Third person pov

Harper knew her laugh wasn't the worst sound ever, but as she got ready for her first day back at UA, she couldn't help but cringe as she thought back to the events that had taken place just a day prior. She and Kirishima had tumbled onto the floor, him gaping and sputtering over her terrifying Endeavor reveal and with her still cackling. Tsukauchi had never seen her lose it like she was, and was stuck between assuming she was experiencing a mental break, being happy she was laughing, and lecturing her about sneaking out. He never got the chance to do any, because she accidentally snorted, and Sansa almost suffocated as his snickering devolved into something stronger. Her laughter had always sounded like a pig having an asthma attack, but that didn't mean she was used to how atrocious it was.

Kurogiri and Dabi warped in moments after they did, immediately assuming there was an excited potbelly pig on the premise, when really it was just her finding sick humor in Kirishima's stunned expressions and the thoughts that went along with it. It had taken forever to calm her down, because her laughter had made Kurogiri start laughing too. His was the roll-on-the-floor kind, which only served to crack Sansa up further. Kirishima eventually fell into it too, prompting Tsukauchi to join. Dabi just stared off into the distance like Jim from the office, already regretting taking the job. Harper couldn't blame him.

After they managed to gather themselves up, Kirishima was brought into the inner circle completely, with full introductions and an offer to come eat dinner with them sometimes. Sansa and Tsukauchi performed the 'initiation' they'd been planning since Hosu. It wasn't much other than both of them wearing matching black shades and Tsukauchi shredding on the electric guitar he kept in his closet while Sansa performed his rendition of 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' by AC/DC. Harper wasn't sure why they chose that song, but even she couldn't deny it was sort of epic. Even with how much Sansa's voice fell off tune. Not to mention Tsukauchi's guitar skills were apparently top notch. Dabi had been in punk-rock awe. 

This all brought them to now. The moment Harper left for school. Tsukauchi and Sansa would be driving her, watching her to make she got into the building safely, and then picking her up. They'd given Kirishima very specific instructions to walk her out and to their vehicle, which he'd been thrilled about. Harper was too afraid of what her faux dad and his partner would do if they found out the redhead had a crush on her, so kept her trap shut about it. They'd probably ban him from existence, which really wasn't something they had the power to do, but Sansa was surprisingly resourceful when he wanted to be. None of this was even a part of the real issue at hand. The problem was... well, Kurogiri really didn't seem too keen on the idea of her leaving.

"No, no, no, nooooo!" The man had literally wrapped himself around her legs. Like a koala. He was sobbing hysterically on top of that, which wasn't helping. Harper couldn't fucking blame the guy for acting like she was marching off to her execution, because she may as well have been. UA was a death trap, and you couldn't convince her trash ass otherwise. Nezu? A fucking tool, through and through. Aizawa? Could kill you with his thoughts alone. His positivity terrified her. Mic? Screamed at everything. Always. Constantly. Koda? Would probably actually kill you. Kurogiri's thoughts and actions, though obnoxiously awkward, were mildly justified. "She's going to die. Why can't I just go with her?! I want to be there with Harper Rye, so I can protect her! What if she needs to go somewhere? Who will warp her? Who will be her best friend? Have I been replaced? Does she hate me? Can I go with her? Why does she have to leave?"

"Just fucking let go, you man-child!" Dabi hissed. This job was proving to be weirder and weirder by the minute. He got up at the ass-crack of dawn and had started passing out on this Detective guy's couch out of sheer exhaustion. The reformed villain he was keeping an eye on had the emotional capacity of a toddler. Which made sense, but still sucked ass. "At least the tired brat got the pay they offered bumped up. Compensates for all the fucking vodka I'm going to chug when I finally catch a break and get a day off from this hell. Of course the only people who'd take me would turn out to be batshit crazy. Tsukauchi's the only sane one, and the guy's still questionable! And Sansa. Holy shit, I don't even want to think about it."

"It's too early for this." Harper grumbled as Tsukauchi tugged harshly at Kurogiri, feet sliding against the wood floor as he tried-- and failed-- to detach him. Sansa could be seen in the cruiser downstairs if you looked out the open door, clearly jamming out to whatever he was playing in said car. Totally unaware of the mayhem that had abruptly ensued when Kurogiri realized he wouldn't be tagging along. "You know how school works, you dimwit. I'll be back. Unfortunately."

