Things to know about this book before you start it
-There are gay ships. If you don't like gay ships do not read it. If you're going to be homophobic do not read it.
-No matter what it looks like, there is no BakuDeku end game. No matter how Bakugo acts or what he does, Izuku does end up with someone else. I don't condone bullying, and because of his bullying Bakugo doesn't get the relationship he wants. And that's okay.
-This book is 50% crack. Because she's a mind reader, she hears some weird shit. A lot of people are going to be out of character, but give it a chance. A lot of people love this book!
-THERE ARE GAY SHIPS WHY ARE SO MANY PPL IN MY COMMENTS HOMOPHOBIC
-Read the trigger warnings!
-this entire book is full of cringe
-EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE TRIGGERS, READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS ANYWAY. THERE MAY BE STUFF YOU STILL DON'T WANNA READ
In case y'all can't gather it from context, people's thoughts are "Like this, in italics and quotation marks." and shit.
Happy Easter, y'all!
Triggers that will come up:
-Depression, mentions of suicide, self-harm, inferiority complex, self-hatred, depressing thoughts.
-Perverted thoughts, explicit thoughts. Separate warnings will be issued when/if needed.
-Mentions/descriptions of abuse (child, physical, mental, neglect)
-Mentions of sexual assault and kidnapping.
-Panic attacks and anxiety disorders. Anxious thoughts and actions described in depth.
-Other mental disorders will appear in the future
IF YOU ARE A RE-READER, AND YOU COMMENT A N Y SPOILERS, KNOW THAT I WILL BE BLOCKING YOU IMMEDIATELY AND WITH ZERO HESITATION WHATSOEVER!!!
Third person pov
There is a traitor amongst them. Of this, Nezu is sure. He has no doubts someone affiliated with The League has snuck into their ranks in the guise of a teacher or student. He has reason to believe it's the latter, which is exactly what brings us to now. Now, this was by no means Nezu's first choice. Being a super genius mammalian principal of a monstrously rich school meant he had several resources at his disposal. It's just that nothing seemed all too fool proof, and he couldn't exactly go around testing students and staff in an attempt to find the mole. Not without raising a panic or getting sued.
"So... why the hell do you want to hire me again?" Fifteen year old Harper Rye doesn't have a lot going for her, if she's being completely honest with herself. She goes to a shitty high school in a shitty neighborhood, she gets a solid two hours of sleep a night, she's practically forgotten the meaning of the word 'friend' at this point, and she constantly has a headache. All in all, her life isn't the best. Albeit, things could be exceptionally worse, but that didn't change the fact that were shit nonetheless.
There's really nothing all that special about her. She's got a plain face, with dark brown hair, and eyes to match. She isn't tall, but she isn't too short. She isn't in shape, but she isn't out of it. She's not what some might consider skinny, but she isn't fat either. She exists in a boring in-between that consists of her debating whether or not to end it all or wait and see what happens. Being called into UA high itself was quite a shock, especially when she found out it was the principal who called her in.
Now it's not that Harper doesn't find heroes absolutely amazing. Like most of the world's population, she generally admires them for their bravery and valor. Sure, there are some shittier ones who care more about the press and rankings than the actual hero work, but Harper learned a lot time ago to block out the shitty parts of life the best she could. So while heroes were the shit and cool as all fuck, that didn't mean she had any particular interest in meeting them, or interacting with them at all. It just wasn't something that interested her. She didn't go to meet-and-greets, nor did she aspire to be a hero herself.
"Your quirk gives you the ability to read minds, does it not?" Nezu asked pleasantly. Harper nodded, eyes narrowed with clear suspicion. "Then there's your answer! I want you to keep your ears and mind open to anything suspicious. In return, you get to be enrolled in the hero course. Exciting, isn't it?"
Harper did not look amused. "If I wanted to be a hero, I would have taken the entrance exam." She told him wryly. She worked hard not to hear his thoughts, but she could still catch them bleeding in. The man— mouse, bear, dog —was desperate. He hid it well, but Harper couldn't help but pick up on it. She'd gotten a lot better at soundproofing her brain, but some thoughts were too loud to simply block out. The bolder the person, or animal in this case, the worse it was. And Nezu was definitely bold.
