A/N: This was fun chapter to write, and so I got it out a little bit earlier than planned. I hope everyone is still enjoying this as much as I am!

...

The alarm ringing startled him from slumber. Blinking, he rose from where he was snuggled up in his bed, the warm body next to him also rousing from her nap. It hadn't been the best day for him, and he'd forgone his usual hero training and instead curled up in his room while the wretched fall wind howled outside, his windows rattling with the noise.

He reached for his phone, then realized it wasn't his phone that was making the noise.

"What is it?" Ochako yawned sleepily.

"Where's your phone?" Izuku asked, feeling around his All Might duvet cover. "It's your alarm."

"What?" Ochako rubbed her eyes, and Izuku couldn't help giving her a kiss on the nose at her drowsy, confused expression. She grabbed her phone, then gasped.

"It's 6pm?! We slept too long!"

"Hmmm," came the reply, arms wrapping around her to tug her back into bed. "Another 30 minutes, please."

"No," she pulled away, making Izuku frown. "I've got to study with the girls!"

"Again? You've been doing that for the past 3 nights! And none of you are doing that badly in English in the first place!" Izuku protested, yawning. He hadn't seen her much this week at all, other than at night, and they were both exhausted that sleep was their only option. "Come back to bed. I want to hold you. I haven't seen you much this week."

"No, you don't understand," she started grabbing her clothes that had been tossed about randomly. "We're not going to be able to study like this for very long–definitely not after this week–and we're starting to think he's catching on to us."

"Ochako, you're not making any sense," Izuku told her, watching her tug and pull her sweats back on. He activated Blakcwhip, gently wrapping it around her wrist to stop her progress. She giggled, then tried to look angry at him.

"I can't….Izuku…." she let him pull her to him again, losing her balance and falling on top of him with another soft chuckle that turned into a sigh as he planted kisses across her cheeks and down to her neck.

"I've got to get downstairs," she protested weakly. "Well, maybe I can be a little late." Izuku smiled in triumph.

Her phone chirped again. Loudly. "Ignore it," he commanded, voice going deep.

A few more kisses, then the phone rang. "Damn it," Ochako cursed, picking up the phone this time. Izuku frowned, thinking briefly about smashing the thing with his fist, but then knew it would make her upset–she'd worked so hard to buy her first smartphone.

"I'm coming!" she said into the receiver. "I'll be right down!"

Izuku flopped back on the bed with an exaggerated sigh.

"Come on," he felt her tug at his hand. "You can come with me. One more won't make much of a difference. Besides, maybe you'll finally believe my theory about Kaylee."

"It's not that I don't believe you," Ochako shot him a look, and he swallowed. "It's just that I don't see it." He got up and quickly pulled on his sweats as well. He took her hand.

"You will after tonight. Trust me."

….

"Oh come on!" Izuku was taken aback by Jiro's sneer. "You brought him too?!"

"Hey! Momo brought Todoroki last night and you didn't say anything! And your boyfriend has been here every night since we started this!" Ochako snapped back. Izuku was never that close to Jiro, but was a little surprised as she scoffed at him. Izuku took a seat at the table, offering Jiro a sunny smile as he held a chair out for Ochako.

"Hey!" Kaminari came up beside them. "I am an integral part of this little show!"

"What's going on?"

"They call it Kayleevision," Todoroki took the seat next to him. "They got you too, huh, Midoriya?"

"I guess?"

"We can't keep on adding people here," Jiro told them in a harsh whisper. "Bakugou's already getting suspicious and it's going to look even worse when the entire damned class is down here in the same spot!"

"Speaking of our main characters, where are they?"

"Bakugou is with Kirishima training," Ashido told them as she plopped her bag down on the table. "Kishima said they'll be here in about 5 minutes."

"And Tsu is with Kaylee–" Jiro held up her phone. "-while she takes out the garbage. She's stalling her until we could get everyone–" she glared at Ochako and Izuku, "-here."

Kaminari pointed at Izuku. "You keep your mouth shut, ok, buddy?"

Izuku frowned. "I don't even know what's going on!"

