Third person pov
Harper and Dabi stared at each other grimly. Midterms had come and gone in just a matter of a few days, and Harper had been excused from them, and they would instead score her police work for a grade. Sansa and Tsukauchi were raring to go, with heavily detailed reports of how she'd been doing, and the precinct she usually worked with had nothing but praises to rain down. It actually made her feel sort of good to be backed like that, even if this was a shitty situation. Poor Kirishima had been grilled six ways to Sunday while she was out trying to figure out how to best approach this 'Kurogiri at UA' problem.
The redhead hadn't given anything away, though. He went through it with a pained grin, texting her updates loyally and without fail. It made her smile just a little, even if she felt incredibly guilty. In the midst of his testing, it had to have been incredibly stressful. She was grateful to him, though. It was pretty obvious he and Aizawa both had told them in clear terms not to bombard her with text messages. She'd gotten a few, but none of them were relating to Kurogiri. She was more glad than she knew how to express.
There was an odd period of time between now and when they'd be leaving for Summer Camp where Kurogiri would be placed into the class and given time to adjust, and work with Hound Dog on being more independent. Harper was hoping and praying the counselor would get through to the ex-villain. Harper was ready for him to stop clinging. Like, now.
"I fucking hate Mondays." Dabi breathed, breaking his gaze away from Harper. He was nervous. "Will Shoto recognize me? What am I supposed to do if he does? Do I even want him to remember? I'm not the same... same Touya he remembers. I'm not Touya at all anymore."
"You and me both." Harper agreed, also turning away. Kurogiri was excited, insisting he carry Harper's backpack for her. For the first time, he was going to get the chance to warp them to the front gate. Nezu had prohibited any quirk use on campus unless it were an emergency. It was a strict guideline, and if Kurogiri broke it, he'd be removed immediately. The warp-gate user had readily agreed
"It's going to be fine, Harper. Didn't Kirishima say they'd warmed up to the idea?" Tsukauchi asked. He was about to leave for work, but was waiting for them to be ready. Kurogiri was taking an oddly long amount of time in the bathroom for someone so excited. Harper didn't really care. The later they got there, the better, in her opinion. Dabi seemed to feel the same way, looking physically pained as he stood there next to her. At least she wasn't alone in her suffering. Tsukauchi grabbed his keys. "Besides, Aizawa and Kirishima are both aware. I'm sure it'll be fine."
"That doesn't mean it'll go well." Harper grumbled. Dabi nodded solemnly in resigned agreement. He was, personally, terrified. Harper was going to have to support him while making sure Kurogiri didn't have some sort of weird freak out, or accidentally terrify one of her traumatized classmates even further. They were already going to be on edge.
"I'm ready, Harper Rye! Dabi!" Kurogiri burst out of the bathroom excitedly, dressed to the nines in his best suit, with his shoes shined, and his tie ironed to perfection. "This is so exciting! I get to be with Harper all day long! This is the epitome of best friendism. I cannot express my joy."
"It's too early to be that happy." Harper sighed as Kurogiri made the gate, ready to take them to where they needed to go. Dabi looked to her grimly, and she grimaced back, feeling like she'd much rather go curl up in her bed and pass out rather than deal with this literal bullshit. Just when things finally felt like they'd semi-calmed down, more bullshit had to arise and fuck it all up. Story of her life, she supposed. Whatever. If someone tackled Kurogiri and tried to kill him, at least it would make for an entertaining scuffle.
"Shall we?" Dabi asked sarcastically, offering her arm. "I know she'll interfere with Shoto if she needs to. She's got my back."
"So we shall." Harper sighed heavily, linking her arm with his. It felt sort of nice to have that much faith put in her, but she was also now deathly afraid of letting him down. She probably would. Oh well. Tsukauchi wiped a tear as they stepped through the portal, stepping out finding themselves disorientingly in front of the hulking gates of UA High. A few people jumped slightly at their sudden appearance, inching away from Dabi, who had a moderate amount of terror rolling out from within him. He kept his expression passive enough, however. Harper was impressed.
"We're here!" Kurogiri exclaimed from behind them. The pair turned to glare, and froze. Dabi choked out a cough, and Harper's eyes slowly grew until they could grow no wider. Her arm slipped from Dabi's and fell limply to her side, her brows furrowing. She'd seen a lot, but she didn't even realize this was possible. Was she hallucinating? She wouldn't be surprised if the stress finally got to her. "Why are they gazing at me in such a manner?"
"You have a... a face? Where'd the fucking gas go?!" Dabi gaped, worries pertaining to Shoto washed away by his utter surprise. Harper opened her mouth to say something, but found no words. She close dit again. "Holy... Holy shit. I thought he was a walking ball of gas this whole time, but he actually has a human body under there. I really didn't see this coming. It didn't even occur to me."
