Freeze Frame: One-Shots

The Body Swap

This is like an old ass one shot from Patreon and I posted it on discord and then sorta forgot to put it on wattpad but here we go. It's super old and sorta ass but

What if Harper and Lillian switched bodies, quirks, and dimensions? Thank you Kaitlyn for this amazing request! And who knows, maybe they aren't the only ones who swapped (;

PSA: Harper Rye is a my hero OC from my book, Mind Boggled! If you haven't read that, this won't make sense.

This is two chapters mashed into one part so it's sorta long but whatever fuck it we ball

Chapter 1:

Third person pov

Harper wakes up and immediately can't breathe.

Her heart beats too loud in her ears, a resounding echo that thuds like a drum. Her breaths, coming out harsh wheezes, are deafening. Her mind races through the silence, panic overwhelming her like a tidal wave would a small fishing boat. It crashes down over her in the most harsh and unforgiving way you could ever even begin to imagine. It's all encompassing, a natural disaster in its own right. Harper has felt fear like this very few times in her life. And only-- and she means only-- when she's been trapped in Mr. Compress' marbles.

This type of fear is stifling. It's not erratic, or out of control. It is tightly controlled in its own, poisonously composed way. This isn't too much. It's too little, and Harper feels like she's been blinded.

In Atsuhiro's quirk, there are no thoughts. Minds cannot penetrate the marbles he places people into. Harper lives her life surrounded by the sounds of others, their minds singing into hers. People are always around, always thinking. No matter where she is or what she's doing, there's always whispers. Even when she'd venture out alone into the woods, the minds of wildlife would whisper wants. A bird feeling hungry, a squirrel feeling wary, a fox trotting back to its den. Harper's life is noisy. It's never not been noisy.

Right now, though? There's nothing. Not even a murmur. Harper feels paralyzed, unable to move as her brain tries to cope. She's not in a marble, she knows. It's too warm, and there are other things she can hear around her. But not thoughts. There's no thoughts. Why are there no thoughts? Why isn't her quirk working? She can't feel it. She's always been able to feel it. It has a life of its own, and even the marbles have never been able to rip it from her. She doesn't always get along with it, but its hers and it loves her and is a part of her and it's-- it's fucking gone. It's gone!

Her head pounds from the lack of sensation. It's foreign and empty, and everything about it screams 'WRONG' in flashing, red letters. She doesn't feel like herself. Harper feels like she's choking to death, her body unresponsive to her attempts to move. It's hard to think in such silence, her thoughts so loud now that there's nothing else there. Nothing is coming in. There used to be channels-- dozens of them that opened up to the outside to let thoughts through. They're not there. She can't feel them, can't even probe around to check for certain. It's all just--gone.

"Lillian?" A voice asks softly, but it's so loud. Harper lets out a low groan, clenching her eyes shut tighter as tears well in her eyes. It hurts. It hurts, it hurts, it's too quiet. Harper can't. She can't. Where is it? Where is her quirk? Harper can't even reach out and search for thoughts anymore. Something that used to come so naturally to her, and she just... lost the ability. There is nothing there. Where has it all gone? It's painful, and Harper feels the sudden urge to bang her head against the nearest hard surface until she's out cold, just so she doesn't have to suffer the sensation any longer. "Did you have another nightmare?"

Harper gasps for air a bit belatedly, and hears a faint curse come from above her. There's shuffling, and her brain latches onto the noise as fast as it can. It takes in the ticking of a clock, the rustle of curtains by the window, footsteps on the floor, the way the boards creak, the way their clothing brushes when they move. How many people are in here? She can hear people breathing, her ears suddenly hypersensitive in the absence of everything she's always known. She feels like a fish pulled from their tank and dropped on the hot sidewalk. It's searing, the emptiness burning tightly as it scratches and claws for something it can't find.

"Hey, hey, it's okay! It's okay!" A new voice soothes, and Harper feels a hand grasp hers. The sensation stings hard, something in the a sea of nothing. It's almost painful, and if Harper could move, she'd yank away from it. "You need to breathe, Lillian. In and out. You're safe. It's okay. Your croissant hasn't been dropped."

Harper's other hand finally manages to move. It jerkily flies up to her face, slapping over her eyes as she struggles to right herself. Her confusion swells through her myriad of other emotions. Who is Lillian? Because it sure as shit isn't her. Whoever's talking to her seems to think she's someone she's not-- was she kidnapped? Does she have some sort of quirk inhibitor on her? Even then, her quirk would still be there. It would just be dampened and contained. Right now, it's completely gone. As in, not there. And why the fuck are they talking about croissants? Does that have literally anything to do with this situation?

Harper fought to center herself, but she wasn't sure it was even possible. Her quirk wasn't there. What if she could never get it back? What if it was gone forever? The thought alone was enough to have her pulse racing even faster, reaching what had to be dangerous levels. Her breathing picked up even more, and she heard more cursing. Again, her brain latched onto the sound. It drunk it in greedily, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't loud enough, and it wasn't thought. God, to think she'd be worse off without the very quirk that kept her up most nights and plagued her with chronic migraines!

"Lillian, open your eyes. Come on." What sounded like Aizawa's voice grunted in its usual monotone, though it sounded somewhat colored with concern. There was no train of glittery, vibrant thoughts to follow and contrast. It made Harper's insides curl. Why was Aizawa calling her Lillian? Unless that wasn't him. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Her quirk is gone, she doesn't know where she is, she doesn't-- someone thinks she's whoever the fuck this Lillian girl is. And her quirk is gone. And it's so, so quiet. "Just open your eyes. You're okay."

Harper forced her eyes open and inhaled sharply when they were assaulted by light. Her gaze darted around frantically, sucking in everything in search of stimulation. Aizawa's face hovered over her, brows furrowed with concern as Harper heaved for air. Harper found herself pushing herself back and away from him. This wasn't her room or her bed, she could immediately tell. She dragged against the pillow, hair pulling-- her hair. Her hair was all wrong. She could feel it stuck under her sweaty upper arms, scalp tugging as she awkwardly struggled her way further to the wall.

Behind Aizawa was Shinso Hitoshi from the Ged Ed course, looking extremely worried as Harper's chest rose and fell rather dramatically. Her head rung with the resounding silence around her, her eyes shooting over to the blonde idiot from 1-B who was also standing there. Todoroki's body was splayed out on the ground off to the right, face down like a corpse. Harper's hand flew up to her chest, grasping at the fabric over her heart. This was wrong. Why were they here? What were they thinking? Harper didn't know. Harper never didn't know.

It really was like being blind. Were they even real? Did they know what was going on? Harper wanted to know what was going on, and normally would know what was going on. Only she couldn't know what was going on her, because her quirk wasn't here. Their minds were unreachable. Blocked off from her. She couldn't even feel them. It made her feel like she was surrounded by ghosts, or perhaps corpses. She got no emotion from them, no individuality, no internal monologues. Just what was on the surface, physically. Harper's stomach churned.

"Wh-What the fuck?" Harper rasped out, and she felt something icy immediately shoot through her when she realized that the voice that had just come out of her wasn't hers. She looked down blearily at her hands, which trembled violently. Freckles covered the backs of them, and her palms were a little rougher. She was paler, her nails covered in chipping blue polish. Dark hair spilled messily over one of her shoulders, a curling, tangled mass that was in desperate need of brushing. Harper stared, eyes wide in horror, silence still ringing.

Her breathing was loud. Echoing. Disbelief pooled in her chest.

"Lillian?" Aizawa asked again, sounding concerned. Harper looked up at him, feeling her eyes begin to sting. Too quiet. It was too quiet.

Harper's quirk wasn't gone. She was. This body wasn't hers, and looking at Shinso, Monoma, and Todoroki, she wondered if this world was either.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Lillian woke up because... well, she's not sure, but she's theorizing that she's suddenly developed some form of Schizophrenia. Don't quote her on that, though. She's no psychologist.

"She is DEAD! Harper Rye is DEAD!" A rather panicked voice in her head shrilled out, beyond hysteric. It wasn't familiar in any sense that she could place. Lillian's brows scrunched, her head aching unnaturally. Her bed felt firmer than she remembered. Was someone screaming in her head better than nightmares? Lillian wasn't sure yet. "Oh my god. She's never slept this long. What if she never wakes up? What if she isn't okay? What if she has died and-- SHE MOVED!"

Lillian shifted slightly, frowning and wondering who this Harper Rye person was and why her new inner voice was so concerned about them and their sleep issues. She thought schizophrenic voices in your head were supposed to destabilize you by... she really wasn't sure, actually. Threatening you or something? Telling you to hurt yourself or others? Wow, she felt like a dick now that she's realizing all her information is based on what she's seen on TV. Watch it not even be Schizophrenia to begin with, and it's some other mental disorder entirely, and she's just ignorant and privileged.

Lillian moved again, wishing she could drift back off but not seeing how that would ever be possible with her new internal roommate. Should she name the voice in her head? Did they already have a name? Her eyelids felt like they were being weighed down by a couple of elephants. Opening them seemed like an impossible task, so Lillian made very little effort and instead brought her hands up to slap at her face. She heard a gasp somewhere near her bed, which wasn't reassuring.

"Stop crying, you fucking idiot." Another voice hisses. Lillian thinks she may recognize it, but it's so vindictive that she can't place them. Her head is swimming. She feels like she got hit over the head with an armored chair and left for dead. Had Shoto mixed a bunch of cleaning chemicals together and knocked them all out again? Lillian could've sworn they banned him from ever going near those again. "God fucking dammit. She sleeps more than six hours and he loses his shit. This is so annoying."

Lillian's eyes flew open as the vindictive voice-- which had previously entered through her ears-- then filtered into her head. What?

There was a rejoicing cry as Lillian abruptly jolted into a sitting position, hands flying to cover her eyes as another pain jolted through her head. It seriously felt like her skull was being split in two. Think Noah parting the Red Sea, but instead it's her entire brain. She swore she'd just heard that guy's voice in her head. Like, for sure. So was it Schizophrenia, or something else? Actually, wait a second. Why were there strangers in her room? Unless Neito or Hitoshi had undergone some drastic voice modifications overnight, which Lillian guessed was possible, then there was a problem.

"Harper Rye!" The original voice cried, but it was out loud and not in her head. Implying that she maybe... isn't crazy? It reminds her of when Mandalay talked in their head and gave them permission to fight at the summer camp. Does Mandalay have any estranged cousins they don't know about? That like to sneak into dorms and... cry over her sleeping body, or whatever's going on here? "She's awake and alive! She is breathing! This is wonderful, simply wonderful. I thought she would never awaken again."

"Who-Who's--" Lillian opened dropped her hands from her face to squint only to stop, eyes growing wide despite the stinging pain it brought. Her entire body locked as she stared, her heart pretty much exploding on the actual spot. Standing at the edge of her bed-- which isn't her bed, actually, her sheets and blankets are all blue, not orange-- was Kurogiri. You know the one that's in the League of Villains? The evil one who is, in fact, a villain and evil? Lillian felt her throat tighten up, every part of her tensing. Her voice came out a squeak. "Oh my god."

So this is how she dies, then? Lillian really just... loves that for herself. God, she owes so many people money for this. 'The League of Villains isn't going to be the thing to take me out!' she'd said, like a fucking liar, apparently. Because this is definitely the League of Villains and they're definitely, probably going to take her out. But then why is she in a bed? She feels like they have a more of a 'throw her down the stairs of the basement and let her land on the cold floor where she will stay until she regains unconsciousness' aesthetic. Not to mention Kurogiri sounds distressed and is calling her by a name that decidedly isn't her own.