"Basically, they watch Kaylee and Bakugou flirt in the kitchen while she cooks," Todoroki explained in that monotone of his. "Then they all giggle and coo and sigh. Kaylee starts up a lightshow and they sigh some more."

"Lightshow?"

Kaminari popped him on the back of his head. "Kaylee glows, surely you've noticed that!"

"I think it's just because she's so pale…" Izuku got out.

"I thought that too," Momo interrupted. "I thought she had some amazing skin care regimen, but no–she's glowing."

"And if you want to sit here with us," Jiro pointed at him. "You will keep quiet about this."

"Jiro is really invested in Kaylee and Bakugou," Ashido told him.

"I just think they're super cute together." Jiro sat back in her chair and folded her arms defensively.

"You ship them!" Ochako giggled. "You ship them so hard!"

"Like you don't!"

"Ship them?" Izuku asked.

"Yeah. Jiro has their whole future planned out," Tooru giggled.

"Not their whole future," Jiro told them plainly. "Just the next 10 years." Izuku bit back a grin as Jiro gazed off into the distance dreamily. " He's going to be one of the top 10 heroes and she'll be a famous vlogger that has some of the best cooking videos on the internet. She also fosters angry pomeranians on the side and re-homes them as support animals."

"That's oddly specific," Izuku said. He turned to Todoroki. "Are you in on this too?" He flinched at the glare Todoroki gave him.

A series of pings distracted Izuku from whatever reply Todoroki was going to make.

"Tsu's on her way with Kaylee!" Mina shrieked. "I'm texting Eijiro now to bring in Bakugou!"

"Everyone get ready!" Izuku watched as books and notebooks suddenly appeared from nowhere. A pencil was suddenly shoved in his hand by Ochako, and Izuku looked around trying to see what was about to happen. As happy as he was for Kacchan, he didn't really think spending the evening watching him and Kaylee was the best use of his time, and was honestly surprised that Todoroki was there too. Looking around the table at the eagerly excited faces of his girlfriend and their friends, he thought that maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"-Tsu for helping me with the trash, but won't you get in trouble?" Kaylee appeared with Tsu, coming in from the side door. Izuku stared at the blonde girl, trying to see the glow that Ochako was insistent about. Kaylee's appearance had changed drastically from when she first started, and it wasn't just the haircut. When he first saw her, she reminded him of Eri for some reason–he wasn't sure why–other than just a haunted look in her eyes and the way they both seemed to act. He had no proof, but Izuku often thought Kaylee's family was abusive, much like Eri was. Since she'd started working with Kacchan though, she'd improved so much–she stood up straighter, she was gaining muscle and no longer looked starved, she smiled more. He didn't see the glow that Ochako saw, but he'd been so busy with training and working with All Might that maybe he missed something.

He watched Kaylee give a cheerful greeting to everyone in the common area, then go into the kitchen and start opening up various cabinets and drawers, setting out whatever items she needed. His stomach started to rumble. It was dinner time, and he was getting hungry.

"Kaylee will share, don't worry," Ochako whispered in his ear. "She's a really good cook."

Kaminari apparently did have a role in this–whatever this was–as he strolled to the kitchen counter and started talking to Kaylee.

"Hey good lookin', what'cha got cookin'?" Kaminari teased her.

Ochako whispered in his ear, "Kaminari keeps Kaylee distracted. I think she's starting to notice that we're all here at the same time for the past few nights."

"It doesn't help when all of you start squealing every time Bakugou–"

"Shhhhhh!" Todoroki rolled his eyes as six girls shushed him.

"Bakugou is coming in–"Ochako explained. "Do not take your eyes off Kaylee!"

Izuku kept his eyes glued to Kaylee, noticing her pale skin, which under the bright kitchen lights did seem like it was glowing, but he honestly thought it was a trick of the light. If she was glowing, wouldn't she have started from when she arrived? And why would she just start glowing now–she'd been there for months, and wouldn't everyone have noticed it right away? Was it her quirk? He squelched that thought as soon as it popped in his head, Kacchan's threat about even thinking the word "quirk" around Kaylee still fresh in his mind.

