When Izuku came to, the first thing that struck him was the pain. From the taut, stinging pain of healing burns, to the deep, throbbing aches of old bruises, every inch of Izuku's body was alive with some unique form of pain. For a bewildered moment, Izuku thought he was having another precognitive episode when he realized that he couldn't see anything beyond the bland, nondescript ceiling directly over him.

"Hey, Izu-kun, you awake?"

Mina's voice snapped him out of his panic. He rolled his head just enough to see her sitting in one of the waiting chairs in Recovery Girl's office.

"Yeah," he croaked. "How long was I out?"

"A couple hours. Everyone wanted to wait for you to wake up, but Recovery Girl chased everyone out. I told them I'd text once you're up." She held up her phone and tapped a button. "And… sent! So, you remember what happened, right?"

Now that he had a moment to collect his thoughts, Izuku found his recollection of the future unaltered. There was a void for an indeterminate amount of time before Mina left, and more blank spots sprinkled through his precognition, but the disaster he foresaw, and the lives he'd save, remained as clear to him as the fluorescent bulb shining into his eyes.

"I… I won," Izuku said. His parched throat made his voice crack.

Mina giggled. "You sure did. I thought Bakugo-kun was going to explode standing on the number two spot. You were amazing out there, dodging all those explosions, swinging on the ice, and leaping right over Tokoyami's shadow. It was fun to watch."

Izuku winced at the reminder that Mina had to sit out the final rounds. "Listen, Mina, I-"

"If you're going to talk, wait until you have something to drink. You sound like one of Tsu-chan's cousins with all that croaking."

Izuku's face reddened. Once Recover Girl checked on him and gave him a glass of water, he continued where he had left off. "That last round, before the finals, if I had made a team with you - I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize for that, Izu-kun."

"I - I don't?"

"We might be dating, but that doesn't mean we have to do everything together. You did what you felt was best to win that round. I did the same. Plus, it's not like you meant to make me lose, right?"

"Well, no."

"Then it's not your fault." She crossed her arms. "If anything, I should be mad at Bakugo. All Might warmed him against letting rip those explosions in buildings, and look what happened. He blew a hole right through the ceiling, and I fell into it."

Reminded of his childhood friend, Izuku propped himself on his elbows and looked around, but none of the other beds were filled. Mina frowned and said, "Blasty went home already. You had the worst of it out of everyone."

Izuku looked down at the bandages wrapped around his arms and chest. One of his eyes had to peer out through a slit left in the wrapping around his face, and his hair had been buzzed down to keep it from matting up under the bandages.

"This seemed like a better idea at the time," Izuku admitted.

Mina laughed. Izuku felt a smile form under the bandages as giddiness danced in his chest.

"What, you thought you could take a fireball to the face and not come out looking like fried chicken?"

As Izuku faltered, unable to make a retort, Mina smiled and said, "I should get going. Of course Aizawa-sensei gives us a surprise homework assignment after the sports festival is over. It's a five-thousand-word essay on your performance during the sports festival and how you can improve for the future, stuff like that. He told me to tell you that you have an extra day to turn it in, since, you know, you won't be typing with those fingers."

"Thanks for letting me know. I already have some ideas." Truth was, Izuku had the whole essay written already.

"Well, if you need help, let me know. And if you, uh, want to help me a bit with mine…"

Izuku thought for a moment, and said, "Mention how you need to avoid collateral damage with your Quirk for the final preliminary round, and, uh, I guess say you should look into the chemistry of your acid, since it caused a big explosion reacting with the concrete."

"Ooh, I didn't think of the second one, nice!" Mina shot a furtive glance to the back of the office, where Recovery Girl was absorbed in computer work, and added, "You know, since you got first place in the festival, I think you've earned a prize."

Izuku furrowed his brow in confusion. "I mean, I already got the medal, right? I wasn't aware there were any other prizes."

Mina leaned in closer. Izuku felt his chest freeze, and his lips went very, very dry. "This one's a special prize," she whispered teasingly, "Just for you."

"R-r-really? I, uh, I have no idea what you're talking about, and you're getting really close, whew, is it getting hot in here or is it just these bandages?"

Mina giggled and said, "You have to be the densest boy I've ever met."

"Uh… thanks?"

Mina rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll just do it then."

Before Izuku could ask what she meant, her lips met his. A fiery tingle ran up his spine. Every part of him ached to grab her and pull her close, but he didn't dare move, for fear of breaking this fragile, beautiful moment.