"Rude." Tsukauchi scoffed. "She knows she loves me. But seriously, Harper will be late at this point! He won't let go!" 

"You're going to die!" Kurogiri wailed, still sobbing grossly into her side. "This is it. The end. Harper Rye will be no more. My first, closest, dearest, bestest, most stellar friend. Who will adopt me if she's gone?! No one!"

"Wow. If that sort of optimism isn't what gets a girl up in the morning, I don't know what is." Harper's tone was dryer than Shigaraki's skin. She was exhausted, not having slept much last night due to how much Aizawa and Mic were texting her. As the former of the pair had asked, she'd gotten photos from some of her classmates. Asking had been fairly weird of her, but nobody questioned her. She didn't give a shit about their opinions anyway. Well, maybe she'd twitch at Hound Dog or Cementoss'. They were on her 'worth a shit' list. Anyway, her two teachers were now freaking out over the snapshots she'd collected. 

"Just let her go already. I'm not paid enough for this." Dabi hissed. This was probably one of the weirdest jobs he'd ever had, but it was also the most lax in a way. The chances of him dying weren't as high as most, it was legal, and he got to hang out and eat pizza with people he only vaguely considered friends now. They made for good entertainment, between Harper's exasperated remarks, Tsukauchi's dad jokes, and Sansa's... well, Sansa. "I need some fucking Advil. This guy's like a dog with separation anxiety. But worse." 

"Let's try and be positive, everyone!" Tsukauchi said in an overly-cheerful voice, his smile forced. He was horribly close to losing his shit. Anyone with more than three brain cells would be able to tell. "Be calm, Naomasa. Kurogiri is going through a hard time. It's not his fault he can't handle emotion. We just have to be patient and coax him into-" Kurogiri let out a rather loud wail. "-fuck it."

"Whoa, okay." Dabi backed up considerably as Tsukauchi reached into Kurogiri's fog and grabbed his ear, tugging back hard and causing him to tumble off of Harper. The girl just sighed and turned her gaze to the ceiling. This couldn't be worse than the hell she'd be facing at UA when she finally got there. Everyone talking about their internships. Mineta drooling over the guys further. Iida being Iida. Bakugo lusting heavily over Izuku due to their time apart. Aizawa just... existing. In general. Over there in the corner with his happy fun times and glitter.

"Harper!" Kurogiri wailed. Harper sighed heavily for the millionth time, and Dabi shook his head. The shit this kid had to deal with. Wasn't in the same category as what he went through with Endeavor, but he'd be damned if it wasn't bad. "She's leaving me. This is the end. God, take me."

"I'll be back, so calm down. Behave or I'll... die. Or something." Harper waved a hand at him as she slung her bag over her shoulder, stepping out the door. Kurogiri looked stricken at the thought of her death. She called back to him, "There are bagel bites in the fridge!"

Tsukauchi scrambled after her, leaving Dabi to literally body slam Kurogiri out of the doorway before he could rush to try and follow. Harper took her time. Her phone was blowing up in her pocket. That was partially due to her classmate and the large group chat she'd been added into. Anyone who tried to leave got put back in, meaning her and Bakugo both were forced to deal with the incessant chatter that persisted even when their phones were on silent. Aizawa was responsible for the rest of her torment. He wouldn't stop asking where she was, when she'd be arriving, how her internship had gone, and such of that like. She was already dreading having to explain what she'd gone through to UA's staff. Nezu would have a good laugh.

"That looked like it was fun." Sansa noted to them, turning down the volume as Tsukauchi dove into the car. Harper slid into the back a bit smoother. The look on her face conveyed how eager she truly was to get to school. As in, not at all. She knew Iida was going to be there, and so was Kirishima, who she'd been idly chatting with. She'd already assured him she'd be there, meaning the girl was essentially fucked unless she wanted to go back on her word and refuse to move. That being said, Tsukauchi would probably just carry her out to the car and force her anyway. "Gastly up there is starting to grow on me. The koala hold? Classic move. Stops just about anyone in their tracks."