"Of course I have a face, Dabi. Most people do." Kurogiri looked confused. Harper gaped further. "That small Nezu fellow in the mouse suit said no quirk use."
Beneath his gaseous quirk, Kurogiri was a lean man with sharp features. His cheekbones were extremely high and pronounced, giving him a severe appearance. His golden eyes weren't glowing, naturally narrow and slanted, like a cat's. His hair was slicked back expertly, pitch black with a purple tint to it that reminded her of his warp gates. his skin was a light brown color that made him look fairly exotic and foreign, all things considered. But putting that aside, small fellow in the mouse suit? Should she tell him?
"I... have no words. Let's go and get this shit over with, and we can worry about it later." Harper decided. They didn't have time for this. She didn't have the mental capacity to even dwell on the fact that Kurogiri looked vaguely like a Calvin Klein model underneath all that... what? Warp Gate Gas? She had no fucking idea, nor did she care at the moment. She couldn't decide whether or not this made Kurogiri look more or less terrifying. Maybe a bit of both. He was smiling too sunnily to be scary.
Several people glanced their way as Harper led them in. Kurogiri had her backpack on his back and was holding her hand, and the brunette had Dabi by his sleeve, dragging him as he stared in shock at the unassuming warp-gate user with them. "I can't believe this asshole has had a face under there this whole time. So you mean to tell me, that when he's been throwing food aimlessly into his quirk, he's actually been making it into his mouth?!"
"Oh my god." Harper murmured, walking faster. Kirishima was waiting by the door, with light bags under his eyes and his hair looking slightly more ruffled than usual. Any traces of exhaustion vanished the exact moment he laid eyes upon Harper dragging Kurogiri and a confused-- and slightly offended-- Dabi behind her. Harper watched his face morph into one of complete and utter shock as he realized that the happy man carrying her backpack was indeed Kurogiri without all the smoke.
"Kurogiri has a face?! What about all the gas?!" Kirishima all but shrieked. Harper sighed as he fell into step alongside her, staring over her head at Kurogiri, who gave him a bright wave, looking entirely too happy about being here. "Holy crap. He has a face underneath all that! I had no idea! Did Harper know? I don't think she did, based on the amount of space between her eyebrows at the moment. They're too furrowed. Plus, her frown right now falls between her 'what the hell' frown and 'I'm tired and don't want to be here' frown."
Harper gave him a raised-brow look. His cheeks flushed when he realized what he'd just rambled about mentally. The brunette wasn't sure if she should be flattered he knew her facial expressions so well or weirded out. Maybe a bit of both?
"Of course I have a face. And the young man in the mouse suit informed me there was meant to be no quirk usage on these grounds, lest I get kicked out. I cannot allow that to happen. I must stay, to protect Harper Rye." Kurogiri said in a matter-of-fact-tone. "The rules put in place for someone of my nature are reasonable. I will follow them if it means I get to remain with Harper."
"Huh? Nezu is a real mouse." Kirishima noted, scratching the back of his neck. Kurogiri stopped walking completely, his eyes widening in horror. "Uh oh. I have a feeling I really wasn't supposed to say that."
"Never mind that. We'll meet you in class, Kirishima. We're supposed to meet with Hound Dog before." Harper sighed, waving him off. Dabi was trying not to laugh at the dawning horror creeping into Kurogiri's expression second by second. Being someone who enjoyed cleaning and cooking, mice, rats, and other rodents of that sort were the absolute bane of his existence. He was terrified of them, so to learn there was a giant one running Harper's school had to be nothing short of mortifying.
"Right, you got it." Kirishima gave a grin and a thumbs up. "Good luck! It'll be perfectly fine. Harper's amazing, after all. Wait, she heard me."
"Doubt it." Harper muttered as they parted ways. Dabi had recovered from seeing Kurogiri's mug, and was now back to quietly worrying about Shoto. "Not sure what I'm expecting. I hope he doesn't know who I am. Shit, but he may even recognize the name Dabi. What am I going to do? Ask them to call me Richard?"
"Listen up, folks. Hound Dog is the best person in this dump aside from Kirishima and maybe Izuku on a good day. He's nicer than the pair of you combined, so if you hurt his feelings, I'll castrate you. He's had to deal with enough of my bullshit." Harper sighed. She valued Hound Dog as someone she could trust. He wasn't judgemental and never asked too many questions. He knew when not to push. Harper hated therapists for personal reasons-- but Hound Dog was an exception. Guidance Counselors, evidently, were okay.
