Chapter 4: Knowledge is Power

Deku wasn't sure if this day could get any weirder. From the moment he woke up to this afternoon, it has been nothing short of a crazy hurricane of events. And for the second, no, THIRD time that day he'd had to clean himself up. Sighing in front of the bathroom mirror he patted his face dry with a clean towel that sat on the corner of the sink. One breath, then two. He did his best to calm his mind, which was replaying the moment after both he and Kacchan fell from the door of the filing room.

After Todoroki opened the door Deku pulled himself upright from the ground. His mind dizzy from his and Kacchan's... adventurous activities. Shaking his sluggish mind awake he noticed two things: a very concerned Todoroki kneeling down in front of him, and a blurred figure of Kacchan escaping at mach speed around a corner down the hall.

"Midoriya, are you ok? Are you hurt?" Todoroki asked as he gently held his shoulder, eyes swimming with worry. Deku did his best to shake the last bit of haziness from his mind before smiling up at his friend.

"I'm fine, just a little disoriented from being trapped in a dark room for a while." He gave him a reassuring look, but Todoroki didn't seem to buy it. His friend was sharp, not stupid, and his hand reached out and lightly brushed his cheeks before resting his palm over his forehead.

"You're red in the face. Are you sure Bakugo didn't do anything?" His voice wasn't demanding, it was more worried, like he was trying not to scare him away. Touched by his friend's concern, Deku reached up and patted Todoroki's hand.

"Heheh... Really, I'm ok, but thanks for asking." Even though Todoroki was cold to him in the beginning thanks to an old, bitter, rivalry between All Might and Endeavor, he was thankful that they were able to work things out. Since then Todoroki has been nothing but a caring friend and surprisingly a good listener. To see him reach out and offer a helping hand just goes to show how far their friendship has developed. It always warmed Deku's heart. Friends are better then enemies, after all. "Kacchan was having a hard time with the situation and, well... you know what he can get like." Just laugh it off like nothing SEXUAL just happened behind that closed door.

Now that Deku was back to his senses, the whole ordeal seem to rush back to the forefront of his mind. Ashamed with the way everything went down he buried his face in his hands, his face flushed from ear to ear. Peeking through his fingers, Deku saw Todoroki still held doubt on his face. He knew that Bakugo and him had a bad history, but Deku had thought they were making progress with their relationship after the fight at ground Beta. I guess old habits die hard.

As his hands slide from his heating face they came to rest just over his heart. No... Kacchan had changed lately. He could have normal conversations now. Well... at least there have been less death threats thrown into their discussions and he did seem to care how Deku's progress was going with One for All. Sure, he was still boisterous when he talked, but that's just how he is. Even when they where small Kacchan always made sure his voice was heard.

Memories of their younger years, before Bakugo's quirk activated, poured into his mind; the both of them laughing and having fun at a nearby park. Building sand castles, seeing who could reach the top of the playground, and catching all kinds of bugs. It was simple, but straight. No fighting, just trust in a boy who was just as happy to see him as he was him. The more Deku remembered, the more calm he became. His heart fluttered at the reminiscing.

With a warmer expression that blossomed across his face he looked back at his patient friend. "Trust me, Kacchan and I were just a little warm being stuck in that room, he was probably running to grab some water." Smile you big liar. There was no way he was going to tell Todoroki what actually happened behind that closed door. After a few more quiet seconds Todoroki finally stood back up.

"If you say so. Burnin was worried when the two of you were taking to long. She thought you two had ditch-"

"WHAT!? I WOULD NEVER!" The idea that Deku would walk away from his responsibilities, no matter how mundane they where, was like a slap across the face. Kacchan, maybe, but Deku? He crinkled his nose in frustration at the thought. "We should report back to Miss Burnin before she thinks I skipped out on our punishment." With a heavy sigh Deku decided to stand up, but immediately buckled back down.

"Midoriya?" Todoroki turned sharply when he heard Deku thumped back down to the ground.

