Sorry for the lack of updates you guys! School is coming to a close so I've been hella busy, along with some personal issues and other unrelated school... events? Things? I'll try to keep up with the updates, yo.
Third person pov
Hitoshi Shinso's thoughts were oddly calm. The guy looked like he'd be more depressing, but he was relatively mellow despite his appearance. Harper just let it happen. Taking ice cream from strangers and then watching Star Wars with them wasn't something she really made a habit of, but today had been a long day. A long, long, long ass day. Harper was moments away from throwing the short list of things that were socially acceptable to do in a stranger's home and just taking a nap right then and there.
Her anxiety had taken a while to calm down. Just knowing she'd escaped from actual, real villains. True danger. All that shit. It was just... it was terrifying. Harper wasn't trying to be a wuss or anything like that. Really, she was trying to stick it out and toughen the hell up. It was just... her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. It was like something had been wrapped around her upper chest and tightened, making it horribly hard to breathe.
"She was definitely running from something, but what? Maybe she's being bullied? No, that doesn't quite make sense. People in the hero course... is she in the hero course? That's definitely a UA uniform... even with the sweat pants. Not going to comment on that again. She seemed defensive." Hitoshi's thoughts wandered. Harper ignored them expertly, wondering is it was about time she headed off to UA. No doubt Tsukauchi was losing his shit. Harper contemplated getting him a gift on the way. To welcome him into fatherhood.
Harper grumbled and checked the time. It had been about two hours now, and she had sixteen missed calls from the principal and twenty from Inspector Gadget himself. Harper hadn't put her mind walls up or anything. She was an idiot, but not a complete moron. The brunette had been keeping her quirk open and reaching in search of Kurogiri and Shigaraki. She stretched it beyond its limits, which earned her a nasty headache in return, but she'd had worse. She wondered if Shinso wanted to know his neighbor had a crush on him. Probably not.
"I've got to go." Harper sighed. Before they wrote her off as dead or something like that. Hitoshi's gaze drifted to her as she stood, stretching her arms above her head. He winced as her back gave a loud crack that sounded both satisfying and horrifying at the same time. He distantly pondered asking if she needed to be walked to wherever she was going, or if she was going to be alright getting there, but ultimately decided that he was in no place to be asking questions. He was the one who'd invited her in here, not the other way around.
"See you later, then." Shinso nodded to her as she set the empty tub of ice cream on the coffee table, his purple eyes following her as she shuffled towards the door. The exhausted girl cracked her neck just as she disappeared around the corner and into the entry way. Hitoshi really didn't like people all that much, as most were relatively revolting, but he couldn't help but find that just a little badass. "Just what has this chick been through? She looks like shit and isn't even fazed."
Harper snorted at the boy's thoughts as she stepped out onto the street, pleased when she immediately recognized the neighborhood. UA wasn't far at all. That was a good thing seeing as the last thing she felt like doing at the moment was walking. The sun was, luckily, beginning to set, so her eyes didn't take too much damage as she stepped out of Shinso's dimly lit home and onto the porch outside.
Warily, Harper set off towards the school. Her life was so fucked. Her parents were going to realize something was wrong eventually, and just how was she supposed to explain this shit show to them? It was going to be a huge let down for them to know that Harper hadn't gotten into UA because she had potential. That their weird, disappointing daughter didn't have some hope of ever being something. That it was simply her quirk UA wanted, for a specific purpose. It was all a lucky coincidence. One that wasn't working out so well in her favor thus far.
There were still no signs of Kurogiri or Shigaraki, but Harper was ever the skeptic. For one thing, she hadn't felt Kurogiri before his warp gate appeared beneath her. Either she hadn't been paying attention, or there simply was no warning. Harper was willing to bet it was the latter, as unfortunate as that was. Being able to sense him was ideal. Harper wasn't sure she could go much of anywhere at this point without expecting the ground to fall out right from under her feet.