Lillian gave a few hopeful blinks, seeing as they hadn't bothered to blindfold her this time. She willed herself not to panic as nothing changed, Kurogiri's mist still fluctuating wildly as he awkwardly hovered by her. Her quirk didn't so much as twitch as far as Lillian could tell. Okay, no need to panic. She'd totally expected that. If they hadn't covered her eyes, they'd obviously done something else to cancel her quirk. Maybe it has something to do with the headache. She swears she's hearing things in the distance, but in her head, not out loud.

Does she cry now or later? Crying seems counter productive. Lillian is panicking. Like, freaking out and panicking. As she'd said just a moment ago. You can't exactly blame her, really. What's going on? Does literally anyone know? No? Okay, cool. That's okay. She's fine. This is fine. She's still alive, isn't she? Lillian thinks that's probably really great news!

"She could've gotten more sleep if you hadn't woken her up, you idiot. You hardly gets any rest as it is." The vindictive voice snapped, and Lillian just barely managed to pry her gaze off the warp gate villain to glance behind him. She did a double take, blinking rapidly. That... was Sero. Scowling at her. Like, Sero from her class. He's got these weird things on his elbows-- did he get captured too? "I can't believe I share a room with this numbskull. His attachment issues have got to stop somewhere. How the fuck is Harper ever going to live her life?"

Lillian flinched rather violently as the voice filtered into her head, her breaths coming out short, fast puffs as her panic began to swell. It was Sero's voice, only his mouth hadn't moved. But she'd definitely heard him. She was pretty sure she'd heard Kurogiri's voice too. Why did they think she was Harper? Who was Harper? Because it sure wasn't her. Last time she checked. Wait, is she Harper? No, literally no she isn't. Why is she second guessing her own identity? Ugh!

Lillian's gaze frantically flitted around the room, though she dared not try and move with her quirk out of order. She felt herself hesitate, confusion flitting through her when her eyes really took the room in. It... looked like the dorms. No-- undoubtedly, she was in a dorm room right now. It looked like two had been joined together, not unlike Hitoshi and Shoto's conjoined dorms. Same windows, same walls. Minus the fireplace they'd put in and the furniture, Lillian was positive that's where she was right now.

"I think she was having a nightmare." Sero's voice glided through her brain again, and Lillian jolted, eyes snapping over to him. He was staring at her with a slight frown that turned into more of a sneer when he saw her looking. "Oh, fuck off, you hag. Stop looking like you're about to pass out and I'll stop looking at you like the charity project you are."

Lillian stared at him, astonished. First of all, ouch. Second of all, what the fuck? She got the distinct impression that she was... not the person they thought she was. Third of all, since when was Sero so goddamn mean? Like, damn. Lillian had never gotten the impression that he was a spiteful bitch, but honestly, he deserved a good kick in the balls. What sort of insult was hag? Surely he could do better than that. Okay, maybe now wasn't the time to be critiquing her classmate's ability to insult her.

"Something is wrong with Harper Rye." Kurogiri bemoaned, staring at her intently. Lillian wasn't sure why his voice was in her head, but she was nearly certain she was the one being referred to as Harper Rye. Did that mean they didn't know who she was? She wasn't locked up as far as she could tell. This was... all off. Her dad was nowhere to be found, nor were any of her friends. Was she dreaming? "She's quiet. She's staring at us and she looks rather... startled. Is she hurt? Did she have a nightmare?"

Lillian gulped, flinching away from Kurogiri's concerned yellow eyes and risking a glance down at her hands. She paused, brows immediately furrowing. Sero scoffed at her as she raised them up for inspection, frowning and turning them over. These... were definitely not her hands. Come to think of it, her voice had sounded off this whole time too, but she'd been a bit too busy proverbially pissing herself to pay it much attention to the fact. Shit. Actually, no. Double shit. This was shaping up to be not so great, in Lillian's expert opinion. And she's seen some things, so she knows she's a decent judge.

They'd been calling her Harper Rye and didn't seem to recognize her as Lillian in the slightest. She was hearing voices in her head, almost like a quirk, and her own quirk didn't work or answer to her. Like it wasn't even there. These hands weren't hers. Shaking her head slightly, she felt her hair bob, much shorter than her own. She shoved back the blankets a bit, inspecting herself with a sniff. Her skin wasn't nearly as milky as it was supposed to be, and there wasn't a freckle in sight. Lillian dropped the blanket back in place, brows furrowed. She looked back to Sero and Kurogiri. The former was actually looking a bit concerned now.

"What? Your period start or some shit?" Sero asked, looking incredibly uncomfortable. Kurogiri looked ready to spring up and retrieve tampons himself, which was just as comforting as it was horrifying. Lillian is going to avoid looking at him, because getting triggered right now would be weak sauce and she isn't about that cash money at the moment. Signed, sealed, delivered. Thank you for your business. "Please say no."

"I'm definitely dreaming." Lillian decided, because there's literally no other explanation for this. She's in a different body with a weird... mind reading quirk? Or something? Is that's what's happening to her right now? That feels like what's happening with her right now. She's in the dorms, but no alarms are going off. Sero is totally different. Kurogiri is so out of character that she can't even have a panic attack over his presence, it would just feel so ridiculous. Lillian doesn't think they're going to kill her, though. That gives her time to figure out what's going on. Later. After she processes. "I'm just going... to not deal with this. At all."

Kurogiri started to cry, for some reason. It was also just as comforting as it was horrifying.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Something is wrong with her." Neito insisted. Harper glared at him from where she'd huddled herself into the corner, a pair of headphones slapped over her ears, blasting songs in which multiple people were singing different verses at once. Right now, the ending of 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' was blaring so loud it should've been deafening. It wasn't exactly what she needed, but it gave her a chance to at least think somewhat. "Just look at her! She hasn't said a word. She's just glowering."

"Well, maybe we did something to deserve it." Hitoshi reasoned with a shrug, not seeming as concerned as his blonde friend. Harper watched them with calculating eyes, taking in every mere twitch in their expressions. They were easy to read, and it was reassuring. Just not reassuring enough. Harper could still feel herself teetering on the cusp of panic, no matter how hard she tried to remain calm and tell herself that this was temporary.

As far as she could tell, she wasn't in danger. Nobody had attempted to hurt her at the very least. She appeared the be in the body of a girl named Lillian, who went to UA in this... alternate dimension. Harper had no idea what her quirk was, but it sure as shit wasn't mind reading. Which was a real kick in the ass for her. It was safe to assume that Lillian was in her body, no doubt getting assaulted by voices in her head and also having no goddamn clue what was going on. Harper resisted the urge to curl up in a ball and cry.

This was fine. Perfectly okay! She just had to figure out how this had happened and reverse it. Not that big a deal, right? Just some light interdimensional travel. Since when had that ever hurt anyone? Fuck, this was probably Nezu's fault. Now she's surrounded by people who think they know her, and she has no idea what they're thinking. What's worse is that it's people she already knows little about! How well does she really know Hitoshi Shinso? When has she ever interacted with Neito Monoma? She feels like she's falling apart at the seams.

"Where the hell is Bakugo, anyway? I texted him over twenty minutes ago." Neito ignored Hitoshi's suggestion that they might've done something entirely, frowning. Harper stared at the jagged white line that seemed to go around his entire neck. He was nothing like the Monoma from her world as far as she could tell. This one was less braggy, more... flamboyant. Or something. "I'm surprised he hasn't come to check on her already! Normally we wake up and find him curled up on her floor like a really ugly dog. Or cat. Fed the fucker once and now he's never going to go away. We never should've let her bring him boombox pizza."

Bakugo. Harper could work with Bakugo. He knew this girl Harper was trapped inside, right? Harper trusted Bakugo. Maybe she could find Kirishima-- but what if Lillian wasn't close with him, and he found it weird? What if they were different, like this Monoma was different? Fuck. Fuck, okay, this was okay. No, she'd figure it out. Harper's an excellent judge of character. Or is it her quirk that's an excellent judge of character? Now she doesn't even fucking know, and it's making her want to cry. Only they're going to hound her if she does that, so she can't.

It's funny. She wants as much noise as possible, but wants these people as far away from her as she can get them. If only Harper could have both. Even better, if only she could sling-shot herself back into her own body. With all its chronic headaches, fatigue, and general irritation.

"Maybe he died in his sleep." Shoto offered from his place still on the floor. He was different too, and Harper really didn't know what to think about that. Aizawa was also... vastly peculiar. He'd rushed off, muttering about making her hot chocolate and this and this and that and then the fire alarm had gone off, so Harper really had no goddamn clue what was happening. The sun was just beginning to rise, filtering through the curtains like a death sentence. Today was a school day, she was pretty sure. "Can I cremate him?"

"No, I want to live life knowing his body is rotting beneath my feet." Hitoshi said, frowning. He was missing a hand. Harper stared at him blandly when he turned to look at her. He looked a little concerned, giving her a once-over. He appeared unimpressed by whatever the fuck he saw. Harper resisted the urge to flip him off. "She'd normally be telling us to shut up by now. Maybe she can't hear us. Lillian, can you hear us?"

Harper blinked at him. Hitoshi made a face.

"I think I heard her subliminally say yes. Does that mean she doesn't care? Is that a green light on assassinating Bakugo?" Neito asked, sounding excited. Realistically, Harper probably shouldn't have been able to hear them. But with the lack of thoughts, her mind was too empty. She needed something to categorize. Sounds. As many as possible. Fuck, she never thought she'd see the day. "Today is going to be a good day. I can smell it."

"You're going to get arrested." Hitoshi sighed, though he stretched and popped his back with an air of casualness all the same. Harper crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back, taking a deep breath. These were her friends. Or rather, Lillian's friends. They weren't going to hurt her, and they were so fucking stupid that she doubted they had many thoughts to hear anyway. It was all going to be fine. She just needed to keep the headphones on and take this a step at a time. She couldn't hear their thoughts, but she was great at predicting things like that. Harper had no choice but to go in blind.

"What're they going to do? Give me the death penalty?" Neito cackled. Hitoshi and Shoto gave twin groans. Harper wondered what she was missing.

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

"You're wearing your uniform. Why are you wearing your uniform?" Sero asked, looking thoroughly disturbed as Lillian popped out of the room awkwardly. After having a small panic attack that she had to slap herself out of, she'd gotten her shit together and decided to pretend this was all a dream and wing it. How hard could it be? Someone will surely figure out what's going on at some point and fix it. Maybe she can tell her dad. "Something is up with her. I swear to fucking god, there is."

Lillian felt her brain stall, because she's really not smart enough for this. She feels like all her traumatic experiences have killed off any meager intelligence she may've had before. Harper is a UA student right? This uniform had been in her closet, and as far as she could tell, Sero and Kurogiri weren't girls. Though the uniform was suspiciously new looking, she could admit. It didn't seem used.

"U-Uh." Lillian squinted at him. Rather than scowl, his expression morphed into one that spoke to how thoroughly disturbed he was by her behavior. Lillian really wished she knew how Harper usually acted. It would definitely help with this whole situation. She offered a polite smile, but that seemed to make it worse. She dropped it. It made it worse, somehow. Great. "Just uh, felt like a uniform... kind of day. Sh-Should I change?"