There was no way Deku was going back to the office just yet, not with this sticky mess in his pants. Embarrassed, he quickly pulled the front of his shirt down, like he was hiding a dirty secret, squirming from side to side. Todoroki just stared at him for a bit before he decided to offer his hand. "Why don't we take a breather and freshen up at the washroom." He reached out and pulled Deku to his feet, squeaking from the sudden rush of being pulled up. Todoroki lead them to the nearest restroom, all the while Deku stayed close behind him like a small duckling keeping close to it's mother. And yet, Deku felt like Todoroki was protecting him, shielding him from prying eyes as they hurried across the office.

And that's how Deku wound up at the washroom, again, except this time he had to wash his underwear in the sink, no thanks to a certain lusty, tempered friend of his. Seriously, what the heck was going on?

First the dream, then the training hall and now this? This was never going to leave the archive of his mind. It falls under the file of 'WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?' The problem of the situation was just that. He wasn't really thinking at the time. Both times it felt like he lost control, which is hard to believe since he's been working so hard to control his quirk. Never in his life has he thought of Kacchan in such a *Ahem* attractive manner. Just the thought seemed to make Deku red in the face. He did his best to rinse the worst of the 'evidence' off of his drawers, turning off the tap and wringing the material of any excess water.

He never depicted himself as a *Gulp* sexual creature. Oh geez, even thinking about it was too embarrassing. He tried to brush the pink from his cheeks with his forearm, even though it was futile. Sex was a... sensitive subject that Deku mostly avoided. He had ZERO experience and it kinda scared him. He's never really talked to a girl, not until he entered UA. Even then he's been so focused on harnessing the power of One for All that he hasn't had the time to think of a potential love partner. Not that he isn't happy with all the female friends he's made at school, but it's just never crossed his mind. Okay, maybe the girls in class smell really nice, but that's IT! But now... now his experience has gone from 0% to 15% in the span of one day. It's not entirely like he's not interested in being intimate with someone, but he always thought his first sexual experience would be more innocent? Romantic? But from his point of view, him and Kacchan both humped each other like of couple of rabbits. It was odd. Like someone flipped a switch and suddenly his best friend started to look rather appealing. Why him? Why now?

Exhaling a large sigh Deku walked over to the wall dryer, doing his best to dry his underwear. As the dryer worked its warmth into the fabric of his damp undergarments Deku thought back to the filing room. Yes, it was strange what was going on, but above all the confusion and strong foreign feelings that was coursing through him, he realized that he never once felt an ounce of disgust towards Kacchan. Scared by the strange going on, yes, but not grossed out by the fact that he literally got hard for a guy. Could it be because he's his friend? Someone he trust?

"Feeling better?" With a startled jump Deku turned to see Todoroki walking into the room, quickly doing his best to hide his underwear from his friend behind his back.

"Y-yes! Just needed a breather." He replied while awkwardly shuffling sideways to his bag. He turned so he could use his body as a wall, before throwing his underwear into the confines of his bag. Walking around commando was going to be a bit breezy.

"You know, Midoriya... If there's something bothering you, you can tell me." At Todoroki's offer Deku slowly stood back up, while slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"I really appreciate it, really I do, but I'm fine." And it's not a conversation Deku really wants to have right now. At least not until he got to the bottom of this. But, it warms his heart to know that his friend is thinking about him. Todoroki gave him one slow nod of understanding, before leading the way out, not pushing the subject any further.

Once the two of them returned to Burnin's office Deku got an earful, but wasn't going to receive any further punishment after pleading his case. "Ah, man! Someone was supposed to fix that damn door days ago. Sorry about that, champ. That place smells of dust and crusty old documents." She wrinkled her nose at the thought. "Where the hell did Grenade go?" Referring to Kacchan, who still hasn't shown his face, yet.

"Last we saw him he bolted down the far end of the building." Todoroki answered while riffling through the pile of folders he must have been organizing beforehand.