He stared, watching Kaylee chat with Kaminari–something about pizza–which he liked, and hoped she'd put eel on it.

One of the outside doors slammed open, and Izuku could hear Kacchan's voice mixed with Kirishima's.

"Fucking wind! Why is it so cold this time of year?"

Izuku grunted as Ochako elbowed him. "Are you watching?"

His eyes narrowed, trying to focus on Kaylee. It was small, almost infinitesimal, but it did seem like Kaylee's skin got brighter? Maybe it was because she'd turned around at the sound and the lighting was different.

"Yo, Kaylee!" Kirishima called, holding up a few mail packages. "Mail for Hanako Yamada."

"In five, four, three…" Jiro whispered. "Live from UA, it's Kayleevision!."

Izuku couldn't contain his astonishment. "Holy woah!" He watched as Kacchan entered the kitchen, greeting Kaylee and setting down a few more packages.

It was like watching someone fiddle with the dimmer switch on a light socket. The moment Kaylee spotted Kacchan, she–well, there was no doubt about it–she glowed. A pale yellow light that shone from her like a halo. His jaw dropped as he watched Kaylee flickered for a moment, like a candle, then hold steady.

"Shh!"

"See, I told you? Believe me now?" Ochako hissed in his ear. Izuku nodded, speechless. He watched the pair for a long moment, studying the girl carefully. Her glow had to be her quirk, but it was obvious as to what effect the glow had on her, or anyone around her. The longer he studied her, it seemed like she would flicker a little, like a candle in a gentle breeze, then hold steady. Maybe that's why he never noticed her glow before, was she keeping it at a constant rate, like he had learned to do with One for All?

"Heads down," Tooru hissed and Izuku quickly followed the order, looking down at the book that was opened in front of him.

"Tooru keeps watch for us," Ochako whispered. "She lets us know when to pretend we're studying."

Izuku tried to listen to the voices in the kitchen–Kacchan's gruff comments, followed by Kaylee's raspy replies, but another conversation distracted him.

"How many times do you think he'll do it tonight?" Ashido asked through the side of her mouth. Izuku was impressed as he watched the pink girl flip pages in the textbook, moving her pencil as though she really was taking notes. If he didn't know better, he would have thought everyone was studying.

"Do what?" he murmured in Ochako's ear.

"Last night's count was six," Tsu leaned over from her seat.

"Seven," Todoroki corrected her, pretending to look over Momo's textbook.

"I knew you were watching!" Momo beamed at Todoroki, who shrugged.

"Might as well," he told her. "If it's the only way to spend time with you." Momo's cheeks turned a nice shade of pink. "And I don't even have to watch them, I can just count how many times the lot of you sigh and squeal."

"Admit it, Todoroki! You're having fun too!" Ashido pointed a finger at him accusingly.

Izuku saw a gleam in Todoroki's eyes. "Never."

"I say he gets to eight tonight," Ochako said softly, never looking up from where she was reading over Izuku's shoulder.

"What are you talking about?"

"Bakugou pats Kaylee on the head and they all go crazy," Todoroki told him.

"It's not just a 'pat!'" Jiro glared.

"It starts as a gentle caress at the nape of her neck, then he just slides his fingers through her hair like he can't go another minute without touching her," Tooru sighed longingly.

Izuku gaped at where Tooru was sitting, her blue hoodie the only thing that was visible. Todoroki snorted derisively next to him.

Warm fingers gently ran up the back of Izuku's neck, and tangled themselves in his green curls, sending tingles up and down his spine and he bit back a small moan.

"Like that," Ochako whispered in his ear with a slight giggle.

"Wow," he sighed, leaning into her touch. "That's…wow." He felt his face heat as Todoroki gave him a side-ways glance, then rolled his eyes.

Izuku had to admit, although it felt weird at first to be sort of spying on his childhood friend/bully/rival, it was quite fun. The rest of the group gave off an excited energy that was hard to ignore. Even Todoroki seemed to be enjoying himself, despite his outward demeanor. Both males noticed things that the girls hadn't, and offered a different perspective on the little scene playing out in front of them. It really was like watching a TV show, or reality series.