"If your definition of fun is dealing with an emotionally unstable ex-villain, sure." Tsukauchi was winded. "That was an actual workout for me. Wow. I'm not even that out of shape."

"Let's get on with it before he gets out and jumps off the balcony. The windshield couldn't take the weight." Harper noted tiredly, in all seriousness. His warp quirk was fast, but sometimes running and leaping over some railing was faster. Kurogiri would do it, too, and that was the scary part. "Drop me at the hellscape already. May as well get that shit over with."

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Harper! Aside from explaining what's up with Sero... and everything with Hosu, and Stain, and Stain's son, and Tenya Iida, and that Kirishima knows... and Kurogiri and everything. Oh, and Dabi, I guess." Tsukauchi frowned, squinting suspiciously. Sansa snorted at him. "Huh... it actually does sound like we're dropping her at a hellscape."

"Do you ever wonder how your life got to this point?" Sansa sounded genuinely curious. Harper let out another sigh.

"Every day, Sansa." She stared at the roof of the car, wondering when it would all just end. "Every damn day."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You made it!" Kirishima exclaimed as Harper was forced from Tsukauchi's cruiser by Sansa, who was spraying her with a bottle of vodka. Tsukauchi was beating him over the head with the rolled up car's manual for it, but it didn't change the fact that Harper had been misted by alcohol, and now smelled like an addict. She really didn't give a shit. She didn't even want to know why he had a spray bottle full of that shit. "Wow, I really didn't think Kurogiri would let her leave! Can't think about my crush. She can hear me. If I think too much about it, I'll freak her out, and she'll hate me."

"Kirishima, I've heard worse. I'm not going to hate you." Harper sighed, patting his shoulder as she walked past. He flushed red, snapping from his daze and rushing to fall into step next to her. It wasn't hard. His legs were surprisingly long. "I've got to go to the teacher's lounge, so I'll probably have to meet you in class. Make sure you tell Iida good morning and that you missed him."

"Iida? Why?" Kirishima cocked his head slightly. Harper had told Iida she wouldn't tell anyone what he'd attempted, and she'd held true to that, barring the people who already knew. Dabi was also let into the fold, seeing as he didn't actually know the blue-haired teen, and had to accompany them to the hospital anyway so Kurogiri didn't run off while the brunette went in. Harper gave the scarred man a month before he quit. He was clearly a private person, and with her around, that was heavily disrupted. Though, she did already know his deepest and most personal secret, so did he really have anything to lose? Kirishima continued to walk alongside her. "I'm walking next to her. Into the school. Harper and I. Are walking. Side by side. Oh my goddd, she's so fucking cute I'm going to die and she can hear me, and now I want to die, but also AH-"

"He had a hard week. Don't ask questions, and it'll be fine." Harper patted his arm, and Kirishima almost combusted. "If Aizawa gets to class before I do, assume I've died."

"Wait, died?!" Kirishima yelped, but it was too late. Harper was already heading for the teacher's lounge with all the zest of someone who was already done with the day. In short: none. Kirishima's thoughts trailed after her dutifully. "If she dies, I'll be out for blood. Should I be going with her? No, she would've invited me if she wanted me to come. Oh, man. This is so unreal. I'm friends with my crush! And I met her sort-of family, and I-"

Harper turned the corner, running face-first into someone the size of an entire ass mountain. She immediately stumbled away from them, shaking her head slightly as they reached out to steady her. Their thoughts flooded her as she got her balance back, groaning to herself and questioning why she didn't just beg Kurogiri to warp her into the sun this morning. They were worried, and apparently, someone she'd run into before. "I hope I didn't hurt them too badly! Damn, I should've been paying more attention. Wait a moment... isn't this the girl from before? The one who tried to tell Tamaki and I that we were... w-well... i-i-in love, and such?"

Said brunette in question squinted up at the third year she'd smacked into, frowning. Great. It was the blondie who was in love with his best friend, who was in love with him back. And apparently they hadn't heeded her advice and still weren't together, if their thoughts were anything to go off of. Fucking hell. What a shithead. She'd been pretty clear! She'd vaguely alluded to her real quirk, and then told him and his friend to kiss already. It had been a bad day. This one was quite possibly worse. School hadn't even started yet, and she was still completely and totally finished. Fatality. 

