Ch. 9 The Devil's Deal

There was a satisfying, sickening crunch under the heel of her palm as she struck a criminal one last time. His nose caved in, and he fell to the ground. She gave herself a beat to make sure he didn't get up before turning with ruthless efficiency to face the other oncoming attackers. Pinky called out from somewhere in the back of the lobby that Ochaco was fighting in.

"Damn, Uravity! You're really showin' those idiots who's boss."

Uraraka only took in her surroundings for a moment. They were inside a modest hotel lobby. It was well lit with nice, open windows that allowed the sun to mingle with the white, electric light from the overhead fluorescents. Before the fight broke out, the lobby was clean to the point of sterility. Standing front and center was the reception desk. Polished wood gleamed on the counter and framed the support beams that framed the desk. On the right was a small lounge area where patrons could relax on some decent couches and matching chairs. To the left was the beginning of a carpeted hallway. Right now, she was taking stock of the men she dropped. One body behind her; another at eleven o' clock; two more at three. Now all she had left were two badly hurt and weary thugs. The closest stood about ten feet away, just off to the left; his friend was further away near the hallway entrance to her right.

A few tears spoiled the look of their black leather jackets and plain white shirts, courtesy of Uravity herself when she had countered a few poorly aimed knife thrusts. They were bruised with small trickles of blood running down their faces. These last two had been hardier than their friends, but that was only going to make taking them down all the sweeter. Uravity wasn't in much better shape than the rest of her victims. Her face was scuffed from blows that just nicked her; blood flowed down from her nose; there were cuts along her arms and thighs, the exposed skin bleeding slightly. A few flesh wounds and bruises weren't going to be enough to stop her, though. She gifted her next victim with a wild smile, her eyes fierce with battle lust. Ochaco took a step forward and dropped her shoulder. The fools took the bait, and she launched herself to the left at an angle. With a quick sweep backward of her right leg, she dropped the nearest goon flat on his back. Uravity popped up and carefully aimed her boot for the man's forehead. She stepped forward, the head under her soles slamming against the tiled floor, and she moved towards the last guy.

He looked scared, like he was about to piss his pants. The knife in his hand shook as he took uncertain steps backwards and away from Uravity. She knew the look in his eyes. This shithead's about to run for it. Like hell he will!

Sure enough, the criminal turned heel and tried to sprint away. She didn't take the time to aim her gauntlet. She didn't need to anymore. With the press of a button, a metal coil sprang forward towards the man's ankles. She hit her mark, and she tugged at the wire to bring him down. The knife flew out of his hand and slid a few inches past his head. Before he could frantically try to reach out for it, Uraraka was pinning him down in order to cuff him. As Pinky guided the crowd of civilians outside, she whooped in celebration.

Ochaco's blood pulsed against her temples as she cuffed the others splayed out on the floor. Sure, they were knocked out but you could never be too careful. When she was satisfied with her work, Uravity pulled up the only one still awake by his shoulders. With excessive force, she shoved him into one of the flanking pillars of the desk. She held him up against the rough plastered surface by grabbing a fistful of his ragged shirt.

"Alright you, where is she?" she demanded. The criminal could only look at her with one eye open as blood began to pool in his eye. It wouldn't be long before he passed out, and she needed answers.

"Where's who, Gravity Girl? Does it look like we got any chicks with - hurrf!"

"You know damn well who I'm talking about," Uravity venomously spat out. She pulled out a creased up photo from a belt compartment and thrust it into the man's face. "Her name is Yuang. You and your boys are part of the gang that brought here. Now, you tell me where she is or I swear to fucking god!"

"Heh, you wanna swear, little girl? Try this on for size: fuck you. I ain't a snitch."

"No, but you are stupid," she retorted before finally decking him with a solid hit from her elbow. Uravity let go and watched him slump down to the ground. The pro hero was seething. While this operation could have been called a success in the papers, Uravity knew that the sting had gone sideways. The villains had been expecting them. The majority were taken care of by Hikari's Quirk. The six that escaped had been dealt with by herself. That just left the civilians who were being evacuated by Mina. The heroes had planned to do this quietly so as to not attract attention. Unfortunately, the villains had decided to be idiots and start the fight which led to civilians being witness to the savage beatings Uravity so readily handed out like Halloween candy. The lobby was a mess now. Broken chairs and torn pamphlets littered the hallway entrance where most of the fighting took place. She dusted herself off and called out to her team through her earpiece.