"See, that's the third time she's done that," Todoroki whispered. Izuku nodded. He'd noticed it too.

"What?" Momo asked. "What's going on?"

"If you all weren't so busy drooling over how Bakugou is acting, you'd notice Kaylee touches his arm just above the elbow every time he makes her laugh."

Sure enough, Kaylee giggled at something Kacchan said, her hand going straight to the area just above his elbow like a magnet. He was slicing something, talking to Kaminari and Kirishima, while Kaylee was listening to the three of them, while she stirred something on the stove.

"And every time she puts her hand there…" Izuku trailed off, as they all turned to eagerly watch the pair.

"...he blushes and flexes his muscles," Todoroki finished. The moment Kaylee's palm touched Kacchan, his cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink, and in a movement so slight it was almost imperceptible, he tightened his triceps, the black fabric of his t-shirt going taut. Her touch was light, fingers spread, and lingered for a few moments before she went back to whatever she was doing.

"Look at that," Ashido whispered. "Kaylee likes the gun show, doesn't she?"

"So the big question is, who do we bet on?" Tsu asked.

"Bakugou," Jiro said firmly.

"But Kaylee's already done the gun show thing three times," Ochako protested.

"Look, look, look," Tooru squealed softly. "He's about to do it!"

Ochako gripped Izuku's arm to get his attention, and he had to stifle a laugh at how silent the table went. The conversation in the kitchen had grown quieter, with Kaylee, Kaminari and Kirishima chatting happily, while Kacchan stood next to her. Izuku could see the tips of Kacchan's fingers as he ruffled the white blond hair on Kaylee's head. She visibly shivered, biting her lip.

"I want what they have," Tooru sighed longingly.

"I say Bakugou will get to eight first." Deku looked over at Tsu, who also had a dreamy expression on her face. "Look how he looks at her when she's turned away. He's totally in love with her."

The entire table quietly erupted as everyone started placing bets, even Todoroki passed over a wad of cash. Deku's eyes widened as Ochako handed Jiro a few small bills.

"Seriously?"

She flushed, looking only slightly guilty. "Don't judge me, I'm on a winning streak."

….

"You know we have pepperoni pizza here in Musutafu, right?" Bakugou grinned as Kaylee shot him a look. He began slicing pepperoni into thin circles. Although he hated to admit it, the type of pepperoni normally served in Japanese pizzeria's was much different to what she'd ordered online.

"Yes, but it's not the same as authentic New York style pepperoni pizza." She stirred the pizza sauce on the stove and began shredding the cheese. "I ordered this from one of the best delis in New York!"

"So, we're having pizza tonight then?" Bakugou scowled at Kaminari and Kirishima who had both taken seats at the kitchen counter. They both ignored him completely and began talking to Kaylee.

"Don't you assholes have somewhere else you need to be? Like in your girlfriends' little study group?" He motioned to the table behind them, noticing that not only was Icy-Hot there again, but the stupid nerd had joined them as well. They all had their heads down, diligently studying, or so it seemed like, but Bakugou had his suspicions. There was too much giggling and squealing, especially from Pinky and Lobes, and no class taught at UA had ever inspired that type of reaction.

"Nah, I'm good," Kirishima gave him a shit-eating grin that made him look like a shark. "I like to watch Kaylee cook and annoy you much more than I want to get a higher English grade. I'm passing, that's good enough."

"Same," Kaminari nodded. "Also, Kaylee gives us tastes."

"Don't feed the strays, or you'll never get rid of them," he teased her, leaning over to mock-whisper that in her ear. She giggled, her hand going to his arm, just above his elbow. Bakugou had no fucking idea how he lived to be 18 and not know how sensitive he was there, but holy shit, every time she did it, it made him crazy.

A few snickers and sighs came from the table. His head snapped over in that direction, but no one was looking their way. He turned back to watch her chat with his two best friends. He knew the pair was up to something, along with the asshole study group, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was. They were seriously pissing him off though, especially as he wanted time alone with Kaylee, and they were intruding.