"I'm sorry about that! I didn't see you there." The blonde grinned widely at her, exuding a sun-like energy that made her reclusive self cringe away and get the distinctive urge to hiss. She managed to tug the impulse back, instead staring up at him with the most deadpan stare she could muster. The tall ball of positivity visibly faltered at her expression. "Does she remember me too? Why's she looking at me like that?"

"I'm having a bad morning. You and your friend are extremely fucking gay for each other, like I said before. I can feel the love rolling off you in waves, and he's not even here." Harper gestured towards him, and his flinched, looking as though she'd just slapped him in the face. She was about to if he didn't fuck off. She hated it when two people felt the same was about each other to a nearly gross extent, but were too blind to see it. When it was obvious, it was... well, obvious. Mic and Aizawa were different in the sense and Aizawa was a fucking idiot who was good at hiding his shit. That wasn't the case with blondie and his elf Sasuke amigo. "Bye. Have a shitty morning." 

"W-Wait, what?!" Mirio whirled around, cheeks red. Harper was already halfway down the hall, her brisk walk conveying just how much she didn't want to talk to him. Mirio gaped after her. "I have to know her quirk. What if she's telling the truth?! Tamaki probably thought I was rejecting him, with how nervous he gets about everything! I have to go talk to him right now, and try to see for myself!"

Harper blew out a sharp puff of air as she threw the door to the teacher's lougne open. Class was starting soon, so most of the teachers were gone. Still, there were enough that Aizawa couldn't tackle-hug her without giving himself away. She counted that was a plus. Hound Dog, Cementoss, and Ectoplasm were among the other teachers loitering about and trying to gather what they'd need for classes and make themselves coffee. Mic and Aizawa were sitting on a couch looking at papers. Their attention snapped to her the moment she stepped foot into the room, and the other teachers turned to look at her as well. Hound Dog visibly perked up.

"Harper! How was your pawternship?" The canine-like man cocked his head at the tired girl. She looked as though she'd just crawled through the very pits of hell itself, her hair disheveled, her tie completely just not there, her blazer wrinkled to high heaven, and her skirt looking more like a dirty sheet than an actual piece of clothing. Her leggings had a rip in them at the knee, and she wasn't even wearing matching shoes. The girl was an whole mess and then some, and probably felt like one too. "Just what did this pup go through?! She looks like a chewed up dog toy!"

"There's going to be a meeting about all that bullshit at lunch." Harper fidgeted as Aizawa's thoughts, which had paused for a rather long time, suddenly exploded forth like Bakugo on every type of steroid known to man. They washed over her so violently she actually felt her headache pop into existence. It didn't form. It just straight up appeared, and there was nothing she could do about it. 

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-" His thoughts screamed as he stood up from his seat. Harper paled, looking more dead inside than before. Cementoss was concerned, glancing at Aizawa as he shuffled forward with a drawl expression. "Harper, Harper, Harper, Harper! I missed you so, so, so, so, so, so, sooooo much! Your face is so cute and I love you and please let me adopt you!!!! Mic and I tried to have fun on our honeymoon, and the sex was suuuuper amazing, but we kept missing you and the rest of the kiddos! Did you have fun? Did you make any friends? Did you like your costume? I saw pictures! Thank you! I love you! Hello, come hug me, please! This is the best day of my life. Aside from the day Mic proposed. But like, this is such a close second that I could die. Do you see my eyes watering?! I'm like, crying! Do you feel my joy radiating off of me?! I'm trying to send it your way!"

"Ah, Mr. Aizawa. Good morning." Harper didn't even try to force a smile as he approached. 

"A word?" He raised a brow, nodding to the door behind her. "Hughughughughughughughughug I have to HUG her! She's so small and tiny and cute!" 

"No?" Harper tried. He stared at her, and she sighed heavily. It was looking more and more like this would be the end of her life. Kirishima was on his own. "Fucking- fine. Just this once."

"See you later, Harper!" Mic hooted after her, grinning madly as she sulked out the door. "I owe that child my life and my marriage. We should adopt her. She's such a mood.