"Wow, you actually like someone? I never thought I'd see the day." Dabi drawled. "Must be one hell of a guy if she doesn't have some sort aversion to him."
"I will treat him with the utmost respect." Kurogiri swore. "Unless he is an alcoholic, like Sansa. Sansa is a mother fucking asshole piece of-"
Harper tuned out of that. Kurogiri almost never cursed, even in thought, unless Sansa was involved. The pair of them still didn't get on too well. Why, she had no idea. At least maybe he'd like Hound Dog more for being a dog rather than a cat. That being said, the warp-gate user definitely could've just developed a general dislike for people with animal heads. They may have a bit of an issue if that were the case. Harper would just roll with the punches for now. No need to make baseless assumptions.
The school was quiet once people got into class. UA was a well-established school with a tough curriculum. They expected a lot from the students here, so people were usually relatively focused, especially in the business courses. They were on the first floors' general department hall, which was where Hound Dog's office was located. Kurogiri was vibrating with excitement. It was weird to see the face that went with the many thoughts and emotions the warp-gate user usually experienced. Even Dabi seemed relatively enthralled with the many motions Kurogiri's expression seemed to shift through second by second.
"Harper!" Hound Dog popped out of his office before they could even get there, tail wagging. "I haven't really seen the pup in quite some time now! Its really got my tail wagging. I wish she'd bark my way more often."
Harper felt a little bad. Hound Dog had been a big help to her, and had also fallen victim to Endeavor's devious mind-raping ways, and she hadn't been making an effort to talk to him lately. It was hard to juggle everything at once, but she knew their small sessions together helped him feel more reassured that she wasn't actually going to spontaneously stab herself in the eye with a plastic fork in the middle of lunch due to stress. They weren't 'therapy sessions', Hound Dog swore. Just a 'healthy form of mental health care in the form of a chat.' So... therapy, pretty much. Harper appreciated the effort.
"Hey, Hound Dog. I've got a new victim for you to fix." Harper pulled her and Kurogiri's interlocked hands up. Hound Dog's eyes shifted from the brunette to the cheerful, bouncing man, who beamed and gave a hyperactive wave that really didn't match his appearance. Dabi snorted, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking away. Harper eyed him. Maybe getting the scarred man in here would do him some good too...
"I'm Kurogiri. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hound Dog. Harper Rye has spoken with you with the utmost respect, and has assured me that I will be in good paws." Kurogiri said. Harper watched Hound Dog go from zero to sixty in less than a second at the sound of a dog pun leaving Kurogiri's mouth. His chest puffed out proudly, his ears popped straight up, and his tail-wagging reached blurryingly high speeds. "Ah! He clearly values Harper Rye's opinion as much as I, if he is displaying such joy. Surely we will get along splendidly."
"Glad to hear someone's been barking good things about me." Hound Dog offered a paw-ish hand, and Kurogiri willingly shook it. Harper stood there patiently. Really, they could honest to god take all the time they wanted. The more time they spent here making each other's acquaintance, the less time Harper had to spend in class. Dabi clearly had the same idea, keeping his trap shut. Hound Dog was excited. "This Kurogiri character is a nicer dog than I pawght he'd be! I can tell he doesn't want to pawrt with the pup. I hope I can help him untangle his leash."
"He'll be by later for a chat. Thought it might be a good idea to introduce you two beforehand, so you're not thrown right into the deep end." Harper said, as though they weren't going to be throwing Hound Dog into the deep end anyway. The moment Harper dropped Kurogiri off here, Hound Dog was going to have to go through hell trying to calm him down. Presumably. Being around Hound Dog was pretty therapeutic all things considered. Harper couldn't even find it in herself to be annoyed by his countless dog puns.
"Yeah, good luck." Dabi snorted. "He's in for a wild ride. Not that I can really talk."
Harper let Hound Dog pat her head like she really was an actual puppy, which he seemed happy about. There were some drawn out goodbye's on Harper and Dabi's end of things, but the guidance counselor didn't appear to mind, allowing them to almost skip the entire first half of the first hour of class. Not much, but it was something. Maybe getting there before everyone else would've been better rather than walking in when everyone was already seated and waiting, all at once. Harper didn't know. It was too late now, anyway.
"Right. Kurogiri, you remember what we talked about, right?" Harper checked. The man looked even more exuberant than before. They were going to the class, and he was still with Harper! Halle-fucking-lujah! It's as though the ex-villain and thought it was going to be a trick. Harper let out a breath of air out of her nose. What did she have to lose anymore, right? Her life? If they hated her, they hated her. At least Kirishima was up to date.
