Deku was pouting. She could tell. His shoulders were hunched; the binoculars gripped deathly tight in his gloved hands; and every so often he would twitch his head slightly in agitation. Uraraka had worked with him long enough now to know he was upset and she knew exactly why.

"Ok, you two, fill me in on what's been going on," Ashido chirped. Ochaco thanked her as she took an offered cup of coffee. The rich aroma of roasted beans wafted up with the steam of the beverage and gave Uraraka a new lease on life. All three were standing on the roof of a small apartment building. They were watching a small convenience store that lit up the otherwise quiet street with booming fluorescence and neon lights. Ochaco and Mina had been skeptical when Midoriya suggested they stakeout this store. It was in a low traffic area and the most conspicuous activity was when a couple of kids had been run out of the store for attempting to steal some candy.

"Honestly, I think we might be wasting our time," Uraraka whispered. The ladies peeked over to Deku who was still keeping watch over the street below. "You ask me, this was just a poor excuse for Deku to get me alone with him. I can't stand that guy."

"Oh, I'm sure, Ocha," Mina responded with poorly disguised disbelief. Since his failed attempt to infiltrate their agency, Ashido had been quite vocal about her opinions on the situation. Uraraka tried her best to shake off Mina's teasing and snippy comments, but she felt the strain it was taking on their friendship. No amount of protesting and denial helped the situation. She was resigned to endure Mina's scorn for the time being. Better not to rock the boat in such violent waters.

"This isn't a waste of time, Uravity. As a matter of fact, the main event just arrived." They turned to Deku who was pointing at the shop they had been scoping out. Uraraka felt a slight twinge of guilt. For all of his smarminess, Deku had turned out to be half decent. He was hell bent on finding Yuang and, despite his flirty nature, always spoke respectfully to Ochaco. Maybe she was growing softer or she was just lonely; Uraraka couldn't tell. All she could say for sure was that Mina had been right: she really believed she could pull him out after this mess was taken care of. She had to reconcile with the fact that this smug crook had somehow charmed his way into her own heart.

The three of them knelt down to be less obvious as they observed a large SUV parked outside the convenience store. In the driver's seat with the window rolled down was a bald green skinned man. His pointed ears flapped as he bobbed his head to the music playing on the radio. A small group of women poured out of the back seats. They were dressed to kill in sleek heels and tight dresses. They sauntered into the store, waving farewell to the driver.

"See ya later, Toko!"

"Yeah see you in a couple. Don't forget this time!"

The driver visibly grumbled as he turned the ignition. Uravity took away her gravity and took off in pursuit of the SUV. She was taken aback by how slow it was moving. With her rocket boots, she quietly stalked the Oozer with cover from the night sky. Mina's voice came through her earpiece. "Remember the plan, Uravity: You follow that guy until he parks. Put a jammer on his car, then you get back here. We'll wait to storm the store until you're here."

"Got it, Pinky. Hope this doesn't get too rough."

"Shouldn't," Deku said curtly. Ochaco involuntarily flinched at his tone. It didn't have any of the luster or warmth she was used to. It shouldn't have bothered her so much, but she did insult him when he was just doing his part. Ochaco shook off the thought and focused back on the task at hand.

She weaved in and out of sight, ducking between powerlines, billboards, or traffic signs. Keeping up with the Oozer was easy. He drove at a leisurely pace, still bouncing to the music on his radio. Uraraka half expected him to blast the sound. Half a mile away from the store, he finally backed into a tiny ally where the SUV was well hidden. Ochaco found herself crouched on the roof of a squat store. The Oozer had driven himself into the back road between a few shops. Uraraka took in the shuttered garage doors and dim light coming from the lamps bolted to the building walls.

Kinda weird that he'd be near another store but this is a great spot to hang out. Not a lot of heroes or cops to come snooping, she pondered. She touched her earpiece and almost spoke when she heard Mina's voice come through.

"-gotta be kidding me. 'Just friends?' You're a terrible liar, Deku."