Harper wondered if they'd forgotten her parents again, or if they just didn't care about their existence. Probably a bit of both, with some glitter on top, because that was just how Aizawa rolled. She braced herself as he closed the door behind him, checking the unfortunately empty hallway before breaking out into a grin. Harper could only grimace as a squeal escaped the man, and he scooped her up into his arms in a hug. She didn't even resist. It was futile. She let him excitedly spin her around. 

"I missed you so much! Look at you! Did you get taller?!" Aizawa exclaimed as he stood there in the hallway, holding her like one might hold a baby. Only she wasn't a baby, and this was her teacher. She gave him a dry look as he beamed at her happily, clearly not seeing any issues with his behavior. He was literally bouncing with excitement. How could anyone have so much energy in the morning? "I've been so worried about you! I heard you were in Hosu with some of the other munchkins!" 

"I'm fine. Nothing really happened." Harper said, completely and totally lying. It's fine. Aizawa's poker face was admirable, but hers was god-tier. "I'll tell everyone during the meeting, I guess. As for whether or not I've made friends, Kirishima knows I can read minds now. Don't worry. I didn't tell him about your alternate personality."

"He wouldn't believe you anyway." Aizawa chirped happily. "I love this child so much."

"Oh, he would. He's in love with me. I could probably tell him the Earth was flat, and he'd buy it." Harper shrugged. 

Aizawa stared at her for a moment, the same, pleasant smile frozen on his face as he processed her words. Harper just raised her eyebrows at him, waiting patiently for him to compute. He was having some sort of internal dilemma along the lines of, "Oh my god, should I plan the wedding or threaten Kirishima? Both?!"

Though she'd never say it out loud for fear of the insanity that would surely ensue, Harper had missed her homeroom teacher. Not a whole lot, but some. The teacher's at UA were a great support system, and unlike all the teachers she'd had before, they actually cared for the well-being of all their students. Though the man currently holding her was overly exuberant and quite obnoxious, she could tell he was genuine. It was kind of nice. Headaches aside, that is.

"Uh... are you two dogs alright?" Hound Dog's voice caused Aizawa to whirl around, his face perfected into blankness. Harper just stared, still in the man's arms and still looking as worn out as ever. The guidance counselor looking justifiably concerned. "Should I... be questioning this more?"

"We're fine. Just heading to class." Aizawa said smoothly. "That was such a close one. I can't believe Kirishima is in love with you! That's literally so cute; I could die! He's a good kiddo, so you guys can be together and be adorable and happy. Yes... Yes, I ship it! Perfection! I want to be a grandfather, so have children. One day. Not now, or I'll kill him slowly." 

"Don't worry about it, Mr. Hound Dog." Harper sighed as Aizawa started toward the classroom, still carrying her. The dog-like man just watched them go with the most utterly confused look on his face. She wasn't going to try and explain, and he wasn't going to try and understand. So much odd shit happened around Harper Rye that he was quickly learning that asking questions didn't get you much of anywhere. Too much shit happened in her life for him to really understand. All he could really do for her was support her the best he could as a counselor. 

Aizawa's thoughts blabbered on and on as he carried her to class, clearly unconcerned by all the glances they were getting. Harper didn't really give a shit. It sure beat dropping through a warp gate when you were least expecting it. Kind of relaxing, actually. Her homeroom teacher's thoughts were so constant they were almost like white noise. They just never stopped. It was a little disconcerting to watch his expression fail to change alongside his inner ramblings, but she wasn't too concerned. 

The class fell silent as Aizawa walked through the open door, nudging it carefully shut with his foot. What felt like ages since she'd last heard most of her classmates' thoughts had, in reality, only been a week. They were all taken aback by the fact that she was being carried in. Kirishima adopted a flushed expression at the sight of her, Shoto's brows raised, Iida looked startled, and Izuku just pulled out his notebook to start taking notes. On what, she had no fucking idea. It didn't matter. Kaminari's Wii remix had reached such intense levels that she could no longer recognize any of the 'Wii' in it.

"Don't ask questions." Aizawa said in a stoic tone, setting her down. She yawned. "Hagakure, come pass out these study guides. Exams are coming up."

Harper shrugged and made her way to her seat, shooting Iida the best smile she could muster up, which wasn't much. He offered a weak, thankful one back. No one spoke a word as she slunk to her desk and plopped down, though Shoto's thoughts-

"Could it be..." He glanced over at her as she sat down. "That she's Mr. Aizawa's secret love child?!" 

