Ch. 13 Cracks in the Ceiling

Her eyes fluttered open to view the shafts of light cutting through her blinds. Warmth engulfed her, a comfort swaddling her body that left Ochaco feeling secure. She closed her eyes and embraced the strong arms that held onto her hips, a soft breath that snored quietly into her hair, the aroma of green tea and clean skin that enraptured her. Uraraka didn't want to move. Her night had been filled with fits of sweat and nightmares. If it hadn't been for Izuku hushing her, reassuring her that things were going to be ok, Ochaco would not have slept. Of course, she happily reciprocated the kindness for Deku. She felt grateful that he was comfortable enough to be that vulnerable around her. It wasn't something she was used to. It certainly wasn't a common trait in some of the people she had been with before. Neither pressed for anything more than comfort, which was all they needed at the moment. A few tears of gratitude and sorrow leaked out from her closed eyes. Images and smells flooded her mind throughout the night and he was there to console her. Even as her pain threatened to overtake her now, she could feel Izuku's hold tighten around her.

"Mmm… S'okay, Sunflower. I've got you," he whispered. Ochaco grabbed a hold of his hands to stop her own from shaking. Izuku hummed in her ear, sending waves of warmth cascading over her. They laid still for a while longer. And once again they took turns comforting the other, staving off the horrors in their mind with a soft embrace. Uraraka felt strangely blessed as she turned to look at Izuku. Her hand cupped his face in an attempt to soothe him as he silently wept. "I'm so sorry, Ochaco. I didn't want to drag you into this."

"It's alright, Deku. It's alright. I woulda been involved anyway. S'what heroes do." She felt a few tears leak out and roll down her cheeks. Deku's pained expression tore her heart up. He continued apologizing, his voice quieting until all she heard were his sobs. She latched her arms around his shoulders. Ochaco burrowed her head into his chest, listening to the erratic heartbeat slowly return to normal. As much as she would have liked to just hide under the sheets with Izuku, her stomach seemed to have other plans. It growled loudly while they held each other. Izuku pulled back to look at her with wide eyes and started laughing after sharing a surprised stare with her. Ochaco's face began to warm from the musical sound coming from his throat.

"I'm - ha ha ha! - I'm sorry, Princess. That just caught me off guard. Lemme go make you some breakfast."

She yelped as he easily lifted her up, hauling Ochaco to his edge so that he could get by. It took them a few moments of flailing and giggling to get untangled. Uraraka couldn't help the smile that lit up her face. He knelt down to look at her in the eye and she wiggled her way to close in the gap. She heard his breath hitch as the tips of their noses touched. Neither pulled away. Ochaco found herself getting lost in his bright eyes. He leaned in closer, the lids of his eyes drooping the closer he got. There was an alarm going off in the back of her mind which she fought hard to ignore. It grew louder and louder until she couldn't hold it back any more.

"Deku?"

The question was innocent enough. Not even a question really. He stopped in his tracks, looking at her with a burning brilliance in his eyes. She had seen that look before. She knew that it was the same gleam in her own right now. Another inch and she would have been doomed. Instead, Izuku broke out into a smile, cupped her face, and walked off to the kitchen. Ochaco flopped back on the futon mattress with a sigh, breathing deeply to slow the hammering beat of her heart. She heard his chuckle over the sound of rummaging through her fridge.

"Not much to work with, huh?"

"What can I say? It's tough out there for us workin' folk. If I could steal like some people without, ya know, all the guilt-"

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered. Ochaco smirked in victory, watching with a deep satisfaction as Deku got to work making them food. "Won't be much longer till it's ready, Sunflower."

They stayed like this, holed up in her apartment and sharing the futon, for two days. She was grateful that Izuku was so accommodating. He waited on her with patience and grace, giving her space when she needed. It was also a welcomed change of pace when he allowed her to reciprocate the gesture. They never crossed the unspoken line established between them; though she would have been lying if she said it hadn't been hard to play it safe. Their time together was interrupted by extended bouts of grieving and the occasional call to their coworkers. Deku was careful to take his business calls in the bathroom. Ochaco was grateful that he took the responsibility of cordoning off his lawless dealings from her.

She just wished that her own phone calls went just as quietly. At the moment, Mina's voice took on a shrill, manic quality as she tore into Uraraka.