After what felt like an eternity, but not nearly long enough to satisfy the aching void in Izuku's heart, Mina pulled away. She seemed vaguely disappointed when she said, "See you in school, Izu-kun."

"See you," he said breathlessly after she left. Recovery Girl came in with a tray of pills and regarded him with a raised eyebrow. Izuku felt a blush creep across his cheeks and studiously examined the sheets clenched in his hands.

"Feel any pain?"

"A bit."

Recovery Girl snorted. "Half your face is burned off, and you feel 'just a bit'. Here, let's patch you up a bit more."

Her lips reached out and brushed his cheek. Compared to the kiss he had just gotten, this felt as though a leech was hanging off his face. Izuku shivered as a rush of healing energy swept through his body, followed by a precipitous energy crash.

"It's six in the evening, in case you're curious. Head straight home, eat something, and go straight to bed, got it?"

Even if Izuku couldn't see his own future, he'd know he wouldn't have the energy to do anything else. He numbly nodded, took the painkillers Recovery Girl handed him, and went straight home.

Having gotten a phone call earlier from the school, his mother had laid out a light meal right before he made it back. Izuku mumbled his thanks as he plopped down at the table, mechanically ate, and went straight to his room.

Despite the fatigue overwhelming him, sleep eluded him a while longer. The sensation of his first kiss still lingered on his lips, clouding his mind with confused, giddy feelings. Thoughts skittered across his head like hyperactive mice. He wondered at what it meant, what the next step in their relationship would be, if he dared try it again, why she wanted to do it with him, and more, too hopelessly tangled to sort out without using his Quirk.

A part of him felt tempted to reach for it, to see how he should handle this new, anxiety-inducing turn they had just taken, but he firmly shook the thought away. He had come this far without it, and the knowledge that he had made something work out on his own, without his Quirk to guide him every step of the way, felt immensely gratifying.

He must have drifted off mid-thought, as the next thing he knew, his All Might alarm clock was shouting at him and sunlight was streaming in through the window. Every muscle felt stiff as he rolled out of bed, but as he stepped out of the bedroom, his Quirk fell back into place, chasing away his bodily inconveniences and replacing them with sensations to come.

His mother had a generous breakfast set out for him, grilled fish laid out over a bed of rice, with a steaming bowl of miso soup and a cup of natto. Izuku tucked in, scarfing down every scrap of food and going back for seconds. Inko watched with a nervous expression, barely touching her own food.

"Izuku," she said once he put his plate away, "I know you always wanted to be a hero, and I know I wasn't there for you when I should have been. I told you that you couldn't be a hero, everyone did. I just… you didn't have to push yourself so hard, at the festival. You were bleeding so much, and that one round, I was so worried something happened to you. I couldn't see through the mist, and in that moment, I thought… I…"

As she faltered for words, Izuku came around the table and wrapped his arms around her. She wiped the tears out of her eyes before she returned the hug.

"I did what I had to," Izuku said. "You don't have to worry, I'm fine."

"I'm glad you are, but I'm worried that somewhere down the line, for your internships, or when you graduate, you won't be okay. I'm worried that, one day, you're going to push yourself too far, like you did at the USJ at the start of the year, and they're not going to be able to fix you."

She pulled herself away but kept her hands on his shoulders. "I'm not going to ask you to stop. You worked too hard to get where you are, and I couldn't be more proud of you." A shaky smile curled her lips. "You even won the sports festival. There's already a pile of mail at the door, and I've been getting phone calls non-stop." The smile vanished. "Some weren't… very nice, but there were plenty calling to thank you for what you did out there. You made a difference for so many people, and I am so proud of you for it. I just want you to be safe, okay?"

"I will, mom."

Inko wrapped him in one last hug before guiding him to the door. She had already packed his backpack for him. "Have fun on your last day, Izuku, and good luck with your internships!"

"Thanks mom. I'll let you know which ones I get."

He could have told her right then and there which ones he would get. It was a short list, given the fact that he had come in first, and he had known it since he had woken up in the hospital nine months ago. Instead, he went straight to school and found his way to his desk. He could practically feel Mina's eyes on him as he took his seat, but he couldn't bring himself to approach her, not until he could think about her without putting his stomach in freefall.

The class immediately snapped into focus as Aizawa entered the room. He had a stack of manila folders in his hands, which he slapped onto his podium.