The invasive thoughts was why she constantly had a headache, and why she didn't sleep much. It was the sole reason she was such a fucking mess! When you're relaxing and trying to pass out, your mind drifts. And when Harper's mind does just that, the walls she puts up fall. And suddenly she knows that the dog down the street is hungry, and that Miss Kiki four houses down is having a nightmare. She finds out Mr. Daikai is cheating on his wife, and disturbingly enough learns that the brat next door ate dry wall and actually liked it. It's not all happy fun times. People are vile, and their thoughts go unchecked.
It's either to loud for her to fall asleep, or she's too disturbed to. She doesn't get out much either. She'd passed some truly horrifying people on the streets before, some of which she is sure were villains. There are few people who have pleasant thoughts all around, which meant she was basically always walking in a shit storm anytime she dared go out in public. It was tiring, and the stress it brought her promised she'd never have any semblance of a normal life.
"Just because you're joining the hero course doesn't mean you have to become a hero, Miss Rye." Nezu chided. Harper leveled him with a dry look.
"Please, just say yes. I have tea to drink. A school to protect." His thoughts invaded her, and her eye twitched. "Pesky humans. Can she not see the benefits? This is the chance of a lifetime!"
"If I'm a pesky human, what does that make you? A meddling rodent?" Harper knows being blatantly disrespectful to a super genius rat-dog-bear isn't the best idea, but what's the worst that can really happen at this point? Her life is already heading steadily down hill. Her parents are loving and kind, but she knows she stresses them out. She doesn't have any friends. It's sort of hard to play nice when you hear all the bad and judgmental shit that's thought about you. That, and people don't usually appreciate someone poking around in their heads, intentional or not. People like their secrets and privacy. With her around, they have none.
If Nezu flushes under his fur, Harper can't tell. He clears his throat. "You'll have to excuse me. My thoughts go rather unchecked at times." He apologized formally, his cheerful smile never slipping. Harper decides it's easily the creepiest thing she's ever seen. He'd be totally unreadable if not for her quirk.
"I'm used to it. Trust me, I've heard worse. You'd be surprised at how many people have thought about legitimately murdering me. One guy even had a hiding spot ready." Harper recalled with a small smile that looked more like a grimace. Truly, she was not the most liked person.
Nezu gave a chuckle. Harper wasn't sure if she should be pleased or concerned that his amusement over people wanting to kill her was genuine. "Thank you for brushing it aside. On the topic of your quirk, I believe you would benefit immensely from the hero course. You could easily widen your control, and perhaps strengthen your power."
"Strengthening it is the last thing I want." Harper sighed. She thought about it. UA would look good on a college application. Stellar, actually. Not only that, but this place had to beat the drug-infested shit hole she currently went to out of pure legal necessity. She didn't want a truancy officer showing up at her doorstep again. Most cops had some pretty gnarly thoughts, and not in a good way either. That, and her parents just about had a heart attack anytime anyone of even mild authority knocked on their door, thinking Harper had done something or heard something she shouldn't have. The girl couldn't blame them. Her quirk had gotten her into some real shit in the past.
"Please. We need you, Miss Rye." Nezu's voice held a desperate undertone. She keyed into his thoughts a bit for further insight. "We can not afford anymore attacks. Aizawa was already injured. Who's next? Miss Rye's quirk could end this all. If she says no, what will be my next course of action? Whoever is among us is an excellent actor. If they-"
"Okay, cool it." She straightened in her seat, cutting his thoughts off before they could spiral. This was serious, so she couldn't just think of herself. That would be selfish, especially considering the opportunity she was being offered on the side. "I have some questions."
Nezu seemed to brighten considerably. "Yes, of course."
Harper cleared her throat a little, rolling her shoulders. Time to get down to business. People could be hurt if she didn't do this. Sure, they could still be hurt if she did, but she was a good first line of defense. "Right, so say I found this... traitor. Would I be removed afterwards?"
Nezu looked perplexed. "Miss Rye, I am offering you a full ride here, regardless of whether or not you find the traitor. Not only could there be more than one working against us, but your quirk and potential are exponential."
Okay, not a lie from what she could tell. Harper chewed on the inside of her cheek. Nezu was smart enough to adjust his thoughts, so she had to take anything she heard with a grain of salt. "Classroom capacity. The hero course is full, right?" Harper wasn't an idiot. They couldn't just trade someone out for her. That wasn't how things like this worked. Not unless UA wanted to be saddled with a lawsuit.