"Roll call, team. Uravity - front lobby."

"Pinky in the parking lot!"

"Stoplight. Still on the second floor, East wing. Just have two more goons to cuff."

Uravity breathed out in relief. She knew Hikari was strong, but she always worried about the sidekick whenever they went out. Her agency normally focuses more on rescues and disaster control, but that had changed after the charity gala. Ochaco was on a warpath and would not be satisfied until she found Yuang.

It had been painstaking work to procure a search warrant from the Four-Nine-One. If it hadn't been for Shoto's intervention, Ochaco was convinced that they might have missed another lead. As it was, Hosori had denied her initial request to search the hotel where the Gala had been held. There wasn't time to dwell on the captain's decision, strange and misplaced as it was. Uravity cast her frustration aside and continued searching for Yuang with little to go on. She reluctantly turned to the case file that Deku delivered. Uraraka found that the shipment invoices were irregularly formatted with consistent oddities. Instead of the normal working shifts, the deliveries were at strange times. One at noon, another at three in the morning… the times didn't make sense. There were also multiple deliveries to the same location on the same day. That wasn't unheard of, but something about the deliveries threw up a red flag for Ochaco. The product delivered -and picked up- was always seven. There was no way that delivery trucks would be consistently balancing the shipments to always leave seven items at the warehouse. Looking closer at the delivery locations, Ochaco noticed the locations also went against standard shipping codes.

M8-37, SAL... H200-MSt... OS87 -SSE, ANE... There were only about twelve delivery spots in total recorded. A pattern emerged soon enough, however. A new shipment would arrive once every three months for a select few drop offs. The product looked as if they were being rotated. That had puzzled her until she looked at a picture of Yuang. It had clicked.

The deliveries were people. The locations were hotels.

It would be another couple of weeks before the next delivery was scheduled, according to the pattern she had unearthed, but Uravity was impatient. More than a week had passed since she had seen Yuang. The longer they waited, the more danger the woman was in.

"Pinky, when did the police say they would arrive again?" she asked, biting her lip as she stared at the electric double doors.

"They were about five minutes away last time we checked in. I think - wait! Hold on, they're here!" Sure enough, the sound of wailing sirens accompanied by flashing emergency lights greeted through the windows. A squad of five officers piled into the lobby and balked at the sight before them. Uravity wiped the blood off her upper lip and strutted up to the dumbstruck cops. She recognized one of them from her visit right out of the hospital. They had pale blue eyes and matching hair that swept in front of their face in sharp, angled bangs. Uravity looked right at them.

"Do you know if Hosori is coming? I need to talk to her."

"Um, she's on her way Ms. Uravity," the officer said with a waver in their even voice. Ochaco nodded and allowed the rest of the group to move on. She stopped the blue haired officer with a simple hand on her shoulder. They looked at her with a cocked eyebrow, a silent question hanging in the air between the two.

"What's your name again?" Uravity casually asked. It was a simple inquiry that she offered with a sincere smile. It lost its effect as it was surrounded by the hero's roughed up exterior.

"I'm Officer Yonezu. They/them if you please," they answered. Uravity nodded. She led them towards the hallway where Hikari now stood, triumphant in her outrageous costume made of almost exclusively traffic lights. Yonezu's face pulled down the corners of their lips and scrunched up thier nose. Hikari's suit was truly something to behold if you could stomach it.

"Hey boss!" Stoplight called out with a jaunty wave, "All wrapped up over here. Now what?"

"Glad you asked, Stoplight. I was just asking Officer Yonezu about Captain Hosori's ETA. She didn't ride with any of y'all? No? Hrm. That's weird right?" Uravity asked Hikari. The sidekick paled at the look in Ochaco's eyes.

"Heh, yeah, weird… Hey, boss? Could I have a word real quick?"