Kurogiri whimpered a little at her stutter. If a heartless warp gate villain is whimpering at your behavior, you know you're doing something wrong. Lillian sagged slightly and tried not to feel too put out. It's not like she'd done a Harper Rye character study before coming here. You couldn't blame her for not knowing! Clearly she's not the shy, stuttering type. Which is really ass, actually, because that's all Lillian knows how to be when she's not breaking something. Like a window, or wall, or door, or really just-- anything, honestly. Fuck, she needs someone to give her a crash course in Rye-ness, and fast.

"Are you feeling well, Harper Rye? Y-You look rather pale. Perhaps you should rest." Kurogiri teetered the words out with much caution, his voice wobbling dangerously. Lillian eyed him unsurely. If he was going to start crying again, she was leaving. Or would they stop her? They seemed to want to follow her. Even though Sero had sort of thought about killing her. A lot. If wasn't as disconcerting as you'd think, honestly. "She's dying. She is DYING! She has cancer. Does she have cancer? Oh my word, she must. That's the only explanation."

"I'm just hungry. I think." Lillian forced the words out, clearing her throat a bit and batting back the polite, awkward smile that attempted to make home on her face. Sero and Kurogiri stared at her. Lillian stared back for a beat before clearing her throat again and turning on her heel to make for the stairs, sort of hoping they wouldn't follow her. Wishful thinking on her part. Of course they were going to follow her. She was Harper Rye at the moment, and they were... Lillian wasn't sure. Fond of her? Her friends? Weird friends, but nonetheless...

The dorms were the same as always, though there was a distinct lack of anything on fire. Disconcerting, if you ask her. What she assumed had to be thoughts-- though she still wasn't positive on that front-- wafted up the stairs and into her literal, actual brain. Like, they were in there. Super gross. Very invasive. Lillian pressed her lips into a thin line, debating the pros and cons of going back to her not-room and curling up under the bed all day. She doubted it would get her anywhere as far as getting back to her dimension went, but you know. Potato, potahto.

Lillian, bracing for what's going to seem like an actual rave in her brain, starts down the stairs. She takes them two at a time like she always does and ignores the way Kurogiri shrieks in utter terror at her bouncing. Lillian did wince a little, glaring down at her legs in a speculating sort of way. They weren't as buffed as hers were, but they definitely weren't as pale either. W.

"I swear I took my shoes off somewhere around here." Mina's voice drifted through her brain, and Lillian shivered. How did Harper deal with this? It was so creepy! Like sorta possession. Possession meets grossly defiling people's privacy, meets Schizophrenia, meets headaches, meets... meets... something else unpleasant. At least she'd always know if someone thought she was ugly or something. "Ugh. I bet Mineta stole them again. I don't know why he bothers, if he's just going to put them in the toilet when he's done doing whatever disgusting shit he does with them."

"Mina's glaring at me again. Disgusting cow." Mineta's voice followed. Lillian faltered, hand hovering over the doorknob. She pursed her lips at the hostility. She could've gone her whole life never hearing Mineta's voice again and she would've been completely content. Why the hell was he still here? He should've been expelled ages ago! "As if I'd ever want her vile shoes. Kaminari's, on the other hand... mmm. God, does he even know how attractive he is? Every time he bends down and I get a look at that pert, rou--"

Lillian's head poured with static, and she impulsively slammed the door open before she even realized what was happening. It gave a near deafening bang, silencing the kitchen successfully. Several gazes turned onto her, but her wide-eyes were focused on Mineta. She gaped at him openly, not even caring if it was something Harper Rye would do. She's not Harper Rye right now. She's Lillian Aizawa, and she has no idea what the fuck she just heard. She wants to put a soap bar in her brain and cleanse it away. Had she imagined that? Was this real?

The mind reading thing is weird. Really weird. She's about to discover things about her classmates she never knew were true. Unless this is all fake, and this is all just her subconscious opinion on them. That's totally possible, right? But no, there's no way any part of her mistook Mineta as gay. There's just no way! Her fiery rage had been too potent, and his perverted ways had been too clearly-intentioned!

"Uh... good morning." Kaminari offered. Poor, unassuming Kaminari. Who Mineta was strategically positioned behind, looking very tense as Lillian stared at him. Kaminari's voice didn't filter through her head. All she was getting from his direction was Wii lobby music, which was fine. Very expected if you asked Lillian, and a bop to boot. Couldn't be mad. It was in character. Someone give the boy a gold star.

"I cannot fucking believe this is happening to me right now. I knew it. I got hit over the head, and none of this is real." Lillian decided in the voice that wasn't hers. Mina's brows shot up at her impassioned tone, and Kaminari looked very concerned. Kurogiri came to a sharp halt behind her, having nearly ran her over, he'd flown down the stairs after her so fast. Sero came soon after, breathing a little hard from the sudden race. Lillian thrust a finger at Mineta, accusing. "You're telling me that you're gay?! You're the most homophobic person I know!"

"I'm not!" Mineta shrieked immediately, looking panicked. Shoji began to choke on his breakfast. "I am. I am so gay. I would let every boy in our class ravage--"

"EW!" Lillian shrieked, staring at him like the bane of existence he just so happened to be. Kurogiri let out a panicked little noise behind her, seeming distressed by Lillian's distress. Lillian didn't even care. Didn't care that everyone was staring at her like she'd grown a second head at the moment either. "You are! You're thinking about it right now! That's so nasty! You're just using your overly inappropriate advances towards women as a beard, aren't you?! How did I not see this?!"

Everyone turned to look at Mineta at this. He'd gone white as a sheet, staring at Lillian like she'd just signed his death warrant. Lillian stared back with just as large eyes, still pointing at him and wishing his head would spontaneously explode. He deserved it. How many of the guys had he perved on without them knowing because everyone was convinced he was painfully straight? A prime question with no answer, only horrifying assumptions. Lillian can't deal. This is definitely all fake. Reassuring. Vlad probably knocked her out on accident or something, or Chad. She shouldn't have agreed to try the tea he made.

"...Holy shit." Jiro squeaked out. "It makes sense. It makes a startling amount of sense, and if Harper's saying it, it must be true. For all her refusal to not reveal anyone's secrets without permission, I'm really glad she let this one out. Holy shit. Holy actual shit. He's right behind Kaminari too, staring at his... wow. My mind is actually blown. What a despicable piece of shit."

Kaminari turned, staring down at Mineta and looking a little ill when he registered where the revolting little slime ball was standing. Did Kaminari's ass probably look great from that angle? Admittedly, yes. Lillian wasn't ashamed to say so. Shoutout to him, but someone can have a juicy behind without people being creepy about it!

"This is the worst day of my life." Lillian bemoaned, dragging her hands down her face. Her head hurt. This sucks. She wants to go home. "I've been shot at, and this is still somehow the worst day of my life."

"You've WHAT?!" Kurogiri's voice mingled with Sero's. Lillian groaned.

~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm really not sure caffeine is a good idea right now, Lillian. You seem a bit uh... fucked, honestly. If you had a nightmare--" Hitoshi's voice was all soft and reassuring, like he was trying to be comforting. Harper could hardly hear him over the blaring of her headphones, which were now playing death metal. Lillian not having a password on her phone was terrifying, but it showed how much she trusted the people around her. Harper took note, because she had to take note of something if she wasn't going to go insane.

Though, she was going to put Shinso's head through a wall if he bothered her anymore. He seemed like an okay guy as she knew him, but she had no idea what this one was like. Things were different, and Harper didn't like that. It meant there was even more she didn't know-- even more she wouldn't know. This whole entire thing is probably a plot to humble her, as often as she complains about her quirk. Dammit.

"Shut your goddamn mouth and leave me alone." Harper snapped before tossing the cup of coffee back, knowing she wasn't being fair but not caring. Lillian's throat wasn't used to being regularly scalded but Harper could genuinely give less than even half a shit. There was no shits left to give. How was this even her life anymore? This was ass. Actual, literal ass. This could all be fake and how the fuck would she know? She can't hear anyone's thoughts!

"Should I be praying right now?" Neito whispered. Harper shouldn't have been able to hear, but she was so hypersensitive that she somehow picked up on it even through the blaring music in her ears. "I don't believe in God, really, but there's no fucking way this is okay."

"Please shut up." Shinso pleaded, sounding distressed. "I think she's having a quarter life crisis. Do you think there was something in that tea Chad gave her the other day? I knew her falling asleep so soon after wasn't normal--"

Hitoshi and Neito fell into a horrified silence as Harper finished the cup in record time before chucking it in the sink. It broke, naturally, but she didn't bat an eye. She snatched the whole goddamn pot of coffee and took it for herself, looking vastly irritated at something. What that something was, nobody had any goddamn clue. But it was terrifying. Was she on her period? According to Neito's calendar, that wasn't supposed to be here for another two weeks! They were in the perfect in-between!

Rather than saying anything else, the two teens very slowly stepped backwards as to prevent their throats getting ripped out. Lillian knew how to be scary when she wanted to be, and now was one of those times. It was sort of a miracle she hadn't started to violently chase them and try to tackle them to the ground so she could kick them in the ribs. She'd done that once after Neito ate her last slice of pizza, and her excuse as to why was that you couldn't kill someone who was already dead. Which was fair, but it still hurt. Neito swore something still didn't feel right on that side.

"You look nice today." Shoto said after a moment. Weren't you supposed to compliment girls when they were upset? Neito and Hitoshi turned to stare at him, a bit mortified. Shoto didn't appear to pick up on it. Lillian's eyes darted up to him, narrowing. She regarded him suspiciously, like she thought he may lunge. If anything, it was going to be the other way around. Something about her nightmare had made her super defensive. Like, super defensive. "Your hair looks not as bad as it usually does."

Harper sighed hard through her nose, closing her eyes and bringing a hand up to massage her temples. Okay. Okay, alright. What did she know? She'd been down troubling roads before, and this was no different. She just had to keep her head on straight and categorize the information she had for certain, no matter how little it was. She was being stupid, panicking the way she was. Harper would get nowhere fast in that headspace.

This was clearly another dimension, for one. The girl she'd gotten trapped in was named Lillian, and she doesn't live in the main dorms. She lives in the apartment attached with Mr. Aizawa for reasons she can't yet deduce. Nightmares, or something? They clearly thought she had them, which meant Lillian had been through some shit. Lillian was friends with Bakugo. She was close with Hitoshi Shinso, Neito Monoma, and Shoto Todoroki as well. Harper could work with this, couldn't she? She'd done far more with far less.

So far, everyone she'd met was different aside from Aizawa. Outwardly, he'd been gruff, like the one she knew. This Todoroki was far more open-faced, however. This Shinso was... Harper didn't have much to base it off of, actually, but he seemed more lively and less crass than the one she knew. Monoma was relatively friendly. Fucking insane as far as Harper could tell thus far, but he wasn't the pompous asshole Harper was vaguely aware he'd always been.

"...Thanks." Harper sighed heavily. Shoto nodded, not seeming to notice that she absolutely, 100% did not mean it even a little bit. At least he was trying. Fuck, okay. She needed to calm down. She couldn't just bite people's heads off. She'd get back to her dimension, and all would work out. So what if she couldn't read minds for a while? It was practically a dream come true, technically. Right? Definitely. It was okay. This was okay. "Fuck. This is ass."