He wanted her all to himself, to hoard up her smiles, her laughter, every moment he could.

Kaylee laughed at something one of the idiots said, her big brown eyes shining brightly. No, as much as he wanted all of her time and attention, he knew it wasn't fair to her, when she'd spent most of her life starving for friendship and affection–she needed to be around others. He remembered when she first arrived, how she'd huddle up in one of the corners of the common area and just watch everyone. She wanted friends, and if the pathetic losers here made her happy, he'd put up with the aggravation for a little while longer.

He moved closer to her, his hand casually rubbing her back where no one could see, then stroking up the back of her neck, and into the silky strands of hair. Her glow flickered for a moment, growing brighter and she shivered. He chuckled softly. Ever since he finally got to fucking kiss her the other morning, he was unable to keep himself from touching her in some way, even if it was just a small brush of hands or an idle caress.

A chorus of sighs and rustling drew his attention back over to the losers table.

"Oi!" He called out. The entire group jumped in unison, and Bakugou had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Fuck, that was funny. Yep, the assholes were definitely up to something and somehow both Icy-Hot and Deku were now in on it. "Don't you shit heads have anything better to do? We're trying to cook in here!"

"We're studying, Bakugou! And you don't own this room, we have every right to be here as much as you do!" Pinky shot back. He opened his mouth to tell her to go to hell, when Kaylee put her hand on his arm again.

"They're fine, Katsuki," she smiled at him, then turned to call out to the pathetic shits, "I'm making New York Style pizza if you'd like to try some?"

"What did I tell you about feeding strays?" Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kaminari and Kirishima mouth "Katsuki" to each other. They both shot him huge grins and Kaminari gave him a double thumbs up. Behind them, he could see a flurry of activity at the table, like the study group was passing around notes or something.

"Yes, please!"

"I like mine with eel!"

"I'll take a seafood special!"

"You'll take whatever she makes and you'll be grateful for it!" He snapped, banging his hand on the counter to get the assholes to shut up. Fucking extras!

Kaylee laughed next to him. "I'm afraid your choices are pepperoni and cheese." She gestured to where she had already rolled out the pizza dough into two insanely large, thin circles. "The crust is thin, crispy on the outside and soft in the center. You're supposed to fold it in half to eat. The sauce is a tomato base mixed with garlic and Italian herbs."

Bakugou tried to keep the disappointment out of his tone. "No spicy mayo, huh?"

"Oh, well…" she bit her lip slyly, making his heart leap with the urge to kiss her. "Now that you mention spicy…" She took his arm, again, right in that sensitive spot above his elbow and led him over to where the other unopened package was.

"That's 4 times!" Deku's voice rang out, followed by harsh shushing. Mesmerized by how Kaylee was almost dancing with excitement, her skin shining brightly, he barely even registered the others anymore.

"I got you something." She handed him a small rectangular package that had a shit ton of stamps on it. "I can't believe it took so long to get here, I ordered it ages ago, but it got delayed in customs."

"Let's see it! Come on, man!" Kaminari was hanging over the kitchen counter trying to see. He ripped into the box.

He took out a box with red and yellow English lettering on it. "Mad Dog–" he read slowly, "No. 9 Plutonium?" He looked quizzically at Kaylee, who was still dancing in place with excitement. He noticed a chili pepper on the bottle. "Hot sauce?"

"Not just any hot sauce. It's a pepper extract–the hottest on the planet! It comes in at 9 million Scoville Heat Units. I had to fake a lot of forms to even purchase it. There's all sorts of disclaimers and stuff, including where you agree to only use it as a food additive only."

He stared at the bottle in his hand. She'd ordered it ages ago. Stupid really, but his eyes stung a little at the thought–ages ago, she'd been wanting to give him a gift.