Her bunny slippers were a mess, covered in grass stains and dirt. She was glad she'd put a hoodie on, protecting the shirt beneath it. The skirt was a little worse for wear, but she was hopeful. It seemed relatively salvageable. Her sweatpants definitely weren't as lucky. Her knees had taken the brunt of the abuse. She'd never hopped so many fences in such rapid succession, so she'd stumbled and scuffed herself up more than a few times. Harper was just glad it was over. Maybe Nezu would take pity and give her a new uniform. That would be the nice thing to do, but Nezu was... vaguely batshit crazy.
As the girl approached UA gates, she held her breath. She could see Tsukauchi's car from where she was. He was here, which meant Nezu was too. That was assuming the man ever left the hellish campus. If Harper could just make it through the front doors of this accursed place, maybe she'd be alright. Maybe. Kurogiri couldn't know where she was if he couldn't see her. Her phone's battery was almost empty anyway, so there was no way they could shimmy her location out of it somehow. Harper wasn't sure how that would work, but there were quirks of every kind out there these days. She didn't want to risk it.
Harper could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears as she approached. She forced her breathing to slow down. It had been months since she'd last had a full-blown panic attack, and she wasn't about to let walking through a fucking door change that. She'd gotten away from the villains for the time being, and she was fine. Shigaraki hadn't gotten the chance to disintegrate her face, nor was Kurogiri around to open a portal for her to fall through. She was perfectly fine right now. Tired, in need of something way stronger than coffee, but okay. Technically speaking.
"Welcome to the fucking gallows, Harper. Brace yourself." Harper mumbled to herself as she threw UA's front door open, preparing for the worst. She held her breath, stepping past the threshold and shuffling a few spaces forward. She braced herself for the feeling of weightlessness that came with falling, hands curling into fists around the straps of her backpack. Her knees felt close to buckling, but instead locked into place, stiff as boards. An unwelcome shot of cold shivered down her back, and-
Absolutely nothing happened.
"Thank fuck." Harper groaned to herself, beginning to briskly pace towards Nezu's office where the mammalian creature was probably waiting. She didn't have time for this. Well, that was a lie. Harper really didn't do much else other than sleep, eat, and maybe do her homework if the motivation was there, but that didn't mean she wanted to be here. If she could have it her way, she'd just walk right on home. But she couldn't risk that. Her parents would not be put in danger because of her. Not anymore than they already were. If Nezu hadn't been pulling her leg on the phone earlier, then her address was no longer listen on any database.
She heard Nezu and Tsukauchi's thoughts before she reached the office. They were frantic and mulling, clearly trying to figure out what to do. Most were about her, wondering if she was alive. And if not, what had happened and why. The 'why' part made her want to throw back her head back and laugh. Why? Of course they'd kidnapped her! She was a fucking idiot who got a small army of janitors arrested for being terrorists, and now here she was. Paying for it. The brunette should have been more subtle, and none of this would be happening.
"Alright, you fucks. I'm alive." Harper sighed as she threw open the door, causing Tsukauchi to jump slightly. Nezu was unfazed outwardly, his pleasant smile widening into a grin that looked almost threatening. Harper decided not to think about it too hard. It might hurt her already throbbing brain. She wondered what a girl had to do for some aspirin around here. Seriously, her skull felt ready to split in two.
Headaches were something she was used to. They were a side effect. This one felt different, however. It wasn't just her head groaning in pain, it was her quirk too. It was something that had never happened before. Harper knew it had probably come from not only stretching it for almost two hours straight, trying to push it as far as she could get it to, but also from whatever she'd done to Kurogiri. All that pulling and then that final push had left her mind abuzz, but at the time, she'd been too panicked to really take note.
"Harper!" Tsukauchi leapt out of his seat. "Thank god, she's alive! I thought for sure something had happened. When Nezu called and informed me of what had happened, I..."
Flattering to know at least someone cared whether or not she kicked the bucket. It reminded her of Iida. How was he doing on that whole not-dying thing, anyway? He seemed happier as of late, but she was really no one to judge. Or maybe she was. It really didn't matter. She'd seen him tomorrow, not having commit suicide, and it would be fine. Kirishima would be his same creepy self, Izuku would mumble, and Ochako would be unbearably bright on the inside. And Aizawa, unbearably happy. Him knowing she could hear his thoughts was going to be fun.