"He was... a little green in the face." Deku did his best to give Kacchan a decent excuse for his absence. He was probably going through the same motions as himself.

"He eat something funny?" Without breaking focus from the pile of work she was shuffling through, Burnin drew Deku's attention with the wave of her hand and a point of her finger, indicating that if he just going to stand there he might as well help Todoroki. Taking the hint Deku set aside his bag and started on the pile next to his friend. "Poor baby has an upset tummy?" A snicker could be heard from atop the desk. "Either way he's skipping out on his duties. He'll have to make up for lost time tomorrow-" The office phone rang. "WHAT!?" Burnin shouted as she answered the phone. "I'm kinda busy! This better be important!" She huffed while leaning back in her office chair. "Shit! That's tomorrow? I haven't had the time to go out looking for something chic yet." Deku could see his instructor run a frustrated hand through her blazing green flames, showing no signs of burning her own hand. Is it all for show or is she immune to her own quirky hair? After a couple of minutes of bantering on the phone she eventually slammed the phone back down. Who still uses landlines? Apparently, this agency.

"Good news, boys! Your day just got cut short thanks to the fact that I gotta haul ass outta here and hit up the boutiques before they close." Burnin said as she began to shove stuff into her desk and work bag. "I'm pretty sure you guys get the idea that late people are dead people. So, the moral of the fact is DON'T BE LATE FOR WORK!" She threw them both a 'got it' look before she walked over to her office lights, slapping them off. "You can just leave that crap on the floor. I'll get to it some other time." The room dimmed with only the late afternoon sun shining through the office windows, leaving the boys in its soft amber glow. "And if you see the Ticking Time Bomb, warn him that his ass is grass." She mumbled something about skipping out under her breath before waving them good-bye for the day.

Deku and Todoroki started to gather their things. They were used to Miss Burnin's flighty behaviour so they weren't the least bit offended when she goes to ditch them like she did. Her attitude usually screamed 'You're big boys. You don't need me to hold your hands on the way out the door'.

"What a day!" Deku sighed.

"Ready to go?" Todoroki asked as he slung his bag over his shoulder.

Deku would have loved to head back to the apartment, but there was something more pressing. Like what was happening with him? And where had Kacchan ran off, too? Was he hurt? Had he possibly hurt himself after the fall? He wasn't the type to just up and leave without permission from his superior, which meant he was still in the building somewhere, and Deku was going to find him. It's about time they discuss this. "Sorry, but I'll catch up with you later. There something I gotta do before I head back." Deku made sure to pat Todoroki's shoulder for reassurance before jogging past him with a wave and making a beeline towards where Kacchan had last been seen fleeing the scene.

"Midoriya, wait-" Was all Deku from behind him. He felt a little bad leaving Todoroki behind, but him and Kacchan really need to have a talk.

Deku's first thought was to check all the bathrooms along the way, but Kacchan wasn't in any of them. Maybe he was keeping a low profile? After everything that happened, Deku was sort of in the same boat. However, his nagging curiosity kept him searching high and low. He decided to poke his head in more common areas. The lunchroom, party room and the gym. Nope, still nothing. Scratching his head out of confusion he decided his next approach was to check empty offices. He peered into ones with open doors first, not wanting to disturb anyone from their jobs, Deku made sure to be as subtle as possible. Still... Deku wasn't having any luck. He eventually started to ask around, wondering if anyone might have seen him run by, but no one seemed to have seen his friend.

"Did he head back to the apartment...?" Deku mumbled. More then anything he just wanted to make sure Kacchan was ok. Even when Deku was flopped onto the floor and struggling to come back to reality during their escapade one thing did catch his eye. The look of pure shame on his friend's face as he raced away from the scene. This bothered him greatly, and he feared he may have tainted something between their growing friendship. No! He worked so hard to get Kacchan to finally see eye to eye with him again. He wasn't about to let that go to waste thanks to whatever this was. With a balled fist of determination he thought of another plan. "Maybe, if I head to security, they'll tell me if he left the build." It's better then blindly running down halls for another hour.