Ochaco bit her lip. They had left their radios on. While she was worried about having their secure line vulnerable, there was a strong curiosity that hushed her. Deku's voice dripped with annoyance as he responded.

"I've already said my piece. Now can we focus, please? Those women down there could be in danger."

"Uh huh," Mina shot back, "Because you're just soooo concerned with their well being. C'mon, do you think I'm stupid? Do you think Ocha is?"

"Of course not! I just want to find Yuang alright? I promised her that she'd be safe and I have to make good on that." Midoriya's voice was on edge, a quiet desperation tinged in his tone. Ashido continued to press him.

"So we find Yuang and then what? You just turn yourself into us and the cops? Seems like a bad deal. I don't believe you're just gonna give up like that. There's gotta be a backup plan or something."

"No. I'm turning myself into Uravity, nobody else." A heavy silence followed for a few seconds. Ochaco could imagine Mina's scrutinizing look as she sized up a brooding Midoriya. She was about to speak when Ashido beat her to the punch.

"Why'd you become a villain?" Before she could stop herself, Uraraka muted her mic. This was a question that had been burning inside her since she met him. He was, for all of his flaws, a good person. Deku didn't seem particularly violent or cruel. Just what turned him to the crime? Midoriya heaved in a loud breath and let it out. Ochaco figured his patience was running thin.

"You know, I only like to play this game with Uraraka." She slapped her head. Goddammit, Deku! Why'd you say it like that?! Mina seemed to have the same thought as the smugness in her voice seeped through Uraraka's earpiece.

"Oh? Do you now? You like to play games with Ocha? What other games do y'all play? Hmm?"

Deku did his best to walk back his unfortunate choice of words. "I-it's n-not like t-that! I m-meant T-twenty Two Q-questions." Uraraka was going to kill him. Handing Mina more ammo like that was a sure way to get a free pulverizing from Ochaco. "A-anyway, where is she?"

"Yeah she should have been back now..." Uraraka scrambled to unmute herself and try not to make it sound like she'd been eavesdropping on their conversation.

"He's parked about half a mile from you. I'm on my way back. Let me just put the tracker on him."

The other two breathed out in relief. Mina took a moment to berate her while Deku mumbled a prayer of thanks that she was ok. Ochaco floated herself over to the alley where her target sat. Hovering just above the roof of the car, Uraraka pulled out a magnetic tracker she had gotten from Mei and Melissa. It blinked to life the moment it stuck, a tiny pink glow peeking through the metal housing cartridge. Satisfied with her work, Uravity gently pushed herself up and silently floated out of sight. She didn't activate her boosters just yet. Turning on the rockets in her boots might have alerted her prey and Uraraka did not feel like engaging in a chase. The sound of perky, drunken voices coming from behind caught her attention.

"We've got a problem," she whispered to the other two. Ochaco perched herself on the nearest billboard and watched a gaggle of young women stagger out of the back of the convenience store's ally doorway. Their dresses and hair were in disarray, the thin heels that they wobbled in clacking against the broken tarmac underneath them. A few cackled as they clung to one another for stability. What the hell are they doing here? Are they drunk?

"Uravity, talk to me girl. Whaddya see?"

"Group of girls just stumbled out the back of another convenience store. Looks like they're headed toward the SUV," Ochaco reported. Her concern grew as the group of ladies got closer to the Oozer's hiding spot. Just before she or Mina could speak another word, Deku tersely interjected.

"That's the next pickup. They're a little early but they'll be ok, Uravity. You might want to check out the store though; see if there's anyone you could get some information from." Uraraka twisted her face in disgust.

"And when were you going to tell us that there was another group of girls? Just how many do they have, Deku?" When it became apparent that he wouldn't answer, Uravity muted herself with a growl. She floated away from the SUV and to the store front. As she expected, the GPS display on her wrist began to show the Oozer moving away from his original position. Ochaco set her face in a grimace. Instead of rescuing those women, she was stalking around the corner as Deku had instructed. Where the hell does that guy get off? Mina and I are the heroes here! We should be calling the shots…

A few greasy looking men were shooting the breeze not too far from the corner she was peeking around. Their eyes were glazed and sleazy grins were plastered on their faces. Neon light bounced off their dark hair. Ochaco had a hard time hearing what they were saying. She resisted the urge to get closer.