"Oh sure, but right after I find out who squealed. We got jumped before everyone was in position. No way those idiots knew what was happening without a leak!" Uravity shouted. Her arms shook in Hikari's hands as her sidekick held her back. Yonezu looked Uravity evenly and crossed their arms.

"What are you trying to say, Uravity?" they asked. There was venom in those words that threatened to dissolve any shred of Rainy Day's credentials with the police. Luckily, an intervention came in the form of Captain Hosori herself.

"Fall in! Front Lobby!" The call had come through the radios placed on the officers' chest. One by one, they filed in line and stood at attention. Hosori stiffly marched into the lobby with Pinky in tow. Mina was slightly hunched as she followed in the captain's commanding shadow. Hosori herself looked even more severe than before. The edges of her uniform and badges were sharper than last Uravity had seen. Her dark eyes were creased into a squint, the wrinkles folding around the soft tissue. Her mouth was pulled down in something akin to a sneer.

"Hosori!" Uravity greeted with a falsetto cheer, "So good of you to finally show up! While you and your kids took your sweet time getting here, we got attacked!"

"Is that so? Very well. Officers! Round up the criminals. I need to have a word with the heroes regarding the next steps." They saluted and went about calling in ambulances for the six men Uravity took out. Yonezu shot her a challenging glare before tending to the man Ochaco had interrogated.

Hosori led the three heroes to the lounge area. She scrutinized them for a moment. It took all of Uravity's self control to not burst into a triade. Ashido and Nomura grabbed the anti-gravity user's hands, squeezing them to assure her. It worked for the moment.

"I know I have been... unavailable for your little investigation, but to go as far as to compromise this operation? All because of your reckless -"

"Lemme just stop you right there, Hosori," Uravity interrupted, pointing a shaking finger at the captain, "We did everything right. We showed; we called; we filed the right paperwork and where did that get us? Unavailable, my ass! I want answers! What the hell happened that you let Yuang slip back into those bastards' hands?"

Hosori took a moment to close her eyes and breathe. Uravity knew it was the adrenaline talking, but right now, it felt right to embrace it. Yuang's desperate eyes flashed across her vision. She felt tears sting at the corners of her eyes but refused to shed them. What right did she have to grieve when she had a warm, safe home to return to at the end of the day? Uravity wouldn't give the villains, Hosori, or Deku the satisfaction of seeing her break.

"I see someone picked up some bad habits from their ex," was all Hosori gave. Ashido and Nomura gasped. They turned to look at Uravity who only smiled sweetly at Hosori. The captain turned her nose up and walked away. "I have the warrant in hand. Go search for anything or anyone that looks like the alleged trafficking."

"Sure thing. We'll be sure not to let anyone slip out of our hands," Ochaco shot back. The girls took turns hugging Uravity and checked up on her. She did her best to fend off their fussing, reassuring them over and over that she was fine. When they were satisfied, they split up to search their assigned floors.

The Four-Nine-One swept the first three floors in pairs. That left the remaining three to the heroes. Uraraka had called dibs on the top floor earlier, so she took off to the stairs. Mina called out to her friend as she reached the stairwell entrance.

"Be careful, girl!" Uravity gave her a thumbs up and took off.

The stairs were plain. Concrete walls squeezed the staircase into a tight wrap that did not allow quick access to the top landing. Uravity took away her own gravity and leapt up to run along the wall.

Uravity knew she was already running on fumes. She felt it in the way her muscles burned, in the way she breathed, in the blurry edges of her vision. Her stomach was immediately relieved when she released her Quirk's hold. Uraraka took a moment to gather herself, propping her hands on her knees as she keeled over. Yuang flashed across her mind, once again. Uravity growled and threw open the door to the sixth floor. More bland, throwaway carpet greeted her. The walls had a textured pattern on them, as if they were folded paper that had been bunched up together. Flanking each door frame were plain sconces that emitted light upward. The hall stretched out with about twelve rooms on her left and eleven on the right. She called out to her team through her earpiece.

"Uravity on the sixth floor. Startin' search. Holler if you find something."

She was about to knock on the closest door when she heard a high pitched yelp come from out in the distance. Uravity began sprinting towards the source of the commotion, turning around the corner. Uravity sprinted with all her might as she heard the gruff sounds of fighting mingled with the yelling. Dread flooded her limbs as she reached the corner to the West wing. Please don't be here. Anyone but you.