"It's meant to be more of a joke, really." He glanced over at her, noticing her biting her lip, almost as though she was nervous. Her glow had diminished somewhat. "There's all these videos where people are trying like the tiniest bit of it and then they burst into tears and cry and vomit and stuff. I just thought you'd–"

"This is great!" Shit, he wanted to kiss her so fucking bad right then, but of course not with the audience of assholes observing every move. Instead he smiled at her, giving her a look that he could only hope translated into what he wanted to do if they could ever get the fuck alone. It must have worked as her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink and she beamed in return, her glow returning.

"I'm starving," Kaminari moaned. "Bakugou, quit distracting Kaylee so she can finish the pizzas!"

"Shut the fuck up!" He gave the bastard the middle finger.

"Let's see the hot sauce, Bakugou." Kirishima held out his hand and Bakugou tossed over the bottle.

"Holy fuck!" Kaminari took a good whiff of the stuff and started coughing. "Shit, that's hot!"

"It's supposed to be," Kaylee told him. "And the package says it's pepper extract, not a sauce. From the videos I saw, it's about the same level as military grade pepper spray."

"That's a great idea!" Kirishima quickly pulled out his phone. "Let's make a video of us trying it!"

"Oh, that's a really bad idea–" Kaylee began. "It can literally burn through your insides! People said they were in pain for hours afterwards."

"Nonsense! You bought it for Bakugou, so you must think he can handle it–"

"I got it as a joke!"

Bakugou placed his hand on Kaylee's head, ruffling her hair. "Let the idiots do it!"

"Five! That makes five!" Both Bakugou and Kaylee turned their heads in unison to look at the pathetic extra study group, who were all giggling, hissing, and shushing each other. Bakugou swore he saw money get tossed about.

"Ok, I've got the camera set to record and we're set to stream on HeroTube," Kaminari grinned, holding up his phone at arms length so both he and Kirishima could fit in the frame.

….

CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia, United States of America

Ms. Smith shuffled the papers in front of her, waiting somewhat impatiently for her turn to brief the room. As technologically advanced as the world was becoming, paper still seemed to be one of the safest and most secure forms of communication. Paper burns. Ink can become unreadable. So much easier to destroy than digital files.

She glanced around the room, her gaze narrowing slightly as it landed on the newly appointed Director. Eleven years ago, he was nothing but a young prick, eager to make a name for himself, barely out of grad school.

"Ms. Smith, can you update us on your little high school project down in Japan?"

Do you mean the project that you botched eleven years ago and now it's coming back to blow up in your face, but like every other man on this planet, you get a female to clean up for you?

She smiled. "Of course. Right now, our limited sources indicate that the subject is doing well and seems to be thriving."

"That's all you have to report?" The Director of National Security was just as much of a prick as the new CIA Director, which made sense considering they were old friends.

"At this time, yes. Our sources are unable to give us much information, due to the high level security systems in place at UA High. Unfortunately, our East Asian counterparts have made information gathering about the subject somewhat difficult. They still see the subject as a non-threat." Ms. Smith had her suspicions that her Japanese counterparts were more interested in the subject than they let on, but used the fact that the subject is also a Japanese citizen, and apprehended on Japanese soil as an excuse to keep up the red tape.

"What about the other quirk? Has it manifested itself? Surely the drugs have worn off after all these months?" The Director shifted in his seat, playing with a pen in his hand.

"Considering the drug given to her by the captors was a black-market version of the one originally formulated, we have no indication of when the drug will wear off."

The Director nodded. "I'll talk with the President, see if he can put some pressure on the Prime Minister." The bastard pointed a finger in her direction, making her bristle. "I'm upgrading this case from Secret to High Priority Top Secret. Make sure everyone with you has the appropriate security clearance. Dismissed."

….

"Something you need to see has just come in," one of the techs assigned to her case whispered in her ear as she marched from the board room. "It was broadcast live a few hours ago from Musutafu, Japan."

"Really?"

"Yes. It's around dinner time there. I know you are fluent, but I had our translators place subtitles anyway."

Ms. Smith entered her office, followed by the tech, who quickly turned on the large TV monitor and brought up a popular Japanese social media streaming platform.

