw the sharp-toothed teen jump slightly at the mention of his name, his crimson eyes big and round. Harper sighed heavily. She already regretted this. So much. But at least Kirishima wasn't making her physically ill with his angsty whatever that was.

"Harper's... into redheads. I'm a redhead. Me. She likes people. With. Red hair. Assuming she's not a lesbian, does... does that mean... she likes... my... hair. Or maybe even like... like... like me?"

Iida was announced the winner and Harper stood abruptly. "Wow, my match is next. Time flies. Bye now."

"Good luck! And we'll be talking about this later!" Mina after her. "Holy shit, Kiri must be freaking out right now! Redheads! Man, score. They'd be adorable together. Like, don't get me wrong, she and Iida would be so great, but Kirishima is a little ball of sunshine, and she's a thunder cloud! The contrast would be so cute, and I think it would work out too!"

Harper massaged her temples as she made her way down the gate. She'd have to congratulate Iida on his win later. For right now, she just needed to lose this match. And she said lose due to the fact that she'd been paired up against Hanta Sero. Yes, the same one who once thought in depth about using his tape for bondage, once threw an apple core successfully into a trash can from across the cafeteria and proceeded to mentally freak out, and regularly looked at cat photos. Same hat.

Harper rubbed at her face with a groan. She didn't want to be here anymore. Fuck, today had already been so tiring, and that was without the one-on-one battles in which the spotlight would be trained solely on her and whoever she was against. Beating Sero didn't seem possible. He was a long distance fighter who wouldn't let her get close, and his tap could be adjusted or manipulated without him thinking about it too much. Harper gave herself a solid five seconds before she was out. The brunette was actually pretty much completely okay with that. Maybe she'd last six seconds, for pride's sake. Not that she really had any left at this point.

The crowd became unbearable in the times before the matches. Wondering about quirks, who would win, why they would win, who they would cheer for, who was hotter, if it was weird that they found fifteen year old's hot, what heroes they'd intern with, whether or not they'd actually become heroes in the end, etc, etc, etc. Just thinking about it made Harper's head spin. Even now as she stood in the mouth of the exit, her stomach still churned. She reached for the loudest thoughts- Aizawa's.

"HARPER! WOO! YOU'VE GOT THIS! I'm so proud. And ready. And proud. And like, ready! She's going to do so good, and I'm going to be so proud. I'm already proud. Did I mention that I was ready? Harper, if you can hear me, I love you and you can do it. I love Sero too, but he can't hear me. You and I have a connection! You know that I'm like Pinkie Pie on the inside, but so much better because instead of cupcakes, I mass produce muffins. Who doesn't love muffins?! I love muffins! Do you love muffins? I do. Mic does too, but I don't tell him I'm the one who bakes them. Only on my deathbed or his will I ever admit that! So fun!"

Though his thoughts were obnoxious and rambling, it was soothing to have something to hang onto. Harper had never considered herself to have stage fright, nor did she really have any camera shyness to speak of. She particularly enjoy being video taped, and though having pictures of her taken didn't bother her all that much, that really wasn't something she was into either. Still, never had they made her nervous, nor had she ever felt reluctant to go out in front of a crowd of people out of fear or anxiety. 

This moment was different, however. Harper was pretty sure she was having a panic attack.

"Alright, alright! Onto our third match of the evening, folks! From class 1-A, we have none other than Hanta Sero! Those are some pretty gnarly elbows, yo!" Mic announced. "Wow, imagine giving birth to a baby with elbows like that. That must have hurt like a son of a bitch!"

"Wow, Present Mic's really gonna do me like that." Sero's thoughts sulked as he walked out with a grin to mask his inner turmoil over his poor elbow's criticism. "The ladies still love me. It's fine. Can't get worse than Mineta."

Yeah, nothing was worse than Mineta. Harper took a deep breath. All she had to do was lose, and then she was done. It would be over. Easy as hell.

"Also from class 1-A, we've got Harper Rye! That's your favorite, right Shota?" Mic cocked his head to the side. 

"I love all my children equally. Sort of. Okay, so maybe Harper is my favorite. Don't tell anyone!" Aizawa called cheerfully to her as she slunk out, trying to ignore the booming crowd. Outwardly, her homeroom teacher was cold and slightly irritated. "I don't have favorites. I hate them all equally." 

"Now that's just cold." Mic shook his head, but was grinning. "He loves them. What an aloof idiot. He's probably denying it to high heaven right now mentally!"

Aizawa's mind was a party. "I love my kids! I love them! You're all perfect! I adore you and accept my role as your father! Let me love and protect you please, thank you, have an amazing day, because I love and appreciate you all! Excusing Mineta, that little fucking bastard of a-" 

"You two know the rules, I'm sure?" Midnight grinned at them, already raising her whip. Harper scrubbed tiredly at her eyes, nodding her head in the process while sighing. Several people in the crowd responded to her exhaustion with "mood" which almost made her smile. Almost. It was a bit too hellish for her to feel anything other than pure, unadulterated suffering at this point.

"Yes, ma'am!" Sero grinned. "I've got this. Harper can predict my moves, but I can overwhelm her and win anyway. Just because she knows something is coming doesn't mean she can stop it!"

Harper sighed. He wasn't wrong. Her eyes strayed to the stands where the teachers were sitting, and her eyes landed on Toshinori Yagi. She had mad questions for him after this was done. And after she napped for fifty years. That was assuming she'd even care anymore when she finally woke up.

"Alright!" Midnight raised her whip high before letting it crack down in a sharp and practiced motion. "Begin!"