"For one month this summer, you will intern with a Pro Hero. As you don't have your licenses yet, you will be limited to supporting patrols and training alongside sidekicks. You are not, under any circumstance save in defense of your lives, to engage a villain. Understood?"

At Aizawa's harsh words, the class meekly nodded. Aizawa glared at all of them, lingering on Bakugo and Izuku in particular. "Your internship offers have come in, and we have already reviewed them. To show everyone where you all stand, the number of offers you've gotten will be shown on the board."

To Izuku, the numbers were no surprise, but the rest of the class reacted with a mix of disappointed groans, muffled shouts of joy, and confused mutters.

"How come Deku only has sixty offers?" Uraraka asked indignantly. "He won, didn't he?"

"Because he's Quirkless, that's why," Bakugo scoffed. "He may have won, but there's only so much he can do without a Quirk. I bet only the bottom feeders want him to cash in on his cheap victory."

"Actually, six of his offers are from the top ten," Aizawa cut in, "And all of them are from agencies in the top hundred of the nation. A few foreign agencies even suggested an exchange program, but for first-years, that's not allowed."

That quickly took the wind out of Bakugo's sails. He glared sourly at Izuku as he opened up his results. His folder of offers was the thickest, as over half the agencies in Japan wanted his internship. Todoroki had an equally impressive pile, while Tokoyami and Uraraka had a sizable stack off offers to sort through. Everyone else had gotten a handful, except for the few 1-A students that had been eliminated in the first round. Hagakure indignantly waved her arms as she shouted how unfair the internships were, while Koda shrank in his chair.

"If you didn't get an internship offer, we will arrange one for you. Those of you that did get one, you will be discussing your options with your business-course partner. Unless circumstances prevent it, you and your partner will both intern at the same agency. I will answer any questions you might have during homeroom, and you will have an extended lunch period for today to review your options. You have until the end of the week to submit your options, though if you get your submissions in early, you can start at your chosen agency sooner."

Aizawa was almost immediately assailed by those with no internships to their name, while those with manila folders to sort through reviewed their list of options. Izuku's list went by order of Agency ranking, with All Might's at the top, and Gunhead at the end. Kaminari peered over his shoulder and gawked at the names. "Dude, All Might picked you? I didn't even know he took interns!"

"He's probably taking one this year because he's a teacher," Asui pointed out. "And it's kind of rude to look without asking."

Kaminari winced and started to apologize, but Izuku shrugged and held it up so he could see better. Kaminari whistled as he saw the rest of the names. "Dude, the entire top five went after you, that's insane! Kinda figured that Best Jeanist and Edgeshot would be on that list, given how you fight, but Endeavor? How the hell did you get him to pick you?"

Shoto, who had been absorbed in his own list up to that point, suddenly looked up at Izuku. "Wait, he picked you?" Shoto thought back to the sports festival, to his father's expression after he had lost, and wondered what plans his father had in store for him.

Before Shoto could say anything, Mina walked up to Izuku and leaned over his shoulder. "Wow, even Miruko wants a piece of you, Izu-kun. I thought she had this whole lone-wolf thing going on."

"Maybe she has a thing for green hair," Mineta said with a smirk. "Man, I can only imagine what she could do with her thighs."

Jirou sighed and said, "I'm going to miss having Mineta effectively gagged by that contract."

"I'm not! Do you have any idea how horrible it's been? It's inhumane! A crime against humanity!"

"It's what you get for signing random stuff," Bakugo shot back. He had expected Endeavor's name at the top of his list, and finding that he had been overlooked for Izuku by someone who supposedly prized the most powerful Quirks had been a terrible blow to his ego. It was poor consolation to find the offer from Best Jeanist at the top of his list. He didn't bother looking at the other offers, instead checking the box next to Jeanist's agency and slapping it on Aizawa's desk.

Their teacher gave him an irritated look. "You should talk it over with your partner first."

"If he's got a problem with it, he can shove it. I'm not taking anything less than the best."

Aizawa left the form where it lay. "You have until the end of the day to change your mind. Otherwise, you'll have to live with it."

In the cafeteria, the longer benches had been set aside in favor of two-person tables. Hero students and their business partners sat together, while the general course and tech students kept to their own tables. Izuku grabbed himself and Agoyamato bowls of katsudon while his business partner went over the list of options.