"Hi everyone! I'm Red Riot," a spiky red-haired male with a bright smile and very sharp teeth, around 18 years of age came into focus. Next to him was a yellow-haired male of similar age, with a prominent black streak in his hair just above his left eye. The video, while clear, was obviously taken with a smartphone camera held by one of the males, and the sound was somewhat echo-y.

"And I'm Chargebolt! We're broadcasting live from UA Alliance Heights, with some of the rest of Class 3-A–"

The camera panned around the room, where students were gathered around study tables, all waving eagerly at the camera and smiling.

"-along with the two-time Sports Festival winner, Katsuki Bakugou–" the two teens turned the camera to another blonde boy with similarly spiked hair who gave the camera the finger and grinned, sticking out his tongue. They were apparently in a well appointed modern kitchen, with stainless steel appliances. Various food items were scattered about, as though someone had been or was in the process of cooking. "-also known as DynaMight–"

"GREAT EXPLOSION MURDER GOD DYNAMIGHT, YOU PRICK!" The spiky blond scowled over at the red-head. A feminine giggle could be heard in the background.

"And we're about to do something insanely stupid! We've got a bottle here of the world's hottest pepper extract, made by the Mad Dog company in Mass–" he stuttered, looking off camera, "How the hell is this pronounced?"

"Massachusetts," a female voice said, enunciating each syllable slowly. Ms. Smith straightened in her chair. The voice was raspy, and the pronunciation was in a perfect American accent.

"Yeah, that place. This is called 357 Plutonium No. 9 pepper extract and like I just said, it's the single hottest pepper sauce in the world coming in at over 9 million on the Scoville Heat Scale," the red-head grinned evilly at the camera. "And we're about to try some!"

"What do you mean we?" Chargebolt scowled at Red Riot.

"I can't do this alone!"

"It was your idea!"

"I can't prove how manly the sturdy hero Red Riot is without something to compare to!"

"Holy fuck, get this over with, I'm hungry!" A growl came from off camera, but it was obviously from the blond known as Bakugou.

"Then you come here and do it with me, Bakugou!"

"Fucking fine!" Ms. Smith watched as Katsuki Bakugou stomped into the camera's view again. Clapping and cheering could be heard off screen.

Red Riot held up a box that matched the bottle in coloring. "As you can see, folks, this sauce has a lot of disclaimers and warnings—but since they're in English and my English isn't that great, none of this applies to me," he flashed another blinding white smile. The sound of laughter could be heard in the background.

Ms. Smith's eyes narrowed as she focused on Bakugou. He was apparently having a silent, but animated conversation with someone off camera.

"Who is he talking to? Does the camera ever show them?"

"No," the tech replied. "I'm sure you have your suspicions, but the person always manages to stay just out of view of the camera."

"Oh! Credit for this incredible and insane stunt goes to Bakugou's girlfriend and Class 3-A's newest–" Red Riot was abruptly cut off as Bakugou slapped him on the back of his head. "Oh, yeah…sorry!" his complexion paled for a moment and he looked to his right, arching his neck to peer behind Bakugou. He mouthed something at the figure standing off camera.

"Pause it!" Ms. Smith snapped. She moved closer to the TV. "Could we pick up on what he just said?"

"I had our analysts on it, and they believe he just mouthed the name 'Kaylee'," the tech told her. "Although, it's somewhat difficult to tell with absolute certainty."

Ms. Smith frowned, studying the image before her. Both boys were looking to their right, heads tilted in a way as though the figure was standing somewhat behind them. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the view of the kitchen again, trying to see something, anything.

There.

Her heart picked up speed. It seemed whomever was standing off camera didn't realize the stainless steel refrigerator reflected their profile. It was obviously a person, with pale blonde hair, and a feminine figure, bathed in a pale yellow glow.

"Continue the video," she ordered.

Red Riot continued, "Anyway, this was purchased by a close, personal friend–"

"Purchased?" She turned to the tech. "I want the financials pulled from that card we gave UA. NOW!"

The tech scattered.

She turned back to the screen. "So, without further ado, we're about to see who can handle this challenge–" Chargebolt had taken over narration while the other boys had grabbed a single chopstick, carefully placing the end into the bottle. An even amount of dark red substance appeared on each one.