Deku stood in between three very large bruisers. He wore a full mask now. The ears protruded over his wild green hair. She could see in the clearer light that his mask was a solid green with white eyes outlined in black. The mask conformed to the curve of his face where his nose jutted out. The lower half of his mask had a strange mouth guard that made it look like he was grinning. He was in a large trench coat, with a pristine white button up and vest underneath with a red silk tie that hung loosely under his collar.

The burly men surrounding him looked as if they were only made of muscles. Their matching black shirts were stretched tightly over their chest arms. They towered over Deku who was fairly tall himself. Uravity shot Midoriya a nasty look, but stopped when she saw a petite hand outstretched through the nearest door. Without hesitation, Ochaco leapt into the fray.

She threw her first shot at Deku himself, but he nimbly redirected it towards the bruiser on his left. He pirouetted and kicked at the other that closed up the rear. To her surprise, they both disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. The remaining crook began to chuckle, his laugh graveled and corse. He cracked his knuckles with a wicked grin splitting his face.

"So, you figured it out, did ya? Eh, brawling ain't no fun if I can't break your face." Ochaco looked to Deku in confusion. He only shrugged.

"I'll explain later. First we've got to get that girl out of there," he whispered to Uravity. He surprised her once more, charging forward with a warcry. "I've got him! Get her!"

For some one so lithe and agile, Deku was one hell of a slugger. He feinted his way into the criminal's blindspot, jumped up into the air with a spin, and threw out a kick into the beefy chest of the crook. The man staggered back several feet, giving Uravity the opening she needed. Without a moment's hesitation, she jumped up to plant her feet against the wall and activated the boosters in her boots. As she was crossing the threshold into the room, she watched Deku slide on his knees underneath her. He leaned backwards, and she swore he winked at her with his shutter lensed eyes. Uravity twisted in midair, avoiding the ceiling and door frames. She used her boosters to slow down and she landed square in the middle of the room.

A woman lay along the wall passed out. She quickly assessed the rest of the room as Deku struggled against the bruiser. The black out curtains were drawn but clumsily so. Shafts of daylight sliced into the room, painting the nearest wall with spots of golden yellow. There were two beds that made up the majority of the room. Their duvets and sheets lay on the mattresses in shreds, bits of cotton still flying in the air. Huddled against the walls and in between the beds were at least five other women. They were in various stages of undress - one being completely nude. Bruises covered their faces and neck. Some were bleeding. Uravity assured them they were safe just as Deku cried out in pain.

"Deku! What's going on out there?" The villain rolled back into view and gave her a shaky thumbs up.

"I've got this! Everything's going according to - ack!" The bruiser had picked him up by the scruff of his collar, and threw a gut shattering punch to his stomach which shut him up. Uravity rolled her eyes and charged the distracted villains. With her hands out in front of her, Uraraka took the man's gravity away and shoved him into the opposing wall. He let out a grunt, floating up to the ceiling. His eyes widened in shock as he tried to retaliate. Ochaco used her boosters once more to drive her gauntlets into his head. They crashed into the plaster above and she released her hold. He didn't scream or flail as he fell, landing heavily with a mighty crash. Uravity made sure not to smash his head when he landed.

"You got it from here, Ms. Hero?" Deku called out. Ochaco watched as he was sprinting towards the fire escape that led to the roof. He was waving his mask in hand and gave her a cheeky grin. "I still owe you that date!"

"Get back here you mother -!"

"Uravity? You ok over there?" Mina called out. Ochaco twisted around to look at the corner in fear. Thankfully, Ashido and the police hadn't arrived yet but she could hear several pairs of feet stomping their way towards her. She looked behind her and sure enough, Deku was gone. Great.

Ochaco called out to her partner. She sounded tired. Her limbs were laden with a heavy exhaustion that had nothing to do with taking down several villains on her own. With a final look in Deku's wake, Uravity got busy checking on the civilians in the hotel room.

"Pinky, I need a medic over here! Bring some cancel cuffs too!"