"Preach." Hitoshi offered dryly, eyeing the coffee pitcher in her hand sadly. Harper shifted her body to shield it slightly, daring him to even so much as try. He held his hands up in surrender, so at lest he wasn't a complete idiot. Harper took a deep breath. Okay. Alright. She'd just-- go to class, maybe go talk to the rat. Or Aizawa. He was fairly sensible, when he wasn't thinking about rainbows and kittens. Who knew if this one even did that, to boot.

"Alright. This is just fucking weird. I don't know what's wrong with you, but we need to fix it." Neito eyed the headphones. Harper rolled her eyes, and Neito made a noise in the back of my throat. "See? That's what I mean! That, and you haven't asked for that explosive rat face even once! You normally go find him first thing in the morning if he's not here already, which is hardly ever, by the way. I haven't seen you text him at all! Not even a little!"

"Shut the fuck up! Why are you complaining?! This is like a vacation!" Hitoshi immediately gasped out, looking a bit panicked. As though Harper was going to leap into action and go hunt Bakugo down. Harper paused, considering. If she was going to blend in as Lillian, should she? Trying to blend in sort of defeated the purpose of telling someone to get help. "I'd rather be around a violent Lillian than a violent Bakugo. If she killed me, I wouldn't be that mad about it, but him--"

They continued squabbling, and Harper felt herself relax as their voices rose in volume. Alright. She just had to channel her inner 'I don't give a fuck' and take this bull by the horns. There were parallels she could skate off of, like being a UA student. She knew how to be a UA student. She had no idea how Lillian usually acted, but they didn't seem... overly perturbed by how she was acting now. Concerned with her grumpiness, but they weren't calling her an imposter. That was an angle she could slide with. Until she deduced whether or not telling someone was indeed the best course of action, this worked.

Before she could do much else, the door to the apartment slammed open so hard it rattled the windows. Harper immediately tensed, gripping her coffee pot like it was a weapon. It would become one, if need be. Her breaths increased slightly, because she hadn't heard them coming. Harper always heard when people were near. She always knew. Yet she hadn't known, and it could be anyone. Anyone at all! And she would have no idea, and fuck, how did people actually live like this?!

She was hardly able to process that it was Kaminari who came barging in, her grip on her coffee now white-knuckled. The electric blonde was dragging Katsuki in behind him, looking absolutely determined. Katsuki himself looked extremely confused, brows at his hairline. He looked nothing like the Katsuki Harper knew, yet her brain still caught on the facial expression despite this. She knew it from somewhere. She knew she did. Yet, she was positive she'd never seen the look on her Bakugo's face.

They all watched in silence as Denki stormed over, chest heaving in apparent exertion. Katsuki was staring at her with big eyes, gaze having caught on her face and the pot of coffee in her hand. Harper stared back, eyes narrowing as she tried to place what she was feeling. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck! She had no idea what Katsuki was even thinking. Clearly it was nothing along the lines of what he usually thought, if his face was anything to go off of. She knew this. Harper knew this and she... she...

Harper took a deep breath, forced herself to settle, and observed his expression. The set of his shoulders, the tilt of his head, the uneasiness in his eyes. Like a jolt of lightning, it occurred to her exactly where she recognized this from, all at once. She could've slapped herself for not seeing it sooner. Kirishima. Holy shit. Yes, she's certain. She can't hear his thoughts, but she'd know him anywhere. Like the back of her hand! That's Kirishima. In Bakugo's body, yeah, but it's him. Harper can't exactly talk right now. They must've both gotten caught up in whatever this is. If Bakugo is the Kirishima to Lillian's Harper, maybe it tracks.

She was the moment it clicked in Bakugo's-- Kirishima's-- eyes, and felt herself sag with relief. His expression also melted into one of relief, his shoulders slouching from their tense position. He gave her a tired, bewildered sort of grin that made Hitoshi and Neito lean forward and squint as though they couldn't quite see it well enough. Harper took another deep breath as Katsuki lightly tried to tug out of Kaminari's grip. It didn't work. The electric blonde had him in a death-like vice.

"Guys!" Kaminari gasped out after a moment of catching his breath. He yanked Katsuki forward, jiggling his arm for emphasis. "Lillian and Bakugo switched bodies!"

And fuck, Harper could work with that.

"Wh-What?" Kirishima stuttered out in shock. In Bakugo's voice, it was incredibly disconcerting. Harper immediately gave him a look, and he flushed slightly. He cleared his throat. Harper calmed herself, staring at him. She knew this. She knew him. Harper always knew what Kirishima was thinking without having to even read his mind, and this was him. It was going to be okay. She wasn't alone. They were in this together, and he was here, and it was okay. "I-I mean, yes. Yeah. That's what's happening right now."

"Wait, so Bakugo's been in your body this whole time and just hasn't told us?" Neito looked heavily disturbed. Kirishima gave a somewhat pained smile and a slight shrug, eyes screaming panic as he twitched in place. It looked wrong, seeing Kirishima painted across Bakugo's face. "Um. Ew."

Harper gave a brilliantly dry smile. Kirishima beamed, seeing it. Somehow, nobody else in the room seemed to share their sentiment. Harper wasn't sure she really cared.

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

Her boycott Mineta campaign was put on hold when Kirishima tackled Izuku Midoriya to the ground in the common room and began to beat the ever-loving shit out of him.

People started to scream, because why wouldn't they? Lillian felt paralyzed, staring at the green-haired boy in mute terror as the redhead slammed his fist into his face once, twice, a third time. A sickening crack made more shrieks erupt amongst the gathering crowd, yet no one seemed quite brave enough to dive forward and pull the redhead off. He looked terrifying, sharp teeth bared, eyes wide and flaring with unadulterated rage. It practically poured off of him, it was so potent.

Lillian really wished she had bigger balls. Or at least steelier ones, or something. Then maybe she'd have been able to comprehend sooner. Something icy just... made home in her chest, that's all. Seeing Midoriya again was like a stab to the heart. Fear spilled at the base of her spine, even as she told herself that this was not the same Izuku, not the same world. Lillian had never been shot here. Lillian probably didn't even exist here. She was okay. It was okay.

Lillian registered rather late that she could actually feel the rage. That she wasn't just imagining it. It felt tangible, genuinely. She felt almost like she could reach out and grab it if she wanted. Next to her, Sero watched with a bored expression. He didn't seem all that bothered. Kurogiri was much more jittery, and Lillian was too stunned to tense as he uneasily hovered behind her. He didn't feel dangerous. Fuck, she was like a... an emotional radar. Or something. Harper Rye probably knew so much.

"K-Kirishima--" Midoriya sputtered out weakly, breath coming out a wheeze. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Why's he want to kill me? D-Did I do something to upset him? Is he okay? I don't want to hurt him! What if he got hit by a quirk, or, or, I-- I don't know. I don't know what's wrong! Is it okay for me to shove him off? I've never seen him so mad before. It's terrifying. I may have peed a little. I'm going to die. I'm going to actually die!"

Lillian paused and squinted in a moment of startling clarity. That... didn't sound like a smug villain who had tried to shoot her and had subsequently killed Awase instead. He sounded like what Izuku was supposed to sound like all along. And unless he was faking his thoughts... different dimension. This was a different dimension. One where an oddly pessimistic Sero was restrained for some reason, and Kurogiri was allowed on school grounds...

"I'll fucking KILL YOU!" Kirishima roared. He pulled his fist back and it seemed to harden over, but Iida was on him before he could swing it forward, grabbing his elbow. Having finally snapped out of his shock, he'd immediately leapt into the fray to help his friend. Izuku's face was swollen and slick with blood, but he still didn't try and use his quirk against the redhead. Instead he thrashed, trying to scramble out from beneath him. "I don't know why the fuck I'm in shitty hair's body, or where the fuck I am, but he shouldn't fucking be here! Where the fuck is Lillian?! What the fuck did he do to her?! I swear to fucking god, I'll cave this fucker's skull in! He has a shit ton of nerve, thinking he could get away with this!"

Lillian blinked. Because that wasn't Kirishima's voice coming from Kirishima. It was Bakugo's, and... oh. Oh, shit.

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait!" Lillian shrieked with realization, darting forward and grabbing Kirishima-- Katsuki? Probably? Yes?-- by the arm that was pinning Midoriya's shoulder to the floor. Resolutely not looking at the green-haired boy who'd broken one of her best friend's hearts and betrayed them, she instead gave not-Kirishima a solid yank. It did little. Her lady muscles did not transfer over to Harper's body. It's tragic. Lillian scrambled for something to say that wouldn't immediately out her as an intruder in Harper's body, because that seemed like it would be not good. "I-I, uh, I'm lesbian!"

Dead silence overtook the room at her proclamation. It felt like all the air had been sucked out of the dorms, which was just wonderful. Lillian felt like she'd just run a marathon. When will life stop traumatizing her? Kirishima-- Katsuki? Katsuki, yes, for sure-- whipped his head in her direction, eyes big.

"I thought you were American." He blurted out, expression slackening with surprise. Kaminari made a sort of choking noise somewhere to her left, and so did Hagakure. Thoughts bombarded her from all sides as Katsuki searched her face. It was weird, looking at Kirishima's face and knowing it wasn't him. Probably just as weird as it was for Katsuki to look at Harper's face and realize it was Lillian, whose eyes were shining with very-characteristic panic. "What... What the actual fuck is going on? Why's Lillian..."

Lillian opened her mouth. She closed it. More thoughts. So many, so loud that she couldn't even break them apart. Her face screwed up, and she saw a new sort of franticness flood Katsuki's not-face. His eyes rounded to the size of platters, and he dropped his raised fist and started to turn her direction. It was too late.

Lillian, in Harper Rye's body, burst into a bout of violent sobbing. Kurogiri let out an alarmed, shrill shriek.

Chapter 2:

Third person pov

As if being stuck in the body of what Harper has discovered to be Aizawa's daughter isn't bad enough, she's also in another universe. Her quirk is gone, presumably left behind in her actual self, and she's got no goddamn clue how she got here. Her only lead is some weird tea that Lillian had drunk the night before, given to her by whoever the hell Chad is. But considering she wasn't the only one who drank it and everyone else seems fine, she'd say it's a farfetched theory anyway.

Her only solace is that she isn't alone. Kirishima is stuck here too, in the body of this world's Bakugo Katsuki. It's weird as all hell and Harper still isn't sure how to feel about it, but at least she's not alone. She feels cornered and like she's suffocating without her quirk, constantly on the cusp on panic. It's a feeling she can't shake.

"Listen to me." Harper hissed out of the corner of her mouth. The headphones over her ears had shuffled to some random Broadway song, but it had multiple people singing at once, so she'd take it. "You need to call Aizawa dad."

"I need to what?" Kirishima all but whimpered back. It was disturbing to see Bakugo's face scrunched up with such earnest distress. Harper was going to have nightmares about it for weeks.

"This body is Lillian Aizawa's. If they think we swapped, then you're going to have to pretend to be her." Harper muttered, eyes darting around in search of anyone listening. She hated being unable to hear those around her. It felt like having one of her senses ripped away from her. She supposed that wasn't technically all that far off. "And that means calling Aizawa dad. Without slipping up, because I have no way to tell what they'd do if they found out we aren't who we say we are. Things are different here."

Kirishima looked stricken. Again, a very disturbing expression to see on Katsuki Bakugo's face. This Bakugo looked less healthy than the one they knew. Bags under his eyes, skin a little paler, hair a little greasier. Something had happened here in this world. When Harper had woken up, shaking and afraid, they'd thought it was because Lillian was having a nightmare. That implied those were common with her.