As he was about to sprint to the elevator, something caught the collar of his shirt and pulled him back. With a startled scream, Deku flew backwards into a room, falling square on his back. His head stung from the forced impact of the floor, dizzying his vision. It didn't take him long to focus on his new surroundings. He seemed to have been pulled into a conference room. And the person responsible for the pulling was the person he was searching for. "KACCHAN!?"

"SHHHH!" He heard his spiky blonde friend growl before he poked his head out of the room. He seem to be checking if the coast was clear before closing the door behind him, but hesitated for just a second and decided to keep it open a crack, shoving a nearby door stopper under the sill. Deku was happy to see Kacchan being his usual self, a smile forming across his freckled face, as he started to push himself off the ground, but came to a sudden halt when those fiery red eyes turn to glare back at him.

Without warning, Kacchan charged towards him. Instinct kicked in and Deku scurried backwards, crab walking along the floor, before his back hit a wall. Expecting Kacchan to slam his fist down, Deku closed his eyes out of habit. Except, nothing came. He peeked an eye open only to come face to face with a very close and angry, classmate.

"Start talking, nerd." His voice was surprisingly quiet. Edgy with anger, but quiet. "What the hell is going on?" Kacchan wasn't actually boxing him in. In fact he noticed, with a quick glance, that he was kneeling next to him. His posture very cautious, like he was trying his best not to touch him. Almost flighty.

"I-I don't know." He stuttered, gulping from the closeness. Memories from earlier were beginning to swim to the front of his mind, but Deku shook them away. This wasn't the time for that. He could tell Kacchan wanted answers just as badly as he did. "But, I wanna figure this out" He said more firmly as he jostled upwards, fixing his posture. This action seemed to cause Kacchan to clamour backwards, flinching at the sudden forwardness. Seemingly pissed by his own reaction, Kacchan shot to his feet in frustration before aggressively pulling out a chair from the oval shaped table that sat in the centre of the room, throwing his stressed out body into the chair.

"Just stay over there, will ya! Don't you dare come near me." He growled as he loosely dangled from his chair.

"You charged at me?" Deku pointed at himself.

"The only thing I want to hear coming out of your mouth is a reason why this is happening." He's right. Arguing will get them nowhere. With a exaggerated sigh, Deku lifted himself up off the floor and took a seat on the opposite side of the room. Distance is probably best for now.

"Okay... let's start at the beginning." As Kacchan raised his head slightly he could see the obvious raised eyebrow he was sending him from across the table that meant that he wasn't going to be the one to talk first. With a hopeless sigh Deku took the lead. "I woke up this morning feeling fine, my alarm clock scared the life out of me but, other then that I went straight to take my usual shower." Deku ran a tired hand through his hair, using his elbow to prop himself up on the table. "Then after breakfast we all headed for the agency."

"I'mma stop you right there." Kacchan's wilted posture started to straighten before he crossed his arms and stared daggers at Deku. "I remember you acting weird in the bathroom this morning. Why?" He wasn't asking. More like demanding.

"Urgh, well..." Did Kacchan really want to know about his awkward dream? But wait, if he remembers correctly that strange feeling was there, in the bathroom. Before, Deku thought it was just the dream that made him feel all giddy and embarrassed, but what if it wasn't embarrassment. What if it was THAT feeling? The new one. "I-I had a strange dream."

"Dream?" This seemed to peek Kacchan's interest.

"It was super hazy and I don't remember much." Liar. "But, I remember it was different, nothing I've ever dreamt of before." Deku pinched the bridge of his nose. "That dream, combined with my phone going off, kinda set me on edge this morning." His classmate remained silent, allowing Deku to continue. "I thought a shower would help clear my mind and that's when I ran into you." He peered through his finger to address his friend. "I was trying to avoid being seen." But that failed miserably with Todoroki earlier in the kitchen and then Kacchan in the bathroom. "That's why I was jumpy when I ran into you."