She knelt next to the unconscious woman and took her pulse. Still alive. Uraraka lightly brushed the hair out of the woman's face. The skin was waxy, sunken, with puckered bruises scattered across her forehead and cheeks. Uravity balled her hand into a fist. These poor women...

It was a few moments before the cavalry arrived. Mina hopped on the back of Uraraka's latest victim, her legs straddling him like a horse wrangler. Pinky gave her a hearty wink before slapping on a pair of reinforced Quirk cancelers on his wrists. A few EMT's filed in behind Ashido and got to work on aiding the women before Uravity. The sting was over. Now all that was left was to let the cops do their jobs and file their reports. She looked at the officers hovering around the victims while the medics blocked them from trying to ask questions. The cops looked agitated, their hands resting on their guns. Uravity walked up and placed herself in between them.

"There a problem, officers?" she asked with an even look. They backed away, grumbling that they were only doing their job. Uraraka bit back on her retort and turned her attention to medics. "How're they lookin'?"

"Well," a medic with coal eyes and ash gray skin gave with a heavy sigh, "They're not great. Definite signs of drug abuse and malnourishment. Gonna take a couple of weeks for them to get back on their feet."

"Right. Thanks," Uraraka said. Her shoulders slumped in dejection. She had gotten a closer look at the other girls, but none of them were Yuang. Ochaco walked out into the hallway and sat down against the nearest wall. While she was happy to have rescued them, she still felt guilt twist at her insides. She needed to find Yuang.

She watched as they were all taken away by the EMTs despite some protest from a few officers.

Surprisingly, Yonezu hushed their peers.

"They need to be treated. We can talk to them after they've gotten better. In the meantime, we'll be monitoring them at the hospital. Make sure no one tries to sneak them away. Any questions? Good."

The others gave her a salute and started cordoning off the hallway to begin their investigation. Yonezu walked up to Ochaco. The two exchanged a heated look before the enby officer sat next to her. They leaned their head against the wall, breathing in deeply for a moment. Uraraka was on guard but said nothing.

"So, there's a leak in the Four-Nine-One," Yonezu whispered. Uravity twisted to look at the young cop so fast she cricked her own neck. "These guys knew we were coming. More moons and less vics than we thought'd be here."

"Really? Y'all thought it would be different?" Ochaco asked a little loudly. Yonezu hushed the pro hero with a biting hiss.

"There's a goddamn mole, remember?"

"Right...sorry," Ochaco apologized in a whisper to match the officer. Yonezu rolled their eyes and expanded on what they started saying.

"This should've been a simple operation. Your instincts are right; the fact that it went this wrong means something's up"

"But what happened with Yuang?" Uraraka pressed, an urgency cracking through her voice, "She was gonna go back home. Least, that's what Hosori told me."

"I don't know. The captain said she was going to personally oversee it. Maybe something happened with Customs. I can do some digging and get you a contact," they promised. Uravity fought the urge to hug the cop. This was the kind of law enforcement support she heard about from other heroes. Yonezu didn't know it, but they had made a friend for life that day.

"Thanks. You don't know how much that means to me," Uraraka offered. Yonezu gave her a deadpanned look and rolled their eyes.

"Don't think this makes us friends. You did accuse me of being the leak," they said. Ochaco grinned at Yonezu who remained impassive. Mina came up to them giggling. She helped them both off the floor and dusted her hands. Yonezu thanked them both and gave Uravity a final warning.

"You may want to clear the air with the captain. She's only suspicious of you because of what the tabloids keep saying." They turned and assisted a few of their peers in hauling the still knocked-out bruiser away from the scene. Uravity was puzzled. What did Yonezu mean by the tabloids? Naturally, she asked the biggest gossip she knew and felt her stomach drop when Ashido gave her a sad smile.

"Aww, 'Chaco, it's not so bad. The papers - well, you know how the like to exaggerate things and -"

"Mina, just cut to the chase. What are they saying?" Uraraka huffed when her partner remained silent and pulled out her phone. She pulled a face as she typed her own hero name in the search bar. Something about looking up articles about yourself just felt so gauche. Uraraka didn't have to scroll much until she found a headline that almost made her drop the phone.

