UA's Ghoul | Ghoul!Izuku Au |

The few we once called friends.

The sun had just started to set by the time Izuku got back to the dorms, shuffling his feet through the doors silently as All Might, who had escorted him back, followed him through the doors.

His classmates had just begun to settle for the evening, creating a pillow fort in the living room with sounds of joy radiating thought-out the room, and dishes of food laying spread out over the kitchen table just out of view.

Izuku felt his expression soften at the sight, momentarily forgetting the anxiety which had been building as he had walked to the dorms, watching his classmates silently as they ran about grabbing stuff for their movie night; all with smiles attached to their faces.

The entire atmosphere around the room had lifted Izuku's dull spirits, making him almost forget they hadn't noticed he was there when the sounds of the dorm front door shutting behind them grabbed a few of his classmates' attention.

The instance reaction at noticing his presence varied widely between people, for better or for worse.

"Deku-Kun!"

A loud excited squeal from over the other side of the living room as Ochako bolted towards him before pulling him into a tight hug around his waist; the sudden action catching him by surprise.

Izuku jumped back slightly at her action, a little unsure as to what to do as he tensed up at the unfamiliar contact before gently placing his arms around her body to return the hug, offhandedly ignoring the embarrassed flush he could feel warming upon his cheeks.

Ochako looked up from where she had been squeezing him and offered him a wide smile before quickly tightening her hold and letting go to grab ahold of his hands to get a good look at him.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're alright!" She began with a bubbly grin, her personality radiating like waves around her making Izuku smile awkwardly just as another voice joined the pair of them.

"Midoriya!"

Todoroki was quick to join their side, his smile much smaller and still just as comforting as Ochakos as some of the other members of their class began to circle the trio of them.

As the smiles and voices filled with joy surrounded him, it didn't take long for him to notice the stark contrast between the people watching silently behind.

Mineta, who Izuku remembered seeing at the training camp along with Iida, Kouda, and Ojiro while he was in his ghoul form, froze as their eyes made contact. The cold, terrified look he was sent made Izuku's heart drop as he saw the muted fear behind his classmates' eyes, the poor boy physically shivering at his presence.

Something in him felt odd, watching someone he never really considered a friend but a classmate nonetheless, murmuring something to a tense-looking Tokoyami who was standing beside Shoji before quickly scampering away from him.

Izuku gulped as he felt the smile on his cheeks tighten, his eyes training in on the rest of the few others hanging back silently from the crowd, subconsciously blocking out the noise from the frequent question and discussion happening right beside him.

Tokoyami and Shoji, stood awkwardly at the edge of the kitchen, watching from afar; the looks of unsure distrust and mild displeasure as they shared a knowing look together.

The two boys had both been with their small group when both he and Bakugou had been kidnapped, both of them sharing the same memories of him tearing the Nomu apart to its death as he lost control over his body.

Izuku hadn't had the chance to talk to them yet, to try and explain why, but he didn't think it would be worth trying to defend his actions; seeing the lingering looks of fear and tension which filtered between them.