"Trying to hide something from me, nerd?"

"Not necessarily, more like I was trying to figure out what my dream was about and you happened to startle me." Don't forget feeling guilty for being unusually horny first thing in the morning, but he didn't need to know that. He heard Kacchan let out a dissatisfied grunt from over the table.

"And the staring?"

Deku lifted his face from his hand to give Kacchan a questionable look. "Staring?"

Kacchan kicked the table out of annoyance. "You were giving me droopy eyes this morning." He was? Uh oh. "Mind telling me why you where looking at me like you were fanboying over All Might-" Like a light bulb going off Deku saw his friend piecing the puzzle together. "WERE YOU CHECKING ME OUT!?" Yelled his blond teammate as he slammed a fist onto the table, his face flamed a shade of pink.

"NO! I WASN'T!" Deku's arms waved dramatically as he shook his head.

"THEN WHAT? I sure as hell know that you weren't looking at the architecture of the bathroom tiles. Your eyes were focused on me." Deku didn't need a mirror to know that his face was beet red. He did his best to hide his face by wrapping both arms around his face.

"The water..." He mumbled. Through folded arms.

"HUH!? Speak up, nerd!" He could hear Kacchan grind his finger nails across the table, losing patience. Deku parted his arms ever so slightly. Only his mouth could be seen.

"I was watching the water drip down your back." It was silent for a few moments. Probably from the fact that Kacchan was just trying to process what Deku had said.

"So you were checking me out." Is all he said. No heated comeback or disgusted spat. Just... a baseless reply. Before Kacchan could argue back with something much worse Deku decided to take action.

"But that's just it!" Realization hitting him. He parted his arms and slammed them on the table, bringing Kacchan to look at him. "It's not normal. I've never had the urge to ogle you before." For some reason Kacchan smirked back at him, causing his heart to skip. No Deku, focus. "There's been this strange feeling, and judging by your reaction earlier, it's been happening to you, too. And I think it started this morning." Was it the dream that triggered it? No, not unless Kacchan had the same one. Which he doubts considering his normal demeanour in the bathroom. He needed more evidence. "When did it start for you?"

Kacchan didn't say anything at first. He simply stood up and walked over to the office window and looked out. Eventually his gaze landed on Deku via the reflection in the glass. "Personally? I knew something was up during our training, but..." There was a slight pause. "I think I remember feeling a little off in the elevator." Good. At least he's being honest. Deku knew it wasn't easy for Kacchan to talk about delicate things, like his feelings. But, he also knew he'd rather figure this out then stay in the dark. Making his curiosity win over his embarrassment. "I remember you being close. Really close. Then I started to feel on edge. Palms sweaty, heart jack hammering and you smelled...intense." Those red eyes zeroing in on him with heat bearing behind them. Sending another skip in his heart.

"Did I smell funny?" Deku held his breath.

"Nevermind." Kacchan dipped his face quickly into hand before turning to look at the office door. Was he planning another escape?

"Maybe it was something we ate?" Deku broke eye contact and subconsciously rub at his heart. "What did you have for diner last night?"

"I didn't eat anything." A long drawled out sigh escaped his friend. "Once we got back to the apartment I freshened myself up before heading straight to bed. Was covered in dust, no thanks to the mission." He slowly made his way over to the door before stopping in his tracks. At the same time, Deku snapped to his feet, knocking the chair he was sitting on backwards.

"THE VILLAIN!?" It was no surprise that they both reached the same conclusion.

"That stupid bitch! She really did do something to us." Kacchan hissed as his body began to vibrate with rage.

"So, she used her quirk on us. That has to be the reason everything isn't making sense." Thinking back on it, Deku remembers the strange electromagnetic force that crashed into him, right when the villain looked at them. Her prominent third eye burning red in his memory.

"Do you remember what the briefing report said about her quirk?" Kacchan started to round the table.