HOW URAVITY GOT HER GROOVE BACK: PRO HERO SEEN DANCING WITH MYSTERY MAN, RUMORS OF ROMANCE SPARKED

Accompanying the headline was a picture of herself dancing with Deku. They both still had their mask on, but there was a clear focus on her dreamy smile as she looked up to the villain. Similarly, there was a wide grin on Deku's face. She read a few lines of the article which turned out to be innocent enough. The reporter didn't seem to have a clue as to Midoriya's identity. Most of it was just speculative nonsense about how she was getting over her last public relationship. She breezed through a few more publications that touched on the subject. It was more or less the same: Uravity has a new flame, don't know who it is. Uraraka felt numb with panic but a single thought broke through the haze. Why is Hosori suspicious? Does she know who Deku is or what he looks like?

She tried calmed down ki as more questions burst into her mind Things weren't adding up. Every attempt to get a warrant or speak to Hosori concerned Yuang's whereabouts. There was no reason to suspect her of being in cahoots with Deku. Maybe she had heard about his mask? Ochaco had to confront the captain about this. No way was a little misunderstanding going to get in the way of finding Yuang.

What if Hosori's the one working with Deku?

The thought stopped her cold. She shared a look with Mina. Uraraka tried to speak but could only croak when she opened her mouth. Ashido rushed to her side, shaking her out of the stupor that had her clammed up.

"Ochaco, what's going on? You look like you just saw a ghost." Uraraka shook her head and tried to put on a winning smile but it did little to convince Mina. "I heard someone talking to you. Was... was he here?"

"Not now, Mina. Later." Uraraka rushed off, leaving her partner to stare after with a frown.

Ochaco didn't have to look long for Hosori. Standing just outside the hotel's doors, the captain of the Four-Nine-One was surrounded by journalists with microphones or phones in hand. There were only a handful of them missing a "Press" lanyard or badge. Those individuals were using their phones. Uravity had walked straight into the makeshift news conference. She tried to make herself as inconspicuous as a battered pro hero could and tiptoed to Hosori's flank.

"-again, these are unrelated to the string of attacks on alleged traffickers. The Hosu PD, along with the aid of the Rainy Day Hero Agency, apprehended more than a dozen individuals who are suspected to be involved in a larger human trafficking ring. They will be questioned and then indicted for their crimes. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to see where we are with our investigation of the scene."

The throng of reports erupted into questions as Hosori turned heel. Ochaco watched the captain shoot her a sterilizing look from the corner of her eye. Before she could address Hosori, the journalists turned their attention on herself. Ochaco was no slouch when it came to the press but she wasn't usually bleeding.

"Uravity! Can you tell us a little about today's raid?"

"Who was that man you danced with at the Endeavor gala?"

"Are you in a new relationship? Are you seeing multiple people?"

"How's your ex feel about you moving on?"

Ochaco shook with fury. She seethed for a minute and the crowd backed away. These people didn't have a clue how the world worked and likely didn't care. They only wanted to pry and take a look into a world that she wanted to keep private.

"Are you serious right now? There were about five women we rescued. Five! They've faced abuse after abuse, have been used up by innumerous men and all you want to talk about is who I danced with? This is an actual problem in our city and I don't appreciate you taking it so lightly."

Ochaco stormed off, breaking the group up as she marched right through the middle of them. Despite her exhaustion, she took away her own gravity and raced off into the sky with the help of her boosters. In a matter of seconds, Uravity was only a distant shadow to the onlooking reporters.


Uraraka dragged her feet as she stepped into the lobby of her apartment building. The world outside was dark, little dots of light from the lamp post staring out at her like burning glares. It was empty inside the lobby. She had gotten used to walking in at odd times of the day. Uraraka looked around the area, her face drawn and lengthened. The elevator dinged when it arrived and she filed inside the cab with a sigh.

Her days at the agency seemed to be getting longer. After writing her reports for Hosori, Ochaco had gotten an earful from Mina when she confessed about Deku being at the raid. Her exact words were that Ochaco was, "flirting with disaster." She shook her head. As if! There was a strange, painful sensation in her chest when she remembered his face. He looked haggard, bruised but still as gleeful as the night of the gala. Uraraka's face twisted in a sour pout as she reflected on the sensation. Maybe I'm just torn about letting him get away again. Or maybe I ate something really spicy at lunch.