"I'm rather surprised by this list," Agoyamato said as he checked it over. "Most agencies lower down on the rankings send offers to everyone they can. The fact they aren't means they're afraid of backlash of some kind. Publicity, maybe, but considering how twitter's trending, I don't know why they'd be worried."

"Maybe it's the fact I'm Quirkless?"

"With the way you fought in the festival? Not a chance. Your projected market value after that performance is way too high for them to throw away without a bigger consequence to outweigh the benefits." Agoyamato set the papers down and tucked into his food. "Well, not much point in wondering. You've got an incredible list of options to choose from. If I'm being honest, the one to take is All Might. Being his first intern in five years will be huge."

"I was planning to work with Endeavor, actually."

Agoyamato frowned and checked the list again. "Any specific reason?"

Telling him about what will happen in Hosu was not an option. Instead, Izuku said, "He has a reputation for only picking the most powerful Quirks. By working at his agency, I prove that I can stand on even terms with them."

"Part of your branding strategy?" Agoyamato mulled it over. "Not sure I agree with that one. It is true that there are far more connections to make through Endeavor, but All Might's reputation would go a long way to getting you set up. Just look at Nighteye."

"What about you?" Izuku asked. "Would All Might be a better internship for you?"

Agoyamato winced. "To tell the truth, Endeavor's would be better. He has the largest agency and has a ton of marketing behind him."

"Then we'll both benefit from Endeavor."

With a shrug, Agoyamato said, "As your business consultant, I prioritize your interests first, but if you've made up your mind, then I won't argue against it."

At the end of the day, he handed in his choice with the rest of the class. Todoroki lingered towards the back of the room until he saw Izuku coming up and handed in his with him. Todoroki stole a furtive glance at Izuku's form. Once they left, Todoroki pulled him aside.

"Why are you picking him? Is he making you?"

Izuku gave him a confused expression. "Why would he make me? He offered, and I took it."

"You took it when you could have interned with All Might?"

"I think Endeavor's is the better opportunity. All Might hasn't been as active lately."

Todoroki hesitated, but after a deep breath, he said, "You need to change your mind. Pick anyone else, just don't pick him."

"Why? Is something wrong with him?"

Todoroki caressed the edge of his scar with his left hand. "He isn't a good person… he treats others like tools, uses them for what he wants and discards them when he doesn't need them anymore. I don't know what he wants to use you for, but for your own sake, you need to find a different internship."

Izuku pretended to think it over, but he knew his future was already set. "Thank you for the warning, but I'm not changing my mind. As a hero, I can't play it safe. I have to do whatever it takes to save the people that need saving. I will be careful, but I'm still going with Endeavor."

A flash of anger crossed Todoroki's face, but he quickly reined it in. As he walked past, he said, "Remember not to trust him."

"What about you?" Izuku asked. "Which agency did you pick?"

"Selkie. My ice will be a lot stronger in a place with more water."

"Your fire would be useful too, for lighting moonless nights, making a sudden steam cloud to hide yourself, or warming up someone who fell in the water."

Todoroki's features darkened. "I see. Maybe you'll be fine with Endeavor."

The temperature of the hallway plummeted as Todoroki left, though whether it was his Quirk or his attitude, Izuku couldn't tell. He waited a few minutes longer and caught Iida coming out of the room.

"Hey, Iida-san, which one did you pick?"

"Manual," he said in a flat tone. "It's… a good opportunity."

"That's in Hosu, right?"

Iida flinched at the mention of that city. "Yes, I guess it is. Why do you ask?"

"Endeavor's agency is in that area as well. We might see each other on patrol routes."

An uneasy expression came over Iida's expression. "That - that would be nice to see you, but we shouldn't socialize during our internships. If you really want to talk, we could text each other in our spare time."

Izuku cocked his head to one side. "Are you feeling okay? You seem a bit down since the festival."

"I'm fine." Iida cast a furtive glance around the hall. "Just a bit disappointed about what happened at the festival is all. Nothing else."

"So, you're not feeling down because Stain put your brother in the hospital?"

Iida froze up. "How did - that's right, you follow heroes as a hobby. I don't remember telling anyone Ingenium was my brother."

"You both have the same last name, and the engines are kind of a giveaway."

With a mirthless chuckle, Iida said, "I guess you're right. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so I never brought it up. I thought if everyone knew I was related to a hero, they'd think I was only here because I came from a hero family."

"How is he doing?"

"He's paralyzed." Iida clenched his hands and looked away. "Please don't tell anyone, but he… he won't… he told me to take his name. I have to be Ingenium now."