"There's room for another desk, Miss Rye. It'll be a tight fit, I'm sure, but we've had classes over capacity before. It's rather rare, but exceptions have been made." Nezu smiled brightly at her. "And should the traitor reside in the class I believe they do, you will eventually take their place anyway!"
Harper considered him for a moment. That was true. Nezu was smart as all fuck, so if anyone knew the general group in which this 'traitor' was, it would be him. She doubted they'd tell the class what her quirk was were she to be accepted. Them knowing would make it less likely for the traitor to allow their thoughts to wonder. If they were truly as good an actor as Nezu said, they'd probably be decent at reining in their thoughts as well. Sure, they'd eventually slip up. Everyone did. Still, the sooner they got this bastard out, the better.
"Alright... alright, and what makes you think I can pass as a heroics student? I can't walk in there proclaiming I've been brought in because one of them is a villain, but I'm not trained." Harper crossed her arms over her chest as she struggled to convey what she was thinking. "You've got to have a good reason for bringing in another student into an already full class. Telling them I just have potential isn't going to cut it."
Nezu grinned gleefully. "She's sharp! Excellent, excellent! The traitor should beware." Nezu's thoughts shot through her walls, excited and almost maniacal. Harper raised an eyebrow as they continued. "But indeed, she has a very fair point. Though the staff know better than to question me, the students certainly do not!"
"A transfer, then." Nezu folded one paw over the other with a smile. Harper raised an eyebrow. "We'll say that you were recommended late, and thus were brought in separate from everyone else! Transfer students aren't unheard of, of course. We'll give them a simple story. It will be enough. I'm sure I can count on your to dodge questions."
Harper thought about it with a grimace. She could already tell this was going to be a pain in her ass, but how could she turn away? She didn't want to be a hero. It really wasn't her cup of tea, but knowing her quirk could finally be of some use was tempting, not to mention people could get hurt if she didn't do this. She wasn't an idiot. She'd seen the news, and she'd heard what happened to class 1-A and their teacher. Especially their teacher. The League of Villains was dangerous enough even without someone on the inside, and she didn't want anyone to die. She was an asshole, but not that much of an asshole.
"Alright... fine." Harper said. Nezu perked up hopefully.
"No... is she really going to... yes, Miss Ry! Please-"
"I'll do it. I can't promise I'll stay after whoever this traitor is reveals themself, but I... I guess letting people get hurt when you can do something would be shitty of me." Harper said hesitantly. This was an absolutely horrible idea, but what reason did she have to say no? She didn't really do anything with her life in general. This wasn't interfering with her life, and she was sure her parents would be overjoyed. It was a win-win, and it could very well get her into college with a full ride if she did well enough. There was just this one little thing... "I do have one condition."
Nezu had let out a mental shriek the moment she said she'd do it. She ignored it with practiced ease. "Yes, of course! Anything!" Nezu assured. Parallel to that, his thoughts went wild, "I can't believe she said yes. This is extraordinary! All suspicious personal will be weeded out in no time flat. Not to mention she'll be a superb addition to this year's hero course. Mind reading is such a rare quirk, in fact, I don't think there's ever been one recorded to this extent. To be able to hear people's thoughts so clearly it's as though they're speaking directly into your mind, it's-"
"Alright, alright, cool it. I'm amazing. I know." Harper grumbled sarcastically. Nezu stared at her with bright eyes, patient and waiting as his thoughts tapered down to something less strong, though still undoubtedly exuberant. "Now, my condition. I'll tell you about anything suspicious or concerning. It it effects you directly, the school, or another student in a bad or less than optimal way, I'll hunt you down and spill the shit. But otherwise, don't ask me to divulge secrets or try to get information on other topics. That's not what I'm here for. I don't want to pry or become your mole."
Nezu felt a grin stretch across his face. "Yes," he thought, "Miss Harper Rye will make for an excellent hero."
He stretched out his paw to her, eyes alight with mischievous giddiness and satisfaction.
"You have yourself a deal, Miss Rye." Nezu grinned. Harper clasped his paw in her hand, looking him in the eyes. His thoughts, determination, hope, readiness, all flowed through her in an instant. The sudden wash of words disoriented her only for a brief moment before she was focused again, face steely and locked in a wince as she dreaded the shit show to come. "Welcome... to UA High!"
Harper already regretted this.