"Seriously, you going to actually give us any useful information, Deku?" Mina hissed over the comms link. She's just as pissed. Good. Maybe she'll just book 'im like I shoulda.

Deku cleared his throat. He sounded strained, like he didn't want to talk or he was uncomfortable. "I thought I had given you everything. I'm sorry if I slipped up. Just having a bad day I guess."

"Yeah you've been acting like a straight up baby all night. What the hell's the matter with you?" Ochaco couldn't help but nod furiously in agreement with Mina. Deku seemed off today but she swore it was because he didn't want Ashido there.

"Today's… an anniversary of sorts. Sorry. I promise I'll be more present." That piqued Ochaco's curiosity. Thankfully, she had Mina to press the matter. After a few minutes of bugging him, Deku finally caved to Ashido's persistent questions. "Today's the day I became a villain."

"Ok, this I gotta hear. C'mon, spill." Ochaco bit back the urge to chime in. She didn't want to give herself away but she also really wanted to hear Deku's story. The men she was watching hadn't moved away yet. There was still time to interrogate them if need be.

"About ten years ago," Deku started, "My mom learned that she was really sick. It was pretty grim. Probably the worst day of my life really. Ever since I had been little, all I wanted to grow up to be was a hero like All Might. Then I actually met him. He saved me from a sludge villain and gave me some great advice. Just as I was going to chase after All Might, I got a call from my mom."

"I went home and saw her sitting at the couch. She'd been crying. It was obvious. Mom was on the phone with Dad - he worked abroad to provide for us, so he wasn't around much - and I caught enough of what they were saying to put the pieces together. Even with Dad's work, we weren't going to be able to afford her treatment. I ran out of the apartment and just… kept going. I didn't even look where I was going. I went on until I had nothing left in me. That's when I realized what I had sprinted to."

"It was a drug deal. Nothing big, just a street dealer getting payment for some product. The guys thought I was some narc and I would've been if I hadn't seen the stack of cash in their hands. My eyes must've gotten huge, because the next thing I knew they were taking me for a little stroll. I thought I could somehow convince them to give me some cash or that I could earn it."

"What happened?" Mina asked in a hushed chime. Uraraka could almost hear Deku's smile as he continued to speak.

"Well, they robbed me. Took everything of value they could but it wasn't much. Thankfully, they didn't rough me up too hard. Or… maybe they did and I just wasn't fazed. I had a bully back then and he liked to torture me a lot. Anyway, yeah, I walked back home alone, but I went back to that spot after school everyday for a few weeks. Soon enough, I found them. At first they thought I was there to snitch or fight them but I managed to tell them I wanted in on their operation. I needed to make money. A lot of it and fast. They were more than happy to oblige. The rest is sort of history. Now I do this for a living. Actually, I make really good money, but that's not the point. I figured early on that if I couldn't be a hero who saved people, the very least I could do was keep the gangs in check. 'Course that meant that I had to get my hands dirty sometimes. No skin off my nose though. It's just business."

Ochaco numbly wiped the tears silently cascading down her cheeks. Her breathing was labored and her chest was constricting painfully. There go I but by grace… Deku, I had no clue. I-I wish… I wish I could help ya. I'm so sorry. Gotta say to his face. Mask off and everything. Uraraka turned off her comms. She didn't - couldn't - hear another word. Right now, she had to focus on the task at hand.

The sound of gravel being crushed under tires made Uraraka raise her head. A police cruiser had rolled up to the curb. The men she was supposed to be watching began to squirm uncomfortably. She felt a smirk of satisfaction quirk up at the corner of her mouth. Whenever shady looking folks were just loitering, simply apply a hero or an officer to break them up. A car door popped open and was slammed closed as the driver sauntered out.