Fuck, Harper felt like they were going in blind. Not even felt like. Knew they were going in blind, and she hated it. It felt inherently wrong. She was someone who knew things. Harper bitched and moaned about her quirk, but it readied her for any situation she might have to go in, gave her an upper hand most could never even dream of having. Harper had gotten used to that, and wasn't fairing well without it.

Kirishima swallowed and nodded, brows furrowing in the way they always did when he didn't like something. Harper forced herself to give a small smile and a nod, prodding at the ball of tension in her chest, willing it to loosen. It didn't, of course, but Harper thought it had been worth a shot. The music was staving off the silence, but it wasn't enough. Nothing could make up for the absence of other people's thoughts in her head. The sensation was too distinct-- too unique to fabricate.

"Fuck. Alright. When did you two switch?" Aizawa asked snappishly as he strode into the room. He looked more tired than their own version as well. Harper fidgeted, unused to the lack of cheerful thoughts to follow his gruff statements. Aizawa pointed a finger at Harper, scowling at her darkly. "And you. You're not allowed to pee. Actually, I don't want either of you in the bathrooms."

Harper stared at him for a beat before realizing what he meant. If he thought she was Bakugo in his daughter's body, of course he wouldn't want her going to the bathroom. She got the impression that the Bakugo of here had something going on with Lillian. If he was falling asleep curled up on the other girl's floor, anyway...

"Sure. I'll just shit myself instead, because that's so much better." Harper scoffed out, voice a bit more of a mutter than she'd meant it to be. Aizawa's expression did this funny little thing, pinging between murderous rage and something else. Annoyance if Harper had to place it. "Look, I'll take Lillian with me if I need to go, alright? Close my eyes and let her handle it or some shit."

Kirishima looked horrified by the notion, especially seeing as he wasn't actually Lillian. As soon as Harper could deduce how Lillian was actually supposed to act, they could 'switch' back. Hopefully they got back to their world before it came to that. Harper felt like she was gradually losing her mind more and more. She was unstable at best, and Kirishima seemed just as lost as she was.

"Watch the attitude, you little brat." Aizawa bit out. His dislike for Bakugo was very, very clear. The explosive blonde definitely had something of a flame for this Lillian chick, one obvious enough that others had noticed. It was odd to think about, especially considering how ragingly gay their own Katsuki was. "You're going to be still, you're going to behave, and if I catch you touching my daughter in any way..."

"What're you gonna do? Hit me?" Harper cocked a brow. Neito started to cough somewhere behind them. Aizawa looked enraged that he couldn't strangle her, as that would equate to strangling his daughter's body at the same time. First world problems. "Relax. I'm not gonna do shit. What do you take me for?"

"A horrible person that none of us like but won't go away?" Hitoshi piped up. There was a smack and some hissing. Harper didn't bother turning around to try and figure out what the hell was going on. They could have fun with that. Looking at them would only make her inability to hear their thoughts all the realer.

"Be nice." Kirishima said it a bit meekly and a lot hesitantly. He didn't get any weird looks, Harper noted. Had to be on brand for Lillian. "Sh-- He's fine, d...dad. You know he won't do anything."

Kirishima, who is the worst actor Harper has ever met in her entire goddamn life, looked like he'd sucked a lemon. Cringed his way through the whole sentence. It was like it was being tortured out of him. He was absolutely, in no way, shape, or form, okay with it. And that was so painstakingly obvious that Harper had to physically resist face-palming.

Aizawa looked disturbed by Kirishima calling him dad with Bakugo's face and voice, but otherwise didn't react to the twitchy expression and strained voice. Harper's brows raised practically to her hairline-- or rather, Lillian's brows raised practically to her hairline, she guessed. She was beginning to get a feel for the type of person Lillian was. Socially awkward, anxious, definitely traumatized. Luckily, Kirishima was all of those things at the moment, so it worked.

"Whatever." Aizawa sighed, bringing a hand up to massage his temples. Harper could relate to that much. "Just-- we'll go see Nezu before class. Don't change clothes. In fact, don't do anything. I'm sure you two can handle that much."

Harper, who was about to go insane from the lack of... everything, really, wasn't so sure. But they were damn well going to try.

~~~~~~

There was a lot of confusion and shouting. Katsuki had stopped beating Midoriya up long enough to stare at her in bewilderment only to immediately try to attack Kurogiri when he spotted him hovering anxiously in the background, lunging like a rabid dog on a mission. Kurogiri had begun to shriek at the top of his lungs, his panic clear.

Sero had found it all pretty fun. Lillian was glad at least someone did, because she sure as shit didn't. What she'd thought to be a really weird dream or oddly vivid hallucination was turning out to be not as fake as she'd originally assumed. Katsuki being here meant she at least wasn't alone, but that still didn't give them any more or less to go off of in terms of how they even got here.

"I'm literally not Harper Rye." Lillian insisted for what had to be the millionth time now. Nezu and this world's version of her dad were staring at her and Katsuki-- who was in Kirishima's body, currently slouched in his armchair and scowling-- with blank looks on their faces. "My name is Lillian Aizawa. I uh, come from another universe. And that's Katsuki Bakugo. Like I said the last twelve times you asked for clarification."

"This is the stupidest shit that's ever fucking happened to us." Katsuki hissed out petulantly. It sounded wrong coming from Kirishima, who was normally quite upbeat. His face was twisted into a familiar scowl, which was made all the more intimidating by his sharp teeth. "When are we going to catch a goddamn break? The one time I don't make camp on your floor and this shit happens. I should've known."

"Bro, shut the fuck up for like, two seconds. I'm trying to process all this without having a panic attack and you're not even helping. Like, even a little bit." Lillian waved one of Harper's hands around wildly to prove her point. Nezu made a face. "And I'm hearing voices, too! Like, people's voices, talking in my head. Like my dad's! Only he sounds like a My Little Pony!"

Lillian's day wasn't going very well, if you were wondering. Between her waking up to a villain hovering over her prone body and Katsuki breaking Izuku Midoriya's nose, things weren't off to a great start. Katsuki had been ready to kill Midoriya, and Lillian had been a little tempted to let him. Only she was pretty sure the Midoriya here wasn't actually evil. Even if looking at him made her want to cry.

Nezu stared at them in disbelief, clearly not buying what they were selling. A him problem. They could do this with or without his help. Lillian knows a thing or two because she's seen a thing or two, if you're catching her drift. This isn't the most absurd thing to ever happen to her, right? Getting kidnapped was pretty weird. Having the villains sing My Chemical Romance with them was even weirder. They never had talked about that, but it had definitely happened.

"...You're my child. From another dimension. Trapped in Harper Rye's body." Those should've been questions, but the way her dad said it made them sound like statements instead. Lillian shared a look with Katsuki. Again, really, really weird that he was Kirishima right now. "O. M. G. I have a BABY? This is the best day ever? Oh my god she sounds so cute. Other me is literally so lucky! Why have I never procreated? That's literally like, such a good idea. I can't believe I never thought of it!"

Lillian squinted at this version of her father, looking for cracks in his expression. There was no joy in his eyes. Just the same, exasperated exhaustion he always seemed to carry around no matter where he went. And yet the cheerfulness radiating off of him was just... so potent. Literally, he was drenched in it. Think soggy Lipton tea bag. Or old tampo-- okay, too far. That's gross. The line's been drawn.

The general consensus was that this place was weird as all living hell. Pardon Lillian's french, but what the fuck is even going on right now? She's got no idea how they ended up in this mess. Katsuki might be right. This may genuinely be the stupidest thing to ever happen to them. Even through all their adventures with Chad, and even with Lillian's friends, who are just as big of morons as she is, this is still just... so dumb.

She's stuck in someone else's body. In another universe. How does one even get themselves into that situation without realizing its happened? Lillian must have some hidden talent for getting herself into deep shit, because getting into increasingly more absurd situations should not be a recurring affliction.

"That's what we've been telling you, old man." Katsuki snapped out irritably. "This is so fucking weird. Can't believe I'm in shitty hair's body. This is so messed up."

"Oh my god." Lillian realized, staring wide-eyed at her dimension-hopping companion. "I was kind of joking about it before because like, what other explanation was there, but like... am I actually a mind reader?

Nezu and Aizawa turned to look at her like she was an idiot, but they finally seemed convinced that she wasn't shitting them. Lillian supposed that was fair enough.

~~~

Harper, without her quirk, was immensely paranoid. Kirishima had figured that out fast. Even if he could tell that these versions of their classmates and teachers weren't all that different from the ones they knew-- not at their cores-- Harper couldn't. Not for certain, and Harper didn't do things in halves. She liked to be sure. Is used to being sure. Her hesitancy is no surprise.

But Kirishima knows there's no way they're figuring out a way home on their own. That means they have to trust someone else. Suggesting such a thing to Harper would only get her to look at him like he was batshit insane, so he doesn't ask for her opinion. Kirishima knows when he needs to take charge. It's not often that he does, but this is one of those times, so he holds his breath and he takes the plunge.

Because of her quirk, Harper can figure out who's genuine and who's not within the span of a couple of minutes, and she can adjust accordingly along with any fluctuations in their mind. Without her quirk on her side, she immediately defaults to the safest, most cautious option: trust no one. Which is... viable. But unnecessary.

Whether Harper realized it or not, she was actually in the midst of a mental breakdown. It was the calmest, most level-headed mental breakdown Kirishima had ever seen. Completely unnatural, but it was 100% Harper nonetheless. Kirishima had never seen Harper fully breakdown before, but the signs had still been shockingly apparent despite that. It hadn't taken him long to figure out what was happening.

There's a whole plan in place to bullshit Nezu, because who knows-- he could be evil. But the thing is? He probably isn't evil. At least, not any eviler than their own version. This is a semi-parallel dimension. Not everything is the same, but things line up enough that they can probably count on the principal of their own school. He's a bastard, but he's a smart one and he's not going to kill them or anything.

For all Harper's information gathering on how Lillian is supposed to act and feel, she's missing the fact that she's clearly cared for. She has close friends, she has a father who loves her and doesn't want weird boys peeing whilst trapped in her body. That's more to count on than they had before. Kirishima coins it even when Harper doesn't.

"Um, hi. We're actually not Lillian Aizawa or, uh, Katsuki Bakugo at all." Kirishima blurts out before Harper gets the chance to say a word. Harper's head whips towards him, her betrayal clear as day through Lillian's face. "We're from another dimension. I'm the Eijiro Kirishima from there, and this is Harper Rye. I-I don't think you know her, but uh... yeah. We're students and we need help getting back. Please."

Kirishima almost expects Harper to lunge at him and end it all there. It's not like he'd said it in front of Mr. Aizawa or anyone else! Just the principal. Who knows what their teacher would do if he thought his daughter's body had been taken over by a foreign entity. That wasn't something Kirishima was keen on, but Nezu was fairly clinical, if not deviously curious. He'd approach it with rational, irritating logic just as he did everything.

"How interesting!" Nezu delights. Harper's-- Lillian's? This is so confusing--head whips towards him, eyes narrowing like she can read his mind if she looks close enough. Kirishima feels his heart break a little, reaching over to give her hand a squeeze. She shoots him a downright venomous look that his him wincing a little. It's so weird to see her expression on that face, to see her shining through blue eyes instead of brown.

"Kirishima." Harper seethed out, but there's fear in her voice, uncertainty. Kirishima can see her pupils shrinking as her nerves grow. She looks ready to bolt, the line of her shoulders tense. She watches Nezu like he's dangerous. The rat tilts his head curiously, impossible to read. "What the hell is wrong with you?! I am going to fucking murder you, you absolute moron!"