The elevator reached her floor, and she flopped out of the cab. Her steps became heavier as she approached her apartment. She was so close to home, and the thought of sleep pushed out any other concerns from her mind. Smiling a little, Uraraka fiddled with her purse and stopped when she saw what was standing at her doorstep.

An ornate vase filled with gorgeous sunflowers. The corn yellow petals blossomed around the florets that spiraled elegantly towards the center. Their leaf green stems dived into the vase, standing in a small puddle of water. Wrapped around the neck of the vase was a forest green, silk bow. The surprise would have been perfect had it not been for the black card that hung on the knot of the bow. It was a sleek, glossy business card with his logo embossed in the middle. Uraraka was too worn down to feel afraid or angry as she looked at that stupid, smiling rabbit. She picked up the vase and pulled the card off. Turning it over, she could almost see that smug bastard's smirk he must have had when he scribbled the message on the back.

Missed you. Thought it was nice seeing you today. I'm on the roof if you want to talk -I

"Deku, you fuck," she breathed. Uraraka walked into her home, slamming the vase down on her countertop after hanging up her purse and taking her flats off. She dug around the cabinets for a few moments. Ochaco emerged with a pair of worn, battered batons she had used in the earlier days of her career. The tips were fixed with two metal prongs. She pushed up a button and electric bolts sizzled at the tops of each weapon. Satisfied that they were still in working order, Ochaco pulled her hand through their handle straps and let them hang on her left wrist. She locked her apartment and walked towards the service elevator.

Uraraka stared at the grated doors as the rickety old cab lifted her to the roof. The wheels grinding against the rusted wire cables screamed in protest. Despite the awful noise above her, Ochaco continued to gaze at the bared wood frames and concrete blocks that passed by slowly. Her eyes were dull as she leaned against the cab wall. She fought hard to keep her alertness up, but her mind started to feel fuzzy. I just don't have the energy for this shit. Please just don't let him be there.

The elevator screeched to a halt. Laid out before her was a small room made of concrete. Shelves filled with cleaning products lined the walls and a set of steps at the end of the room that led to an angled pair of doors. She scanned the area with uninterested eyes, breathing heavily to stave off her weariness. When she reached the doors, Ochaco stopped in her tracks. Her hand hovered near the handles and retracted for a moment. Trepidation filled her but she knew herself better than this. No matter how tired she felt, no matter how much she really didn't want to see this jerk, Ochaco was sworn to bring criminals to justice. A small part of her wondered, though. Maybe she did want to see him again. If so, it could have been for her own self respect. She needed to confront him for toying with her. Ochaco was pulled back into the dance they shared. How he smelled, the feel of his muscular arms under her hands, the way his smile seemed to reassure her. It burned to think about it, and she pushed through the doors.

Both batons were in hand when she stepped out to the gravelled roof. The chunky rocks made her steps a little awkward. Her head swiveled to look both ways as she readied herself. There was no sign of life. Only a breeze to accompany her amongst the night sky line that glittered with the evening lights. A warm voice that both melted her knees and filled her limbs with dread called out from behind.

"Hey, Ms. Hero. Hope I'm not keeping you up."

She took her time facing him. He was standing a ways off from the access doors, dressed in his signature coat and suit. There was no mask to hide behind. In the dark gloom, Ochaco could see his heavily shadowed face. Something burned in his eyes as they stared at each other. She couldn't pin what was behind those emerald irises, but she knew it wasn't malicious. He raised his hands, leveled at the top of his head.

"I'm not armed, Uravity. Just want to talk." His voice lost its warmth. In its absence, a despair she was quite familiar with was present. Uraraka relaxed her shoulders but kept her stance wide. She didn't budge, opting to keep their distance in case he tried anything.

"What do you want, Deku?"

"Like I said: I just wanna talk. Are you ok? You look dead on your feet?" Ochaco let out a bark of laughter.