"Evening guys! I hope you all had a great visit tonight. Got all your needs met?" The voice was painfully cheerful. Ochaco felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise up. Something about the familiarity and falsetto glee had set off some red flags. It appeared that Uraraka wasn't the only one with reservations. The men grumbled under their breath and stalked off into the night. Clearly displeased, the officer called out after them.

"Aww c'mon, guys! You gotta give me some deets. Ah the hell with it." He walked into the store, disappearing from sight. Uraraka weighed her options. She couldn't march in. There was bound to be a second officer in the cruiser. Plus, Uravity was in her field gear. She'd be spotted right away. Reluctantly, Uraraka pulled out a small device from a belt compartment. It was a tiny marble-sized Saturn. The ring around the miniature planet were small, plastic blades attached by metal rods in the midsection. This had been a gift to her from Melissa. Her instructions to Ochaco had been a little hazy as it was a prototype. After fiddling with some buttons on her left gauntlet, Uraraka managed to have the baby drone up in the air. The blades spun with enough propulsion to lift it up to the roof of the store. Satisfied that it would work, Uravity used her gauntlet to guide the drone towards the door. The sliding door's sensor picked up the drone's presence and opened, allowing entry. Uraraka activated the microphone. Gently flying the drone out of sight, Ochaco listened to the shop clerk speaking to the officer.

"-pens sometimes. Musta been a cat or something. Damn animals." The clerk sounded gruff and ragged. Ochaco conjured up the image of a frail old man with long gray hair flowing over his face, dressed in a bright yellow uniform.

"Uh huh… Animals. Right," the officer said skeptically, "Anyway, how's business going?" Ochaco heard the clerk grunt in response. An awkward silence fell like a heavy fog. Someone cleared their throat, but it was the only sound for a while. Ochaco checked the drone's system to make sure a malfunction hadn't occurred. Finally, the officer spoke again.

"This all of it?"

"Of course it is! Now get outta here."

"Yeah, yeah. You got it. Oh, did you hear about your buddy down a few blocks? Tomo-something or other?" The clerk grunted again. "Yeah, big shame what happened. Arrested for failure to cooperate. Then his shop gets completely trashed! Hear he has to move to another town just to start over again. Thanks for this! My boss sends her compliments."

Uraraka moved the drone out of sight and followed the officer out of the store. Moving quickly, she landed the tiny Saturn on the floor of the cruiser just as he opened the door. She left it on to record any more conversation, activating the GPS tracking to retrieve it later tonight. Ochaco floated up to the sky when the cruiser had been long gone. It was time to get back to Mina and Deku. She turned her comms back on and flew towards them.

"Hey! Pinky! You won't believe this," she began. Ashido quickly cut her off with a worried shout.

"Cripes! Uravity, where ya been? Deku here was about to lay an egg, he was so worried."

"What?!" Mina chuckled and Ochaco allowed a smile to bloom on her face. Serves that jerk right, always teasin' me. See how you like it, broccoli head.

"Anyway, hit me babe. Whatcha hear?"

"A cop rolled up to the shop and sounded like he was picking up a payment. He definitely knew what was going on in the back. There was a group of guys whom he seemed to recognize. Or maybe he just assumed they were there for girls. Either way, we got a dirty cop in on it. I'm tracking him right now."

"Uravity, did you see this officer's face? Was he carrying anything in his hands?" Deku asked. Ochaco blanched. She hadn't actually seen him. Her hiding spot only offered some much of a view. Had she ventured out more, she would have been compromised.

"Erm… no. Sorry."

"Don't apologize! You found us a lead!" Mina chimed in. Deku hummed in agreement before speaking.

"It's a little early for a money pickup. What I was told, it happens about every other week. Maybe I got the schedule mixed up. Great job, Uravity. How're you tracking the cop?"

Uraraka explained her drone and how it was placed inside the cruiser. She also mentioned that she was going to retrieve later tonight, after they were done with their stakeout tonight. Mina and Deku were extremely displeased.

"Are you bonkers, girl?!"

"Right, you're going to get a drone from a cop car. Alone. Not happening. I'm going with you."