"That's fair." Kirishima moped as Harper yanked the hand of her current body back from his. He felt so odd being Katsuki, who was shorter and a little slighter than Kirishima was. "But Harper, come on. It's UA. A different version, but it's still a hero school. You know we need help. I know you know that. We can't do this by ourselves. We both know Nezu, and look! He doesn't look inclined to murder us, does he?"

Nezu watched the exchange with interest but didn't seem keen to interrupt. Maybe Kirishima should've confided in someone with easier to read facial expressions. But Mr. Aizawa was a closed off box who might've went off the handle if he thought his daughter was missing, and the other options were extremely limited. They probably would've ended up here anyway.

Nezu's a genius. If anyone is going to get them home, it's him. Harper seemed to be processing this, teeth gnawing at her lower lip. Music blared through her headphones. Nezu seemed to observe this as well, clearly trying to deduce why she had them on and why they were turned up so loud. Kirishima knew he was their best shot at getting through this as fast as possible. The longer they stayed here... well, he didn't want to find out what Harper would do if she was without her quirk for a prolonged amount of time.

Harper's internal debate waged, a war with even points on both sides. She knew Kirishima was right. She knew it, she knew it, she knew it. But this was suffocating. So quiet, so unsure. One wrong move could have them dead. Harper knew she was losing it. Kirishima wasn't dealing with the same things she was right now, and maybe that was good. Maybe he could be objective where she couldn't. Harper couldn't trust any of this, but she could trust him.

"...Fuck." Harper muttered out after a moment, teeth clenching. She looked away from Kirishima, hands flexing in and out of fists. Her gaze flickered back to Nezu. It seemed to take every ounce of her will not to get up and flee. Kirishima felt irrationally proud of her for it. "Dammit. Fine. Fine-- do you have any clue how the fuck we got here, then?"

"Oh, I know exactly how you got here." Nezu pressed his paws together cheerfully. "It was the tea!"

Kirishima blinked at him blandly, squinting a bit. The what?

"From last night?" Harper snapped out, intent. The rat blinked but nodded, seeming impressed she had any idea what he was talking about. Harper slammed her fist down on her armrest hard enough to make Kirishima flinch, hissing. "I fucking knew it. Well? Get us some more so we can go back, you useless rat."

Kirishima blanched a little at Harper's trembling, angry tone, but Nezu seemed more amused than he was offended. He smiled pleasantly in the way Kirishima knew Harper hated. It was like Nezu existed solely to provoke her. Everything he did seemed specifically tailored to bring Harper rage, it sometimes seemed.

"Oh, I don't have any. I'm not the one who gave it to you." Nezu chirped out happily. "Chad, on the other hand-- well, why don't you let me call him? He'll be happy to help!"

~~~~~~~~~

The whole spectacle with Midoriya had left everyone shaken. Seeing Kirishima so murderous had originally made them fear that a villain attack was somehow at play. It wasn't until they got an explanation that they finally calmed down. Though nobody explained exactly why Midoriya had been the one attacked, at least there was some implication of a real, rational reason. It was better than not knowing at all.

"Wow, so you're not even from our world? What's being a mind reader all of a sudden like?" Mina asked curiously, leaning forward in her seat. "Wow. It's so weird to see Harper's face doing all... that. And to see Kirishima look so angry. I can't believe he's Bakugo! I want to ask more about that but don't want him to kill me. Besides, I think he's busy having a glaring contest with, uh... himself?"

He was. The Katsuki in Kirishima's body was having an absolute field day drilling holes through the Katsuki from here, who was glaring right back. It was extremely weird to see. Yet, somehow, not as weird as seeing Harper Rye look awake and alert was. Her eyes were bright and she looked a little nervous, maybe even shy. It was very disconcerting to see.

When Mr. Aizawa had come in, droning on about alternate dimensions this, alternate dimensions that-- well, it was all pretty confusing. Apparently someone named Lillian was in Harper's body, and an alternate version of Katsuki Bakugo was in Kirishima's. They were going to attend class with them for the time being. Half because they were UA students in their world, half so they could be watched.

"Uh. I have a killer migraine and know more about Mineta than I ever wanted to, but other than that... I guess it's just like people are talking out loud and it's going directly into my head instead of through my ears." Lillian answered uncertainly. The Shoto from here was distant, and Neito and Hitoshi were nowhere to be seen. She felt out of place, here not in her body.

"Harper has trouble sleeping because of it." Ojiro noted, earning several snorts at the understatement. Trouble didn't even cover it. It made it nearly impossible for her to fall and stay asleep. "I really, really want to ask about the Midoriya thing. He really wanted to kill him, and I bet he has a good reason from his dimension. That type of anger doesn't come from nowhere."

Lillian swallowed thickly, pointedly not looking at where the Izuku Midoriya from here was currently sitting. His face was still bruised, but Recovery Girl had taken care of a large portion of his injuries. It was hard to look at him-- at what could've, and should've, been. It made Lillian's chest tighten with anxiety. Or maybe it was Harper's chest? This was too mind boggling for her pea-sized intellect.

"Oh man, you're not going to have moral hang ups about telling us everyone's deepest secrets!" Hagakure gasped out in realization, smacking her hands down on the desk top. "Even when we've given Harper permission to share our thoughts she never has! Doesn't touch it with a ten foot pole! I know she doesn't want to invade anyone's privacy, but what's the harm in a little fun?"

Lillian shifted uncertainly when everyone turned to look at her with renewed interest, suddenly excited by the prospect. Was it not morally wrong to abuse Harper's quirk like that? She felt like she'd stolen a car and was taking it for a joyride. If Harper lived like this her whole life, she had to be struggling not hearing all these thoughts at once.

It was so overwhelming that sometimes Lillian couldn't sort the thoughts out from one another. They jumbled together, a terrifying knot that made her head spin. It was all too much. How Harper could possibly deal with all these emotions there weren't hers day in and day out was beyond Lillian. It was seriously impressive that she managed to sleep at all, no matter how little it was that they claimed she got.

"What? You mean Freckles is really reading people's shit?" Her Katsuki finally looked away from the here-version of him, blinking with clear disbelief. Though his voice sounded like Kirishima's out loud, his thoughts still reflected his regular voice, the one back from their world that Lillian had grown so used to. "Fuck. She's going to find out about my crush on her."

Lillian started to cough. Violently.

"Did you just call her Freckles? Fuck, don't tell me you're sweet on her." The Katsuki from here sounded horrified and disgusted. "The only freckles I need in my life are Deku's. Fuck. Can't believe any version of me isn't gay as hell. Deku is just too damn hot to resist, I don't see how anyone ever could. Could stare at him all day. His thighs, his ass-- fuck, I'd die happy if I could just plow th-"

Lillian coughed harder, practically gasping for air. What? What the fuck? This actually isn't real at all, is it? It really is some weird coma dream. Or hallucination. Probably a mixture of both. Did she hit her head on her nightstand again? Is she heavily, possibly fatally, concussed? This could be a weird form of her life flashing before her eyes, and Izuku'll pull a gun on her any second.

"Do I even want to know what she just heard?" Jiro asked bemusedly as Lillian's Katsuki rushed to rub her back, brows furrowed in concern and mind racing, his cheeks already growing red with fear for what she may've heard. Kirishima's cheeks? Again, no fucking clue. "I do. I do want to know. So bad."

"I could kill everyone in this room." Koda's thoughts hummed. Lillian hit herself in the sternum with her fist a few times, trying to get a handle on herself. "They're all distracted. I could do it."

Lillian wondered how Harper had survived this long.

~~~~~~~

"Hola, muchachos. Es tu chico, Señor Chad. Here to do... whatever the fuck you've called me here to do. I've got tacos from the Bell, if you're catching my drizzling drip. Have a few burritos out this shit too if that's your mood, even some nacho fries if you're willing to fight Amad and Plad to the death for them." Chad was a blonde man with gold eyes, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt with tacky sunglasses shoved up into his hair. "Totally got my shit rocked by the cops yesterday though so no Mexican pizzas to be seen. Confiscated on site. Don't ask me why, dudes, I'm still trying to work out why they took those and not the copious amounts of explosives I have in my trunk."

Harper and Kirishima stared at him with blank expressions, brows furrowed, lips pressed together firmly as they processed what the fuck he just said. Who the hell even was this guy? Even Nezu looked a little perturbed. Not surprised, but there was definitely something like bewilderment there.

"Unfortunately, food is not why I requested your presence, Chad." Nezu cleared his throat, carefully setting his tea cup back on the saucer. Chad cocked a brow, scratching at his stubbly chin. His gaze swept over Kirishima and Harper both, and something like realization seemed to dawn on him.

"Oh, shit." He put his hands on his hips, letting out a puff of air as he gazed down at them. "Fuck, man. They're tea victims, aren't they?"

Harper found that she was quite suddenly glad her mind reading quirk wasn't currently present, because there was no way in goddamn hell she wanted to know what was going through this man's mind at any given time. She's used to influxes of information. But whatever he just spouted out? Harper's got no idea where to start.

Kirishima didn't look to be faring much better. He had Bakugo's face twisted up and completely lost. Harper hoped he was doubting his decision to trust someone now. Even if this Chad guy clearly knew what had happened, he seemed... how did Harper put this delicately? He seemed batshit insane.

"They are. Can you reverse it?" Nezu asked promptly, evidently not about to beat around the bush. He looked like dealing with Chad was the absolute last thing he wanted to do. That was saying something.

"Uh, yeah. No can do, amigo. I'm not the one who made that special concoction." Chad admitted, rubbing the back of his neck almost sheepishly. Kirishima and Harper both shivered at the words special concoction. If this guy and Sansa ever met... "Eri whipped that puppy up. Took three days to brew and a week to ferment. They made it in a cast iron cauldron in the kitchen. Set the apartment on fire like, fourteen times. It was insane. They're trying to evict us again."

Great. So Severus-fucking-Snape had whipped up a nice new brew in his goddamn potion's lab and poisoned Lillian and Bakugo with it, and Harper and Kirishima had to be the unlucky ones who got swapped as a result. Could Harper's luck get any more shit? She got honest to god kidnapped out of her own body.

Kirishima seemed to have reached the same conclusion because he was looking at her incredulously, like he couldn't believe she was really a victim of another nabbing. Harper wanted to smash her head into a wall, partially because it was too quiet, but mostly because she was fucking done. Could you even blame her? This was ass.

"D-Does Eri have any more? Can we just... drink some more and go back?" Kirishima asked hopefully. Chad squinted at him but didn't seem overly disturbed to see such a light expression on Bakugo's face. A testament to his insanity.

"I mean, worth a shot. You'll have to talk to her about it." Chad shrugged uselessly, seeming unconcerned with the whole ordeal. Harper wondered how good he was at fighting. Harper could probably get her hands around his neck. Or rather, Lillian's hands. How strong was this body? Strong enough to kill a grown man? They were about to find out...

Nezu's face did a complicated thing where it shifted through several emotions at once before he settled on exasperation. Harper was glad to see him so stressed. It was a breath of fresh air in her opinion. Harper adjusted the headphones over her ears, wishing there was a way to turn the volume up higher. Not that she wanted to leave Lillian deaf, but she should've thought a little more before accepting what had likely been extremely suspicious tea.