Deku quickly pulled out his phone and opened the file that he received before deployment. "It says that the villain is known for her minor crimes. Local to the area. In her 20's and has a quirk that makes her opponents suffer mental instability. She makes her victims go crazy. Sometimes only lasting from a few seconds, to hours, or several days." Deku tapped his thump rapidly on his phone screen, scrolling through what little the document had to offer. Surprisingly, Kacchan came to stand right next to him. His eyes did a quick side glance before return to the document.

"What kind of vague summary is that?" *Tch*

"She seems to be pretty illusive. They've had a hard time catching her." Until yesterday.

"Does it say anything about how the quirk can be broken?" Deku desperately flew through the file, but couldn't find anything else on her. His face paled at the final sentence.

"Nothing else is known about her. Further investigation is required." Not helpful. "According to the last paragraph, one of her victims did suffer from her quirk for as long as 3 months." The room temperature seemed to drop a few degrees. Stupid. STUPID! Why didn't he take the time to properly read the file? If he wasn't in such a hurry to start the mission yesterday he would have been more cautious around her. Rookie mistake. Now, he and his friend could be suffering from some unknown quirk and that could be dangerous. "We should say something to Endeavor-"

"Hell no!" Kacchan suddenly yanked Deku to the side. Bringing his attention to him. "We don't need Daddy Issues to be involved. We can fix this ourselves. There's no point in throwing this problem on someone else's shoulders." Deku didn't like to burden others if it wasn't an emergency. But, so far, whatever seems to be happening between the two of them isn't constant. That's apparent since Deku feels like his usual self, even with Kacchan in the room.

"So... how are we suppose to deal with this?" If he had Eraser Head's quirk this would be easy, but since his friend is against asking for help this makes things trickier.

"I overheard the other heroes yesterday say that she was going to the holding cell at the police station. I think it's time we pay her a visit." Kacchan smacked his fist into his other hand. He clearly wanted answers and Deku wasn't about to back down on the chance to learn more about how someones quirk works. Knowledge is power after all. Deku looked down at his phone to check the time.

"If we leave now we should be able to get in and have a audience with her." He turned to look at Kacchan and they both nodded in response. Together they gathered their things and headed for the elevators. Once they arrive at the station Deku doubts the villain will cooperate. Not without something in return. But standing around twiddling their thumps won't solve anything. This is there best option.

As they hurried to the elevators through aisles of cubicles a loud voice came from over one of the boxed in work station. "HEADS UP! RUNAWAY PENCIL HOLDER!" Confused Deku turned to the source of the noise and missed the fact that something rolled under his feet. Causing him to stumble forward and desperately grasp at anything to stop his fall. Unfortunately, the only thing to grab onto was his teammates pants. His hand hooked into the back pocket and pulled down.

"DEKU!?" Screamed his spiky headed friend as he quickly held his pants from pulling down any further. "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, YOU IDIOT!" He also shot a deadly glare to the guy who was clumsy in the first place, he watched as the office worker shrank back into his cubicle, dragging his lone pencil holder with him. But, that wasn't what surprised Deku the most.

"Kacchan... You're going commando, too?" The lack of boxers was proof enough due to the fact that Deku was staring at his friends ass.

"STOP CHECKING ME OUT, NERD!" In a blind rage of udder humiliation, Kacchan snatched Deku by the collar of his shirt and threw him towards the elevator, falling flat against the buttons. To his relief one of the cars was already on that floor. Bakugo ran into the unoccupied space while pulling his pants back up. "YOU'RE TAKING THE OTHER CAR DOWN. I DON'T WANNA SEE YOUR STUPID FACE RIGHT NOW!" He hissed while aggressively slamming the close button, flipping him the bird just before the doors closed. The light chime of the elevator sounding as it started to descend.

Deku, who was now hitting the call button on the elevator, simply facepalmed his flushed face as he mentally kicked himself for thinking, in that split moment, that the idea of fondling his friend's ass seemed appealing.

Weirdest. Day. Ever.