Mina was fit to burst from the sound of her sputtering. She began to argue with Deku about accompanying Ochaco. She saw them waving their arms wildly as they bickered as she flew into view. Uraraka landed gracefully in front of them, relieved that the tight knot in her stomach was loosening as she returned her own gravity. Deku immediately walked up to her. His mask was off, revealing his face twisted by anxiety. He slowed his breathing as he stood there quietly taking in her state. Ochaco looked at him confused but slightly touched that he seemed so hung up about her safety.

"Uh, I-"

"D'you two need a minute? Maybe a room where you can work this out?" Mina asked. Deku's face burned with embarrassment. He shoved his mask back on and turned heel, walking away in a strident pace. With a final look at Ochaco, he leapt off the edge of the building. Uraraka gasped. She took off in a sprint to save him, but stopped at the ledge. He had deployed his umbrella and was gliding down to the street. She could feel Mina slink up behind, her friend's hand slithering up to her shoulders.

"Don't. Say. A word, Mina."

"Oh, 'Chaco. I don't need to say anything. C'mon, let's go get that thingamajig. Who knows how long it'll take to find it."

Contrary to both of their fears, they found the drone in under an hour. The cruiser sat abandoned in the parking lot of a coffee shop. Uraraka felt a deep need inside herself growl loudly when the scent of brewing coffee hit her. Mina seemed to have the same idea. The two exchanged a sad look before turning their attention to the car sitting in the dark not more than a ten yards away.

They snuck around the dark, making as little noise as possible and avoiding the light from the street lamps. Uraraka shook off the very strong idea that she was working very much like Deku. She beat Mina to the driver's side door and crouched out of sight. Ashido kept an eye out for any late night pedestrians that might happen upon them. It wouldn't be a great look for the heroes to be caught breaking into a police vehicle. Uraraka tapped at the minute console on her gauntlet once again and gave a very quiet cheer when her drone came back online. She had it fly up over the lock console so she could examine it.

No damage! Not even a scratch! We're in luck. Now to get… it out…

Damn it.

"Hey Mina," she whispered, desperately hoping Ashido wouldn't pick up on her panic, "How're we supposed to get this out?" Mina grew stiff and slowly turned to look at Uraraka. There was a wild, manic gleam in her golden irises.

"You mean we chased this thing around all over town and we don't have a way to extract it? Seriously?" Ochaco only gave a simpering smile as a reply. The two took a collective sigh and slumped against the cruiser. "We're screwed. One hundred percent, screwed."

"Not exactly."

They bolted up in alarm. Darting their gaze about, the two heroes heard the bored drawl of Deku's voice call to them again. "I'm on your comm's line, ladies."

"Of course…" Ochaco grumbled, "Whaddya want, Deku? We're kind of busy here. Where the hell even are ya?"

"Aww. Missed you too, Sunflower."

"Oh that's funny. Last I saw, you ran off like a big baby. Couldn't stand the ol' Pink heat huh?" Ashido chirped. Ochaco could almost feel Deku's eye roll over her earpiece.

"If you're done being… whatever, I do have a suggestion to help you out."

"Fine. Spit it out." Ochaco huffed out. Deku was likely around the top of a nearby building, spying on them. She was tired of being a pawn in his games. "We don't have all night."

"Of course, Sunflower," he answered her with a audible grin, "You could just download the audio file to your costume's memory. That way, you could get what you need without having to break in."

Mina slapped her own forehead as Uraraka's jaw dropped. Of course they could do that. It just hadn't occurred to them to go that route. Why would it? That drone was a gift from Dr. Shield and was very unique. Ochaco resigned herself to this loss for the sake of finding Yuang. Whatever was recorded on that could be the key to their next steps.

Maybe we could find her without Deku's help.

The corner of Uraraka's mouth pulled down as she frowned. While the thought was tempting, it had felt wrong to her, and the fact that it did disturbed her even further. She needed to create more distance between them. The further he was, the easier it would be to arrest him. Ochaco got to work while silently battling the glaring feelings inside herself. Mina gave her a thumbs up in encouragement and ended the conversation with Midoriya.

"Thanks for the tip, Deku. Be seeing you around never!"