"And where is Eri at the moment?" Nezu asked, voice deceptively patient. The question seemed to be 'Eri's' cue.

One of the ceiling tiles was immediately kicked out, slamming into the ground. Harper jumped hard, practically out of her chair in surprise. People sneaking up on her was new and she hated it. Hated it more than she hated Nezu's smug face after he talked her into doing more stupid shit. Even Kirishima yelped, eyes wide.

A literal child dropped down from the ceiling, landing in a roll and popping to her feet. She had on the same Hawaiian shirt as Chad did, and a pair of khaki shorts you'd expect to see on a suburban dad. She also had on sandals. With socks on, because the cringey dad look was apparently what she was going for. Her sunglasses had hot pink frames with tiny flamingos decorating the sides. How she hadn't spilled her McDonald's milkshake on her fall down, Harper had no clue.

It was absolutely absurd. The kid looked around Kota's age, with long, white hair and a little horn poking out of her forehead. She took a loud slurp from her milkshake as Kirishima gawked at her. Harper debated the chances of any of this actually being real not for the first time, grimacing as the kid smacked her lips and observed them.

"The experiment wasn't a success. He was supposed to turn into a lizard person." Was not what Harper had expected Eri to say. Clearly this was Chad's kid. "Vlad! Bring the tea. We're sending them back. Lillian was never supposed to drink any of that shit. I miscalculated the depth of her relationship with Bakugo. Only he was supposed to be a victim. To think he's sharing drinks now... I need to do another psych evaluation on him."

"You tried to turn Bakugo into a lizard?" Kirishima blurted out, and then a fucking nomu was crawling out of the ceiling like something out of a goddamn horror movie, clicking and chirping, body contorting. Kirishima let out a shriek, chair toppling. Harper was on her feet in seconds.

Harper couldn't hear the jumble of voices most of these things normally had following them, but it was horrifying all the same. Brain exposed, bulging eyes, beak. This one had abnormally long limbs and leathery wings. Its hands were bony, fingers clawed. The feet were much the same, curling into the crumbling ceiling tiles.

"Oh fuck no." Harper hissed out, eyes wide and back against the wall. Kirishima was huddled up next to her, horrified.

"Avocado!" The nomu screamed, launching itself down from the ceiling and right at them. Harper and Kirishima, unable to help it, started to shriek.

~~~~~~~~~

"Are you okay?" Ochako asked. "Milk, milk, milk, milk, milk."

"I will genuinely never be okay again." Lillian decided promptly. As if she wasn't already traumatized enough.

After almost suffocating on the ground, Lillian had come to the conclusion that everyone here was fucking insane and that she never wanted to hear what anyone was thinking ever again, thank you very much. Katsuki has a crush on her, the Katsuki here wants to bang Midoriya, and Koda is a serial killer just waiting to happen.

Her dad looked distinctly unimpressed, a vast contrast to his thoughts. Lillian stared at him blankly. Did her dad think like that too? Was he just hiding it? Lillian had to know. As soon as she got back she was tying him to a chair and waterboarding it out of him if she had to. There was no way she could live in ignorance after this. She'd never be able to rest.

The weight that Harper had to live with was astronomical. Lillian had seen some shit and heard some shit. She had Neito, Hitoshi, and Shoto as friends. Denki too when he wasn't busy being scared of her. Chad, Eri, Vlad. But this? Uh huh, it took the cake in the worst way. Lillian's never been this horrified in her entire life.

"Is there a problem?" This version of her dad drawled from his place at his podium. "Ohhhh my god. Hi child who belongs to me! Other me? Is other me fun and sparkly? If not please send him my actual condolences, omg. That would be like, so tragic and sad. I can't even process it. Do you want a hug?"

Lillian sort of did want a hug, actually, but she wasn't going to say that. Just like she definitely wasn't about to start crying. Her past traumas were nothing compared to this. First Mineta, now this. Katsuki was trying to coax the details out of her, but he had Kirishima's face so it just felt wrong.

"You're not my dad." Lillian ended up answering the other version of her parent, tearing herself away from her own ruminations.

"You fucking noodle head." Katsuki blurted out, Kirishima's face evidently more prone to blushing, as he soon turned red after. Hagakure made a high keening noise in the back of her throat. Mr. Aizawa stared at them, face never changing. It was almost enough to make Lillian break into a cold sweat. It was too unnatural.

The thoughts in the room were moving and alive, and Lillian's head had never hurt as much as it does right now. How were they supposed to get back home? It was definitely that shit tea she drank last night. Chad had brought it and given it to Katsuki to try, but Katsuki had immediately assumed it was poison. Lillian had tried it first to prove it wasn't.

Obviously, she hadn't proved shit. It was definitely poison and she was probably dead right now. This was all way too weird. This Katsuki being ragingly gay was absolutely hilarious. An actual riot. Neito was going to lose his mind. Shoto would be calling Katsuki a brother in arms unironically for weeks because he's clueless. But also it was all a mind fuck, and Lillian wasn't coping.

Class felt like a giant migraine. The two Katsuki's kept breaking out into fights. People kept asking Lillian questions. Iida was oddly depressed and kept shooting her looks like he expected her to expose him at any given moment. This Shoto was kind of numb and his dad wasn't arrested. This world was all wrong and Lillian was not feeling it.

"No fucking way are you stronger than me! You're a goddamn extra-- a discounted version of me!" The Bakugo from here bellowed. Again. He seemed thoroughly disturbed by her Katsuki's lack of raging gayness. "If he can't see Deku's appeal something's wrong with him. He can't be me. There's no way. It's just not possible."

Lillian's head felt like it was going to explode. The pressure was building and building. She could feel the quirk inside her-- Harper's quirk-- and it was squirming with discomfort. It knew Lillian wasn't Harper, and it knew Lillian didn't know how to properly use it. And it wasn't a fan of that. Lillian doesn't blame it. This is a less than cash money situation.

But if people don't shut up, she's going to lose it. Her eyes are stinging, she can't calm her breathing. Everything feels tense and painful and the lights are too bright. All these thoughts about Izuku are making her stomach turn. She knows he's good here, but just seeing him sitting in the same room sends her nerves alight.

"Can you two shut up?" Kaminari complained. He didn't have any real thoughts. Just... Wii music. Not unexpected.

"He's the one who keeps starting shit! I don't know what his fucking problem is!" Katsuki in Kirishima's body snapped. He kept shooting glances back at Lillian. "Something's wrong. She's panicking. And this guy won't stop needling."

"Not my fault this one's broken." This Katsuki from here snarked. "Another version of me-- of me! Liking--"

Lillian felt something in her give. This was ridiculous. Not to mention literally insane.

"Our Midoriya killed another student, tried to shoot me, and broke Shoto's heart." Lillian cut him off without really meaning to, pressing into her temples trying to ease the growing pain. She clenched her eyes shut as the room stilled. The thoughts stilled with it, a breath of fresh air. "Yours was Sero. Ours was Midoriya. Pardon Katsuki if he doesn't like him very much after that."

Lillian could've said something else. Could've exposed the other Katsuki's crush and absolutely ruined his day. Would've been great, too. But instead she drops Harper's head down onto the desk and wraps her arms around herself, blocking out all the light. The version of her dad from here doesn't stop her, doesn't say a word. After her outburst, nobody does.

~~~~~~~~

Harper and Kirishima stand in front of 1-A's door in a complete daze, neither of them entirely sure of what just happened.

Apparently you could tame Nomu by punching them in the brain. Useful information to have, Harper was filing it away for later, but also sort of the worst thing ever. The one in the office could sort of talk in a roundabout way, but he was still fucking terrifying. They had nearly both passed out when it regurgitated a bottle of shimmery purple liquid, uncorked it, and tried to force it down their throats.

Apparently whatever Eri had made really was a potion. When they went to bed tonight they'd (presumably) wake up in their own bodies again. Harper wasn't sure how it worked or if they were just making shit up at this point, but she really couldn't bring it in herself to care. She felt like she was about to shake out of Lillian's skin, the whole thing too much for her mind to handle.

"So Lillian and Bakugo will swap back by tomorrow?" Aizawa asked. Everyone was still under the impression that they were Lillian and Katsuki who'd traded bodies. To avoid panic, Nezu had decided it was best to keep it that way. Harper didn't have the mental facilities to argue at the moment.

Chad had given them some information in-between all the terror and borderline pants-shitting they'd experienced. Aizawa was fiercely protective over his child. He would, in Chad's words, 'go loco' if he thought his daughter was in danger. Considering his daughter wasn't even technically here anymore-- not in any way that counted-- Harper supposed it was probably best to keep him thinking she was within stone throw's distance.

"Yes! Until then, business as usual." Nezu chirped as though Harper and Kirishima hadn't just been irrevocably changed. This was going to be another Aizawa-Mic wedding situation, where they didn't talk about it, or acknowledge that it had happened. For their own sanity.

The class curiously glanced at them. It was different. Shinso was seated in here, and there was no Sato. No Midoriya or Mineta, either. Harper didn't want to know. Asking would give her away anyway, because Katsuki probably knew exactly what had happened to them. And that's who she was supposed to be right now.

Bakugo was an angry person. Harper could do snappish and angry, right? Fuck, Harper wasn't sure she could do much of anything right now. A pet nomu. Was it really as easy as whacking them in the brain? Chad had implied it had to be a punch specifically. That being said, Harper and Kirishima had been screaming at the top of their lungs at the time, so maybe she hadn't heard right.

"Were we just violated?" Kirishima asked quietly, voice barely audible through her blasting music. Harper didn't answer that. Fucking stupid question. Of course they were violated. What the hell else would you call that? Nezu's office would never look the same. Harper was surprised the fire alarms hadn't gone off. How did that many windows get broken so fast, and in so many different ways?

There had been an entire civil war in that office. Nezu had a new scar on his face and had been naked by the time things were over. Luckily he was covered in fur so he really looked no different than your typical oversized New York rodent. Eri had done some weird ritual on them that was supposed to-- fuck, no. Harper wasn't even going to acknowledge it had happened. It was over and she was leaving it in the past.

"Bakugo." Aizawa snapped, drawing Harper's attention away from her catatonic train of thought. Right, yes. She was Bakugo right now. In Lillian's body. "Headphones."