"No calls! No texts! Only a report about what happened at that storage complex! 'Chaco, what the hell were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry, Mina. Really, I'm so sorry." Ochaco could only continue apologizing in hopes that Ashido's rage would eventually dissipate. It only got worse when Deku tried to intervene. Uraraka had been on the phone for more than twenty minutes before he leaned into her face and spoke.

"Hi, Pinky. Wanted to say sorry for worrying you. Ochaco's in good hands though, so no need to -"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"

It took the better part of half an hour to calm Mina down. Threats against both of their future children and a steady stream of cursing took up the majority of the call. Ochaco glared at Midoriya the whole time she was on the phone, her scowl growing deeper as he sheepishly apologized to her. "Mina, didn't Stoplight fill you in? I spoke with her a couple of times already."

"She tried," Mina sighed, "But it wasn't enough. She just said that you were ok and that you'd be taking a few days off. Really, Ocha. What the hell were you thinking?"

Uraraka kept quiet for a moment. She shared a shrug with Deku before Mina spoke again.

"Alright, fine. Just come in when you're ready, Ochaco. And tell that good for nothing Deku that if he hurts one hair on your head, I swear!"

"I'll be fine, Mina. Trust me. I've got this. See you soon." Uraraka hung up and ran a hand through her hair. She groaned, rubbing the grease on her hair between the pads on her fingers. They were both grody. Showering was the last thing on their mind when they had to contend with the horrors in their own heads. Izuku walked by the futon with a sympathetic smile. Ochaco felt a rush of gratitude towards him. While she would have a very hard time openly admitting it, Deku's presence had been an immense comfort. Something in his eyes told her that he felt the same.

"She'll be alright, Sunflower. She just needs some time to cool off." He rubbed her shoulder and Ochaco almost purred at the touch. Izuku chuckled to himself and stalked off to the kitchen. She watched him walk away, feeling a deep ache in her chest. Reality was knocking at her door and it was growing louder by the second. Ochaco knew that she would eventually have to leave the faux nest that they had built together. She'd also have to reckon with the safety she felt around Izuku. Uraraka rubbed her forehead and groaned inwardly. Mina's voice was harshly scolding her from the back of her mind. She took one more look at Deku who looked up at her. He gave her a smile which caused a strange mixture of warmth and chill running up her spine.

I'm really in it, huh?


Uraraka woke the next morning with a start. There was a sudden blast of icy air that coated her exposed legs. She was sprawled on her futon, half covered by the duvet. Ochaco felt her hair sticking up at odd angles. Her hand patted the empty space behind her, the cold mattress fabric sinking under her palm. She bolted up and swiveled her head about. Mid-morning light spilled through her drawn curtains, illuminating her small room in a hazy glow. She was alone. Ochaco squeaked out to the empty space. "Deku?" Silence answered her back. Uraraka frowned as she removed the bedding wrapped around her torso and stood up. She padded through her apartment looking for any sign that the past couple of days had actually happened.

A pair clunky red boots that sat in front of her door, the blue hoodie hung on the corner of her kitchen counter, hints of mint that hung in the air - all gone. She ripped away the power supply to her phone and stomped off as she checked for any new messages. Disappointment rippled through her stomach when she noticed that he hadn't sent a text or a call. The only indication that the last two days actually happened were a few cheeky texts from Mina. She rushed through her typical morning routine, opting to get ready for work in hopes that occupying her mind would distract from the ache she was feeling.

No reason to feel like this. 'Course he'd just up and go. The hell was I thinking?

An hour later saw Ochaco stumbling into the agency with her clunky hero case cradled under her right arm. A few of the interns waved cheerily as she passed by. Uraraka half heartedly returned the gesture as she walked to her office. She breathed out a sigh of relief as her door closed. With a sweep of her eyes, Ochaco took in her little slice of professionalism. A decent sized desk swamped with piles of paper and her desktop's monitor. Two bookcases flanked her office chair, filled with mostly framed photos of her old classmates, family, or friends. A twinge of disappointment strummed through her chest when she didn't see a brand new bouquet of flowers waiting for her. She growled at herself, annoyed that the thought crossed her mind at all. Just as Ochaco was getting ready to change into her costume, a small knock on her door announced someone's arrival.