If she'd had a drink, she would've spit it out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harper gazed at all the teachers, and they gazed back. She sighed.

"Harper! Why don't you start from the beginning?" Nezu requested. He was far more excited then he should've been considering the circumstances, but the guy was batshit, so she wasn't surprised in the least. "Tsukauchi said she went through quite the internship, so I've been dying to know the details! I've refrained from looking too far into it. It would spoil it were Miss Rye not the one to tell the story."

The teachers present were only half interested. Midnight's thoughts kept wandering on back to this one episode of Grey's Anatomy she saw, and how she sort of thought she might have cancer because of it. Aizawa was fawning over her and Mic, and Mic was doing the same thing vise versa. Ectoplasm had 'who let the dogs out' stuck in his head, and Hound Dog was ironically in that same boat with him. Cementoss was focused politely on her, Snipe was thinking about doing a cover of Old Town Road, and Power Loader... well, she wouldn't talk about him.

"Let me start off by saying no, I don't need any fucking therapy." Harper then glared pointedly at Aizawa. "And secondly, fuck you."

"I love you too!" Aizawa's thoughts chirped. There was a smug glint in his eyes. The teachers were silent, waiting for her to continue and seeming mildly taken aback by her blatant disrespect, and Aizawa's lack of a reaction. Harper took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to think of a good place to start. Iida would be the last thing she talked about, just because it would probably freak them out and rile them up the most. It was by far the worst and most serious thing that had happened in on her internship, so she'd start with the easier shit and work her way up. She knew she'd promised Iida she wouldn't tell, but Nezu already knew anyway, and the rest of the staff needed to be aware. Their classmates would remain in the dark.

Harper opened her eyes, resting her arms on the table in front of her and lacing her fingers together. They all leaned forward slightly as she opened her mouth to speak.

"So, do you Panini Heads remember that Warp Gate fuck?"

~~~~~~~~~~~

Art, my guys

Thank you to the amazing AlrunSyne for these pieces of art. I love them, and how she imagined Harper as a villain. Also as someone who plays Minecraft, can I just say that I love the first one so much omg. Kurogiri as an Enderman has me fucking shook. Seriously, thank you so much for these! they're super amazing!!!

CharTime is back at it again you guys. She has outdone herself with all these pieces of art! Seriously, thank you so much for all the amazing art you do. It looks totally awesome and makes my day! These are super good, so thank's for putting the time in to do them! 

SahvannaYT has drawn Harper and Kurogiri looking super cute! Thank you so much for this! I love the way you sketched them, and Harper's ears look so cute!

fizzycatnip104 drew this awesome Harper! The thoughts are so accurate, and the look on her face is on point. Thanks so much for illustrating this! It's super good!

shadowtriad014 sketched this adorably little Harper. She looks so fucking done. I really like how you did the thoughts in the background. They're just so squished together, and jumbled. Amazing job on this. Thank you so much!

.tyjosleftnut illustrated these absolutely adorable pieces just AH I love them! I love your art style! It's so fucking cute, and they're both on point. Seriously, thank you so much for putting the time into drawing these. They look stunning.

The amazing soggy_pizza drew Chaotic Lillian in Normal Lillian's body, using their Freeze Frame quirk. I love how you drew her! It looks so amazing, for real. As I've said before, I absolutely adore your style and think it's the cutest think ever. Thank you loads for this!!!

SunfishStories doodled this adorable little Harper who looks so tired. Thank you so much for this! Your digital art skills are definitely top notch.

CrackheadPan drew this Harper at the sports festival. I love when people draw the thoughts like this! Harper looks insanely tired and just overall done with this bullshit. Thank you for drawing this. It looks amazing!

AAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHH gave us a full page of Harper! I love it so much ahhHHH you have such an amazing art style. Thank's so much for doing this, Cady! I always love how you draw things out on paper. It always comes out amazing.

H_Mathian, aka my dear child, has draw this amazing piece. Thank you so much for sketching this out! I looks super amazing. Your anatomy gets better every time I see your art I stg. Thanks for this, Sticks.