"Only you can decide what hero to be, not your brother."

"I can't let it end like this. I looked up to him, wanted to be like him my whole life. Seeing him like that, not even able to walk…" A tear ran down from underneath his glasses. "Please excuse me. I need to be alone for a bit."

"I can't stop you from looking for Stain."

Iida stopped in his tracks. Tears spilled down his cheeks as he stared in disbelief. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said nervously.

"You're interning in the same location that the villain who nearly killed your brother is suspected to be at."

Jaw clenched and back straight, Iida wiped the tears out of his eyes and said, "I - I have to, for the sake of Ingenium. I can't let him get away with hurting my brother. So please, don't tell anyone."

"I won't but I need you to promise me one thing."

"What is it?"

"If you get a chance to run, take it."

"But-"

"If you die, there'll be a lot more people feeling the same way you do right now."

Through gritted teeth, Iida said, "Fine, then. But I will bring him to justice. I won't let him get away."

Footsteps approached them. Iida strode quickly away as Mina came up to Izuku. She got a look at Iida's face and once they were alone, asked, "Man, what was that about? I was starting to think he didn't have emotions."

"His brother's, uh, in the hospital."

Mina cringed. "Yikes, I sounded like an asshole. Is he going to be okay?"

"I don't know, Iida didn't mention any details." Izuku nervously ruffled his hair and asked, "So, uh, which agency did you pick?"

"Manual. He does a lot with liquids, and it would be interesting to see what he could do with my acid. There's all kinds of tips he could give me as well." Mina grinned and said, "I already know which one you picked."

"Really? How did you guess?"

Mina snorted. "Dude, I've seen your bedroom. The moment I heard he picked you, I knew exactly where you'd be going."

"Uh, actually, I picked Endeavor."

Mina blinked. "Him? Why him?"

Izuku was about to mention the same reason he gave earlier, but it felt too hollow to him. He didn't want to lie about it, but he couldn't tell the truth either. "Endeavor's involved in a lot more incidents these days. I can do a lot more working for him than for All Might."

"So, you're just going to throw away the chance to intern under your favorite hero?" Before Izuku could answer, Mina shrugged and said, "Well, it's your choice. Keep in touch, alright?"

"I will."

Mina lingered on for long enough that Izuku wondered if there was something else that she wanted. Before he could ask, Mina said an awkward goodbye and left, leaving Izuku with the lingering feeling that he had messed up somehow.


A/N: I'm getting better at anticipating how my writing over the course of a vacation will go. Poorly. I got half a chapter done, and I might get some more done tonight, and really, that's all I can ask of my vacation brain. On the bright side, I did get around to cleaning my apartment and made some delicious lemon custard bars, so I'll take what victories I can.

To The Chaos Lord of Ash, Detnerat's the canonical name for the company, not my own invention. I can't speak for any deeper meaning it might have.

To Airchampion, Katsuki's definitely one of those characters that's tough to keep honest to canon, mainly because his personality goes through quite the overhaul over the course of the anime. Glad to hear my rendition is handling it well.

To Hardwin Potter, integrating the MLA earlier was more or less a happy accident, stemming from the overhaul of the sports festival. Izuku needed a sponsor, and I couldn't think of anyone better than the corporation secretly funding Japan's largest Quirk supremacist organization. From there, everything else just kinda happened.

A jjjj, Izuku necesita cuidarse con las acciones que hace, para razones que serán claras con tiempo. Para ahora, simplemente diré que, si Izuku trata de hacer algo que no vio, puede hacer una paradoja.

To lovleydragonfly, one irritation I have with some fanfics is how they strip Endeavor of basically all personality and turn him into an irredeemable douchebag. I definitely don't intend on making him a saint, but I intend to avoid demonizing him as well.

To Juan Esteban Reyes Batista, tengo suficientes problemas entendiendo física en Ingles, no necesito discutir física en una lengua que solo puedo entender un poco.

To Blumstein, hearing someone ponder the significance of free will and determinism in my story makes my inner English major super happy. I do hope that this chapter has, or at least promises, the social development you're looking for.

And to LunariaDecielo, it's been quite fun reading through your reviews and tracking your reactions to chapters as you work your way through the story. In particular, I really like your reviews in the wake of the USJ incident.

Welp, that's it for my vacation, back to the grindstone. See you all next week, and happy 2021!