"Will the sturdy hero, Red Riot prove that he is the manliest of them all, or will it be DynaMight that can handle the heat and stay in the kitchen?"

Cheers and shouts for each boy sounded out, "You've got this, Kacchan!" and "I know you're the hottest ever, Eijirou!"

"On one, two, three!" Both boys stuck the end into their mouths. Silence ensued. Both boys looked at each other and smiled, although it was obvious Red Riot was starting to feel some pain, as he quickly grimaced and started choking. Bakugou's smile became larger, although his face was a touch redder than previously.

"Oh, this wasn't what I had in mind," the raspy female voice said. "It's supposed to be a food additive!"

Red Riot suddenly doubled over in pain, sliding off the high stool and rolling about on the floor. "Dude, are you ok?"

"Sturdy hero my ass," Bakugou choked out. His face was pouring sweat and his voice was hoarse, but otherwise was unaffected.

"Quick, here's some milk!" A pale yellow hand suddenly appeared in view, handing a glass of milk to Bakugou, who quickly tossed the contents on Red Riot. He was clutching his stomach and gasping heavily, as though each breath was his last. "No, Katsuki! He's supposed to drink it!" The camera was now shaking, and outright guffaws of laughter could be heard.

"Holy shit!" Chargebolt was laughing so hard he could barely breathe. "I can't believe you threw milk on him, dude!"

"How the fuck was I supposed to know that? I've never needed any!"

A small crowd gathered around the prostrate boy, and a pink skinned girl with horns was hovering over him, concern apparent in her face. "Should we get Recovery Girl?"

"No! I'm ok," Red Riot guzzled the entire gallon of milk that was passed to him, gasping between huge gulps. "I'll be fine." Tears were running down his face, huge globs of mucus poured from his nostrils and he was drooling. Ms. Smith could almost feel sorry for the kid.

"Ok," the voice on the camera started narrating again. "Looks like our own Great Explosion Murder God DynaMight proved he can handle the heat, and Red Riot–" the camera turned abruptly to Chargebolt's concerned expression. Vomiting could be heard in the background along with moans and groans of "Oh, gross!"

"-we'll keep you posted on Red Riot's condition! Thanks for tuning in! This is your friendly Stun-Gun hero Chargebolt, over and out!" Fade to black.

"We have the statements, m'am," the tech returned, handing her a stack of papers. "Looks like starting over the summer, significant charges were made to the card assigned to Kaylee Fukagawa, all made to a Hanako Yamada and shipped to a Japanese post office in Musutafu, Japan."

Ms. Smith scanned through the pages and pages of credit card statements. Various purchases for clothing, toiletries, bedroom decor, kitchen items–all very expensive and high quality. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on a particular purchase…

Mad Dog Pepper Company, Sudbury, Massachusetts.

Hanako Yamada was the Japanese equivalent of Jane Doe. She flipped through the pages again.

"Did you note the hand, m'am?"

"Yes, and the reflection in the refrigerator. I want that image analyzed and on my desk by this afternoon," she continued to thumb through the statements.

"Looks like our subject was busy," the tech commented. "She even managed to get a boyfriend."

"Hmmm…" Ms. Smith paused on one of the earliest statements.

"As well as the latest smartphone model," she replied. "These tech companies really need make sure their product is fully tested before they release them to the public. This particular one is known to have all sorts of issues regarding security."

The tech looked at where she was indicating. "I'll get right on that."

She replayed the video again, this time focusing on what might be occurring off camera. She paused it at a certain spot, noting the glowing figure's reflection.

Although the files had long been redacted, Kaylee Fukagawa's mother also was reported to have a glow when her quirk was activated.

...

A/N: No. 9 Plutonium pepper extract is actually a real thing and you can find the reviews about it online-I love the one where someone said it was like swallowing an atom bomb and it clears your body of all demons. Confession time: The scene in the common area is actually one of the first scenes I had in my head when I was dreaming up this story. For some reason, I like the idea of the entire class being very supportive (annoyingly so!) regarding Bakugou and Kaylee's relationship.