"Bye, Sunfl-"

With the download complete, Uraraka set the drone back in it's hidden spot. Remorsefully bidding goodbye to the object, she took off with Mina at her side. The two disappeared into the night. There was work to be done, information and data to dissect, but for now? They had to get rest.


Deku watched as Uravity ran away, like a raccoon that had barely escaped notice. He felt the fabric of his mask catch in the folds of his frown. It was hard to watch her go, but he hated to admit why. It had been fun, almost, to go out stakeouts with the gruff and humble hero. She was starting to warm up to him too. Her partner was great when she wasn't trying to insinuate the obvious. Deku brushed off the thought and refocused on the task at hand.

Gotta get that drone.

He casually walked to a rusted ladder on the left facing wall of the coffee shop where the officer and his passenger had taken refuge. While the boisterous cop might have been acting cool and collected, Deku knew that both were on edge. For a moment, he worried that Uravity's activities had been found out. Thankfully, their paranoia turned out to be nothing more than the side effects of whatever narcotic they had abused. Izuku climbed down to the concrete siding that kissed the asphalt. Carefully tip toeing under the wide open windows, he hurriedly made his way to the cruiser.

When he reached the driver's side door, Deku pulled out a leather pouch that was worn from handling and use. He unfurled it to reveal his set of lock picks and set to work on getting inside. After hearing the satisfying click through the door, Izuku opened it quickly and grabbed his prize. He took a moment to smile at it. When he had last visited Mei and Melissa's lab, he left behind a design for them to work on. While they hadn't been happy to see him again - when were they ever? - they had jumped at the opportunity to design something for Uravity. However, Melissa scrutinized him for his request.

"Is this really how you want to use the time you have left? Having us make stuff for heroes?"

At the time, it had made perfect sense to him. Uraraka needed more upgrades to help with finding Yuang. This was just another way to help her level up, so to speak. Whatever was coming, she could use all the help she could get. He felt he had done a good job of dodging Melissa's probing questions. After all, he did have a reputation to upkeep. Still, that was the beginning of his problems. A few missions with Mina more than proved it.

At first, it had been simple and clean enough. She was a strong, up-and-coming pro hero. He'd find some dirt on her and hold it over her head for any favor he might need. Then he actually met her in person. Soon enough, they had spoken. He learned that Uravity was far more than just some hero. She was strong, yes, but also kind and warm. There was a safety and comfort that she exuded. Izuku hadn't realized that he wanted to share that with her, maybe even give it back. So, he began playfully flirting with her. Him! Flirting with a hero! Initially it was fun to watch her get flustered. Now he had fallen so far away from his original intentions and he was paying the price.

She was on his mind constantly. Uravity was everywhere he looked. It was torture. He wanted to get back to his normal routine without the cloud of Ochaco hanging over him. Life was hard enough as it was. Why did he have to want something more? Izuku knew better than that.

He shut the door after locking it from the inside and strode off casually. Deku removed his mask, pulling out his phone to dial Shield. It rang for a couple of seconds and was answered by a groggy Hatsume.

"W-what do you want?"

"Hi Hatsume. You do know you didn't have to pick up? I could've left a message. Anyway, I've got a few more ideas for that Uravity goober you made. I'll forward them to you in the morning. You two seem busy."

"Whatever. Just leave us al-"

He hung up and continued to meander for some time. His feet mindlessly led him, knowing the way unconsciously. The night breeze had a small bite to it. Deku wrapped his coat tighter around his shoulders and chest, a small act of defiance against nature's fickle mood. Eventually, he stopped. He looked around the area. It was quiet, dark, with a few lamp posts illuminating the walkways around the grassy areas. Rows of stones popped out of the ground in neat, uniform lines. Deku looked down at the one at his feet and gave a half-hearted smile. He plopped himself down on the dewy grass, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling it gave him. With a gentle rub on the rough stonework, Izuku spoke with a quivering voice.

"Hey, mom. Been a while, huh? Sorry about that, but I wanted to talk to you. I need some advice. It's about this girl."