"You really think you're gonna win me over after the stunt you pulled at that ball? Don't act like you actually care, Deku. Just get to goddamn point." Izuku was stunned into silence. His arms lowered, and she could see him feint a look of hurt. She growled in frustration. "You don't get to act hurt! Don't you dare try to pull that on me!"

"I'm not trying to pull anything, Uravity. I-I'm sorry," he said quietly, "I really am. I didn't mean to drag you into this mess. I thought it was over. That's why... that's why I danced with you. Thought we were in the clear. Then we saw Yuang."

"Yeah, about her," Uraraka hissed as she took a step towards him, baton raised at him threateningly, "Why're you involved with her? You tryin' to be her pimp now?"

"Ha! As if! I'm trying to get her out of that, thank you very much," Izuku spat out. His hands were back at his sides, balled up into fists as he scowled at her. "I thought when I left her with you that she was in good hands. Sorry if I overestimated your ability, Ms. Hero."

Uraraka lunged at him. She bellowed as her muscles protested against the sudden exertion. Deku stepped back, tossing the length of his coat towards her extended arms. The cloth wrapped and twisted, binding her hands together. Undeterred, Ochaco continued rushing forward. She was in front of him in moments and drove her left knee into his groin. He cried out in pain, keeling over. Unfortunately, his coat was still clinging to his shoulders and her arms. They fell together into a heap. Uraraka grunted as the sharp edges of gravel punctured her exposed skin. She squirmed and tugged at her arms, finally pulling free. The two rolled away from each other and got ready to strike once more. Except that they didn't. Deku fell to his knees and buried his face into his hands. Uraraka watched in confusion as his body wracked and shuddered. He howled painfully into the night sky, pulling tufts of curly hair when he leaned back to scream. Izuku lowered himself to all fours and spoke through his thickened voice.

"I'm sorry, Uraraka. I really am. I just want to make this right."

"Yeah? And what happens when she's 'free'? Are you gonna just let her go?"

"It's not like that! You saw the look in her eyes! Do you know what happens to people like her? You're a rescue hero for crying out loud. You can't tell me that she's being taken care of." He had her there. Yuang had looked dead inside before she saw them nearby. Desperation had filled the void in her eyes. Uraraka would never forget that look. The hero turned her head away in disgust, eyes clenched shut in shame.

"Don't lecture me about being a hero, asshole. You're the one running around traffickers and drug dealers. I still don't get what you get out of this. You got some kind of guilt complex?"

"Something like that," he gave with a mirthless laugh, "Look. I want to make a deal. You're the one hero who knows this case best, and the only one I'd trust. I help you find her - and not just find her mind you; we get her back home - and I... I turn myself in."

Ochaco gave him an even look. It was a bluff. A bad one at that. Only she wasn't any closer to find Yuang. Maybe having an insider with the Underworld was the key to wrapping this case up. She was tempted, but it sounded too good to be true.

"How can I trust you? How can you trust me?"

"We have to," he answered. Izuku sat back up, resting on his haunches. His face was tear stained with a steady stream continuing to fall from his eyes. "I know you could take me to the police right now. You're a strong hero, it'd be easy. I could turn on you at any moment, but we need to work together to find her. I have to clear my ledger if I can. I can't have this hanging over my head. I'd imagine this is hitting you just as hard." Ochaco sighed. There was something in his eyes, despite the crocodile tears, that told her Deku was being genuine. She hung her batons up on her left hand and strode over to where he was sitting. Midoriya flinched when she thrust out her free hand towards him. Ochaco lifted an eyebrow, waiting for him to take the offer. She helped him up and they gripped each other's hand in agreement, her pinky pulled away to prevent an accidental floating situation.

"It's a deal, Midoriya. Just fair warning, you try anything funny, and the cops won't find enough of ya to arrest. Got it?" Izuku swallowed but held her gaze.

"You got a deal, Uraraka," he said. He looked down to her hand and noticed the pinky pointing out. "Ah, so that's how you shake hands. It's cute."

"That's the kind of shit, I'm talking about Deku. No more flirting."

"Oh but c'mon, Uravity," he shot back with a sly shrug and grin, "How could I resist flirting with such a beautiful and amazing hero like yourself?"