"Absolutely not." Harper and Kirishima both responded in perfect sync. Aizawa's face darkened. Harper had a feeling they were about to be traumatized again.

~~~~~~~

"Why does your dorm building smell like essential oils?" Was the first thing Lillian asked when she got through the door. Things had been a little awkward after her outburst. Her Katsuki hadn't really cared, scowling with Kirishima's face and standing at her side like a guard throughout the day. Lillian had pretty much overdosed on Advil trying in vain to combat her headache.

Harper had it rough. The amount of responsibility on her shoulders was absolutely insane from what Lillian had gathered. How she did this everyday, Lillian had no idea. All she knew was that she was sufficiently impressed. She hadn't even been Harper one day and she was already feeling too weak to handle it.

She wondered how Harper was faring in her body. Probably efficiently. For as tired as they made Harper out to be, it sounded like she got shit done. It was kind of empowering. Maybe Lillian would take the bull by the horns when she got home. Do her laundry. Remove all the dirty dishes from her bedroom. Ambitious stuff like that.

"You know Kurogiri? He's sort of obsessed with Harper, ribbit. If she's not here, he's probably having a mental breakdown somewhere in the building. If you hear crying, just avoid that hallway." Tsuyu croaked out, which was wildly concerning. "This is so odd. Did Midoriya really try to shoot her? I can't imagine him killing someone."

Midoriya evidently couldn't imagine himself killing anyone either because his thoughts would not stop. They were a constant rumination of disbelief that seemed to drift Lillian's way no matter what. She tried to focus on other things, but it was almost like him thinking about her made the thoughts shoot her way naturally. It was making things about ten times worse.

"Great. Let him have one." Her Katsuki drawled out, uncaring. He scowled as he plopped down on the couch, eyes stormy. Kirishima really could look rather intimidating if he wanted to. Bakugo taking charge of his face proved that. "Fuck. Fuck, we need to focus on something else. Freckles isn't going to be able to take this."

Wow. Vote of confidence received. What a douchebag. Too bad Lillian was too tired to think of a good clap back. She'd get him back later by telling her dad he'd hurt her feelings. Man, her dad. What was he doing right now? Panicking? What about Neito and Hitoshi? Shoto and Denki? She wanted to know, but at the same time she didn't.

Katsuki was right, though. Maybe she could just go up to her dorm? Or uh, Harper's dorm? She didn't know. That's probably where Kurogiri was, and the oddly-mean Sero too. Lillian didn't belong here and neither did Katsuki. The Bakugo from here was looking at them strangely now. His judgements had abated, but he still felt like a circling shark. He was so unlike the version she knew. Similar in some ways, yet missing fundamental parts that she'd grown to know and love.

Speaking of love-- Katsuki had a crush on her. An actual, real-life person crush. That was actually insane. Literally the craziest shit ever. Lillian had... absolutely no idea what to do about it. She liked him too but that was mad awkward. No way could she just say it. What if it made things weird? Lillian sensed it would make things weird.

Neito would know what to do. He had an answer for every question, even the stupid ones. Lillian felt like she was slowly going insane. How could she live, laugh, love in these conditions? She's not thriving. She misses her bedroom, her pet snake, and her regular body that did regular body things. Like not read minds. And stuff. And not get headaches that hurt worse than period cramps, somehow.

"Say, can you tell us what Mr. Aizawa's thinking? I thought I knew everything about him, but then I found out he's married to Present Mic." Hagakure chirped out. "Shifted my whole world view when I saw the wedding bands. I swore I had him all figured out, too."

Lillian and her Katsuki slowly turned to look at the invisible girl, eyes wide with surprise. Lillian suddenly felt very interested in the going ons of this place.

"I'm sorry." Lillian's cleared her throat. "My d-- Mr. Aizawa is married to who?"

~~~~~~~~~~

"I want to kill you in cold blood, but you're in Lillian's body, so I can't." Why Hitoshi Shinso was in the room that was supposed to belong to Lillian, Harper didn't know. She'd just slunk in after a day of suffering, hoping to fall asleep and end this all, and he was there. Along with Monoma, and Kaminari, and Todoroki. Who she swore she'd just seen out in the hall.

"Uh." Kirishima squinted. Again, weird with Bakugo's body. "Wasn't Todoroki just out in the hall?"

"Irrelevant." Shoto responded immediately. Neito, however, paused. And Harper knew immediately that they'd fucked something up.

Neito Monoma wasn't a total moron like these other idiots, Harper could tell just by looking at him. She didn't know him in her world. Had seen him in passing in the halls and during the Sports Festival, but there'd been no reason for her to directly interact with him. Here, he eyed her critically, something seeming to click in his mind. Harper wished she knew exactly what it was. All she could do was guess.

Harper swallowed heavily. Kirishima immediately noticed the shift in her and tensed slightly, glancing between her and their four peers. Shoto was on his phone, the sounds of candy crush chiming faintly. Denki was watching the candy crush in question with way more enthusiasm than he probably should. Hitoshi looked like he was plotting ways to get rid of Katsuki once they 'switched' back. And Neito...

"You're not Lillian and Katsuki at all." Neito coined, and Harper cringed immediately. "Who are you? Kirishima and who?"

Shoto immediately looked up from his phone-- something Harper sensed was a feat in and of itself. Kirishima was instantly half a step in front of her, palms sparking unconsciously. The popping noise startled him a little at first, his gaze snapping down to Bakugo's hands for a moment before he flexed the fingers of them, shaking his head. Hitoshi was frowning, looking at them.

Denki just blinked stupidly, looking mildly uncomfortable. Harper's mind raced. What were they thinking? Were they a threat? Friend or enemy? They liked Lillian just fine, but Harper having her body didn't mean she was safe.

"Wait. I thought we knew they weren't Lillian and Bakugo." Kaminari admitted. "I mean, Lillian-- or whoever that is, Kirishima?-- hasn't threatened me once. Seriously. Not even during lunch."

There was probably a lot to unpack there. Harper didn't really give a shit. Kirishima held his hands up in surrender as Shoto slowly unfurled, frost already starting to rise in a fine mist off his right side. Monoma leaned back in his seat with pursed lips, arms crossed. Harper made note not to answer any of Shinso's questions.

What had given them away? No-- no, wait. It had to have been Kirishima calling Shoto 'Todoroki'. Kirishima was supposed to be Lillian, who was trapped in Katsuki's body. If he were Lillian, she'd call her friends by her first names. Fuck. Such an easy slip to make. Kirishima had likely made it several times throughout the day without anyone else realizing. Monoma was sharper than that.

"The principal knows." Kirishima blurted out immediately. "I am Kirishima, but from another dimension. And this is Harper Rye. You guys don't know her, but I swear we're both students and don't mean any harm."

"Oh." Hitoshi looked oddly disappointed. "The tea."

"So we're not killing them?" Shoto whispered to Neito, frowning. Neito immediately elbowed him in the side to get him to shut up. Harper ignored the half-and-half teens put out expression and instead tried to focus on retaining what little of her sanity she had left.

It was too quiet. She wanted to sleep so she could get back home. She didn't want to deal with these utter imbeciles. In fact, she wondered where Lillian got the patience. Maybe if Harper weren't so irritable she'd be able to do it. Right now, all she wanted to do was torch them with a flame thrower and watch them scream.

"I was wondering what that stuff was going to do. I sort of thought you'd turn into lizard people." Neito admitted, rubbing his hands together in a scheming way. Harper's eyes narrowed at the grin that spread across his face. "Before you go-- give us a little blackmail to work with. What do you know?"

If it would get them to leave them alone... fuck it.

~~~~~~~

When Lillian woke up in her own body she probably should've started crying. Her head was completely empty, just as god intended. It felt like a dusty catacomb up there, not a single voice aside from her own internal monologue. She observed her hands with an odd numbness, slowly sitting up. Her hair tumbled over her shoulder.

She was back. She was in her body. Could she start crying? Was that allowed? Fuck, Lillian still wasn't sure if any of that had been real. She was in bed, so it wasn't that far fetched to assume it was fake, right? A dream? But that headache, and the vividness of it all... Lillian was pretty sure that had actually happened. She'd been Harper Rye for a day.

Lillian concluded that while being Lillian sucked, being Harper had definitely sucked more. What the actual fuck? Was the Mineta of here gay? Did Koda have something he wanted to share with the class? If she went up to Ochako and started repeating the word 'milk' over and over again, would she get any sort of reaction? She had to know if her dad had the internal voice of a care bear.

"So, how're we going to get your dad and Present Mic together?" Neito asked from somewhere to her left. Lillian blinked blearily, turning. He was sitting there wearing a suit. Hitoshi, Shoto, and Denki were too, silently matching They were... dressed for a wedding. Yeah. That was a wedding bouquet. Lillian was certain.

She'd just been through the proverbial wringer. She had no idea what had just happened to her, or what was going on. Katsuki was already groaning in the corner as he came to, eyes clenching shut momentarily as he tried to gather his bearings. Lillian blinked a few times, trying to clear her daze.

She should totally freak out. Maybe finally have that breakdown that had been building since the moment she got sent over into what could be accurately described as 'hell' depending on who you asked. Katsuki wouldn't blame her. Nobody could considering she'd just listened to some other Bakugo drone on and on about how much he wanted to bang... yeah. You get it.

"Uh." Lillian hesitated for a moment before deciding fuck it, it was over now. They had shit to do. "I was thinking if we just married them without them knowing, then--"

~~~~~~~

"HARPER RYE!" Kurogiri's shriek was what woke her up, followed by the most blissful sound Harper had ever heard in her entire life. Somehow. The world really is fucked, isn't it? "FINALLY! They have not allowed me to SEE HER! She is alive. She is breathing! I thought she was dead! Someone took over her body and she was gone! GONE! My Harper Rye, MISSING, almost dead! Is she hurt? She must be hurt. I cannot believe--"

Harper popped up like a woman possessed, her quirk shooting out as wide as she could get it to go. She stretched it until it hurt, and then stretched it more. Her temples pounded hard, a headache likely left behind from Lillian, who hadn't known how to use her quirk. Harper opened her arms almost absentmindedly to receive the wailing Kurogiri, closing her eyes and reveling in the thoughts that flooded into her. Too many to handle, yet somehow not enough.

Harper's quirk buzzed with glee to have her back, welcoming her like an old friend. Harper was still going to bitch and moan over it, and she was still going to complain, but goddamn. This mutant of a quirk she had was hers and hers only, and she'd be damned if she parted with it again. That was hell. Quiet, empty hell.

In a way she guesses her quirk is somewhat like a best friend. A really, really good one. One that you're close enough with that you can scoff at them, and roll your eyes, but that you kind of love anyway. Even though they're terrible. Is that a bad way to put it? Harper doesn't give a shit. She's just glad to have noise and security again.

"Oh thank god." Kirishima groaned. His mind was just as familiar as it had been the last time Harper felt it. Had it really only been a day? Harper felt like she'd been Lillian Aizawa for a small eternity. "We're back! And Harper-- oh man, I'm so glad. I was so worried. I missed her-- I mean, I know she was right there. But she's just so pretty, too. Even if she wasn't I'd still adore her but I mean, her eyes are just--"

"Kirishima." Harper pulled away from Kurogiri, shaking her head. Kirishima immediately flushed red, clearing his throat. "We're going on a date. To a baseball game or some shit. Somewhere with as many people as humanly possible in close concentration to one another. Put on your shoes."

There was silence following her statement. But Kirishima's mind was so warm and Harper had missed it, and fuck if she was about to beat around the bush now. She never had before. Talk about an eye-opening experience. Next thing you know she'd be making false promises to Kurogiri telling him he could follow her around for the rest of her life. Which he... might actually do regardless, but Harper's choosing not to think about that.

Where was Sero? She guessed they'd probably taken him somewhere else when they realized Harper wasn't around to watch him properly. Whatever. Fuck him and his shit attitude. He could suffer with Aizawa, and Harper would go wander around overpopulated areas for as long as it took her to regret it.

"...A-A date?" Kirishima squeaked out after a moment, eyes so wide they looked ready to pop out of his skull. It was good to see his expressions back on his own face and not on Bakugo's. Harper was already never going to look at the explosive blonde the same again as it was. "I'm hearing things. I'm hearing things."

"A date." Harper confirmed. And then Kurogiri was leaping at Kirishima in a blinding rage, screaming indecipherably as the redhead shrieked in terror. Harper couldn't help but grin.

She was going to learn so much uncomfortable shit about total strangers today. It was going to be a one time thing, hopefully, but Harper was going to savor every single little fact. And hell. Maybe she'd go call Aizawa 'dad' just to hear his mind spin.