"Yes, Harper Rye! I do recall." Kurogiri assured. Dabi looked like he was inching away from the door slowly, so Harper reached out and grabbed his sleeve so she could drag him back to where they lingered. He glared at her in retaliation, but she didn't give a damn. Kurogiri looked ready to explode. "I am going to class with Harper Rye! She will not die on my watch. Not at all!"
Wow, reassuring.
Harper took a deep breath and pushed open the door, causing any noise that was previously bouncing about the room to come to a dead halt. Aizawa turned away from the whiteboard to look at her, his eyebrows raising as she stepped in with a very happy Kurogiri and Dabi, who kept his eyes glued to the ground as he allowed himself to be reluctantly pulled through the door. Harper made sure to look as dead as possible so people would know to leave her the hell alone, keeping a solid grip on the two men she'd pulled in with her so they wouldn't run. Why did she feel like a parent dropping off her children for their first day of kindergarten?
"Ah, Harper. I was wondering where you'd went." Aizawa drawled, looking bored. His thoughts were anything but bland. "Oh my god, oh my god, I'm dying. You're too cute. You're holding onto both of them. You're just growing up so fast! Look at you, being a good parent to these two adopted sons! So cute! Also, Kurogiri has a face?"
"Whoa, is that Kurogana?!" Hagakure exclaimed. "That still doesn't sound right. The more I think about it, the more that sounds like an STD."
"Where'd his smoke go?" Momo asked, curious. "He seems... excited to be here. Like a small child. And who's that suspicious looking man with Harper? He looks... thuggish."
"I can't even move, I'm so scared!" Mineta's thoughts groaned. "He's going to kill us all. I can feel it!"
"Who the fuck is the patchwork quilt? They said there'd be one damn villain coming, not two." Bakugo complained harshly. "I'll blast them to pieces if they try shit! Can't let anything happen to Deku, after all. Or Deku's hot thi-"
"Neither are villains, so you can shut the fuck up and keep it to yourself." Harper said, irritated by the blonde's blunt and completely incorrect judgement. Kurogiri was emotionally fragile enough to start crying at the drop of a hat, and Dabi had more insecurities than an ex-hooker with HIV, no friends, small boobs, a short temper, and wrinkly feet. He already looked ready to set Bakugo on fire. "I'm tired as hell, I don't want to be here, and neither does Dabi. But he's my bodyguard, so he has to be."
Dabi kept his eyes glued to his feet, and Kurogiri bounced to life, reminding her too much of Aizawa's inner-self.
"Yes! I am Kurogiri, Harper Rye's best friend. I am here to insure no harm befalls her. You see, she adopted me on top of a building, and now I live in her home." Kurogiri introduced. A few people seemed to relax at his cheerfulness. The ability to see his face with an expression so open certainly helped. The thoughts of her classmates still remained uneasy. Kurogiri's eyes went to Harper's desk, and to the two chairs just behind it. "Look! Two chairs by Harper Rye's desk! I have seen this moment only in my dreams."
"Dabi and Kurogiri will be joining us until further notice. Leave them alone, and they'll leave you alone. They're harmless. Harper's got responsibility over them, so put your trust in her." Aizawa droned. "You're so cute. Look at you, with your little gang. SO adorable. I seriously don't know what you did to be so cute! It should be illegal. Is it illegal? I'm a hero, I should know! I'll definitely be looking into this. Omg, this is the best day ever. Can I take pictures later? Rhetorical question; I'm going to do it anyway."
Harper made brief eye-contact with Kirishima, and grimaced. He gave her a sympathetic smile as she pulled the pair back to her seat. Dabi's eye's flickered up, panic filling him as they got closer and closer to Shoto. Iida was sort of freaking out, but also curious to know if Kurogiri really did help them in Hosu with Stain, when he'd almost lost his life. Harper made a mental note to explain to Iida later, pulling Kurogiri into the chair closer to Shoto, and putting Dabi in the one closest to Sato. She could already feel drama brewing. It made her want to smash her head into a wall.
Dabi glanced up at Shoto, who was already staring at him with a perplexed expression. The scarred man promptly froze, emotion flooding his eyes. He hadn't seen his brother up close in how long? Harper sighed as she plopped down. Shoto's thoughts drifted over to her.
"Dabi... like... like the stuffed animal Touya gave me after I got my scar?" Shoto stared, his emotions weighed down with a heavy sadness as he remembered the loss of his oldest brother. Harper groaned, burying her face in her hands. Dabi gave her an alarmed look. She wanted one day where nothing happened. A break.
Her phone started to buzz in her pocket, and that was when she realized that, of course, that was never going to happen.