[ Michael just looks... surprised, honestly, when Izuku goes ahead and echoes what he'd just been thinking about himself. it's not like he needs the validation, not really, but--

he's touched all the same. ] ... Thanks, Izuku.

[ but his face falls again at the question, somewhere between bitterness and worry. ]

Your guess is as good as mine. We thought it didn't work at first. Which is what my money was on happening? I mean, I thought the whole thing was some sorta scam. [ he fidgets with the bracelets on his left wrist as he speaks. ] Then he spent a whole week totally blanking me like I wasn't even there, and then I woke up here. [ beat. ] Wait, no, not the whole week. There was like five minutes where--

[ he abruptly cuts himself off. ] Anyway, ignoring me aside he's just been acting - shady. Like, not himself.

[ which does sound a whole lot like brainwashing or mind control, but... Michael's not so sure he's completely sold on either of those. those five minutes where Jeremy wasn't ignoring him, he'd just seemed - confused more than anything else. like he genuinely hadn't seen Michael all day. ]