"Thank you for joining us, Miss Rye! Please, please, take a seat. You look exhausted." Nezu waved a paw toward the empty chair next to the one Tsukauchi was standing in front of. "She looks horrible! But at least she wasn't taken again, like I was beginning to assume. I do suppose she informed us that it would be a few hours before she got here. How nerve wracking. Humans are such fickle things."
"Yeah, yeah, cool it. I got kidnapped. News flash, I also got away, so let's sit the hell down and work this out so I can get some sleep." Harper griped, her heart rate slowing into a pace more normal. The girl was glad. Being around a police detective, one with a firearm, was comforting. Nezu was also a super genius, no matter how much of an asshole he happened to be. While he didn't appear to appreciate human life in general, she knew he'd hunt her down if she were taken, so long as she remained a student here.
"Explain what happened from the beginning. Why am I listed as your father, now?" Tsukauchi urged, eyes wide and questioning as he plopped back down in his seat. Harper sighed and eyed the man. It's not that she didn't like him. She just didn't really like anybody, that was all. Especially not right now. "Poor kid. She's way too young for this. What was Nezu thinking, bringing a child into this mess willingly?"
Harper was relieved at least someone understood. She was far too young for this actual, legitimate bullshit. "I was walking home from school. A warp gate opened underneath me, and soon I was in a bar. Must've been the League's hideout or something. Shigaraki and Kurogiri were there. They wanted to know how I knew the janitors were terrorists in the making because, apparently, I was seen talking to Tsukauchi."
"I see, I see. The traitor in 1-A must have seen you, unless there's someone else among us who is not what they seem." Nezu said thoughtfully. Tsukauchi was too busy scribbling on a notepad to respond. "Miss Rye is going to need protection after this. All the students will, if this happens again."
"I know the 1-A traitor at least noticed me vanishing right before it happened, and then appearing after it was over. They also saw me leave for the gardener. Not my brightest moment." Harper sighed and sunk back into the seat in Nezu's office. "Anyway, they saw me with Inspector Gadget over here, and I wasn't about to blow my fucking cover like an idiot. So I lied and made up some bullshit story about him being my dad. If anyone asks, you had a one-night stand, you pay child support, and I barely get to see you."
"I've got it." Tsukauchi saluted briefly before going back to writing. At least he was taking it well. Being a detective, he'd probably seen and heard weirder. "Hello, fatherhood. Nice to meet you."
"This is an issue, indeed. We'll need to be contacting your parents. And finding you a place to stay, of course. I don't believe sending you back to your house will do you or your guardians any good." Nezu hummed thoughtfully. "Miss Rye did well not telling them her quirk while also justifying why she was talking to the detective. Saying he was a family friend would have been better, but less believable. Yes... Yes, I do believe we can work around this. So long as she's careful from here on out."
"So, where am I staying?" Harper raised her hand to massage her temples. The girl really just wanted to take a nap. She still regretted this. This whole coming to UA thing. Too bad it was way, way too late to back out now. She was stuck. Somehow, that was almost better than having to decide.
"You can stay with me." Tsukauchi shrugged. Both her and Nezu looked at him with mild surprise. He raised an eyebrow and gave a shit eating grin. As though Harper hadn't just been snatched by the League of Villains. Again, he was probably used to chaos. "What are fathers for?"
"You're too into this, aren't you?" Harper sighed, dragging her hand down her face.
"What? No, not... yeah, yeah I am."
~
We've got A R T
Here's Harper and Hitoshi by the amazing Shirumbrenium! Thank you so, so much for this amazing piece of art. I love it so much. The amount of detail you put into it along with the shading is so good, so thank you! for taking the time to draw this awesome piece!
This one came out sideways so RIP. But it's still super amazing nonetheless, and it is indeed my lock screen. I just love it so much! It's by --TheStoryMaker--
This here is Harper by lazy_apocalypse! Thank you so much for the art. You've done so much fan art of my books and I love every single piece with all my heart. They're so amazing, so thank you!
HiiroXentral drew this on discord! It's super amazing and I really love the background in contrast to the greyscale up front.
This was a cover made by Nerdgirl7400! It's super amazing, and I love the way you drew her. Seriously, thank you so much. It's amazing!