"C'mon in, Hikari. I'm just getting changed." The door burst open and was shut just as quickly. Uraraka barely lifted her head up in curiousity when a pair of slender pink arms wrapped themselves around her midsection. Ochaco squealed in surprise and delight as Mina lifted her up in a bear hug. "Ha ha ha! I missed you too, Mina."

"Girl, you don't know how worried I was. Don't you ever do that to me. Understand?" The two hugged once again in a silent agreement. Ochaco returned to changing into her hero suit while Mina kept talking. "So, what was Mido like? Was he, you know, gentle?"

"M-m-Mina!" The acid hero cackled and slapped her knee as Uraraka struggled to slip her arms into the sleeves of her suit. "It w-wasn't like that! Honest!"

"I know! But the look on your face was priceless. Hoo, you should not have given me that ammo. And, seriously? You two spent a couple of days hidden away from the world and he just so happens to be there with you when I call? Nothing happened? Nothing at all?"

Ochaco shook her head. She must have a sad, disheartened expression on her face while she did so. Mina looked at her with sympathy and gripped her shoulder.

"Ocha, I say this with all the love in the world, but why the hell not? It's been ages since Bakugo. Sure, Mido isn't what I'd call a good prospect but he at least treats you better than-"

"Mina, c'mon," Uraraka interrupted. There was an edge in her voice. This was not a subject she wanted to breach with anyone. "He's a crook. For all of Bakugo's flaws, he is still a hero trying to better the world."

"Sure, I'll give you that. But how does he make you feel? And don't bullshit me. I've seen the way your eyes light up whenever you get flowers. Not to mention the way you two look at each other."

Uraraka looked up sharply from her boots, breath caught in her throat. She felt her heart palpate in an erratic pattern. Could she really mean that? Mina squirmed a little under her intense gaze. "What do you mean?"

"Look," Mina gasped, "It's pretty clear to anyone who's got half a brain cell. I just need to let you know: you can't save him. It's not your job. It's like you said - he's a crook. He's in too deep."

"I know." Ochaco held her helmet in her hands, examining her downcast reflection in the visor. The truth hit her hard. Deku was a villain despite his vigilante tendencies. He broke the law constantly, dealt with drug dealers and gangs that caused upsets in society. He wasn't actively making the world a better place. No matter how she felt around him - even if it wasn't reciprocated - he'd have to go down. He was just another villain.

That's not right though. His heart is good. I've seen it. He just had a bad hand dealt to him.

But his choices were his own. He made his bed. He can lie in it.

Ochaco heaved in a heavy breath to ground herself. With her thoughts constantly bickering in her head, she barely heard Mina call her.

"-ot someone who wants to speak to us. Ochaco? You ok there?"

"Y-yeah. Just spacing out. What's going on?"

Mina shook her head, though not in a demeaning fashion. She urged Uraraka to walk with her. "I was saying, we have a new lead in the Yuang case. We have guest who's got some insight. He's waiting for us in the conference room."

Ochaco's curiosity thoroughly piqued, the two pros walked side by side to their conference room. Uraraka choked on her breath when they cleared the cubicles to see the clear windows of the conference room. Standing in full hero regalia was none other than Mirio "Lemillion" Togata. His well kept blonde hair with the signature cowlick seemed to gleam in the dulled office light. A smile lit up his cobalt eyes. Ochaco had always admired Mario's tenacity and grit. He worked hard to develop his quirk's abilities and now he was impossibly strong. He was the new Symbol of Peace and the current Number One Hero (much to her ex's loud mouthed, whining chagrin).

And now that same man was standing in her agency waiting to give them information regarding Yuang.

Uraraka couldn't run fast enough through the door to shake his hands. Here, now, finally, was a light breaking through the clouds of her moody thoughts. With Mirio on their side, they were almost guaranteed to save Yuang. They wouldn't have to rely on Izuku or his seedy connections to find her.

And maybe, we could just cut Deku off completely. He wouldn't have to go to jail then.

She grimaced inwardly at the thought, plastering a wide grin on her face to prevent her inner world from showing up.

"Mirio! How are you?" Lemillion burst into a hearty laugh as he nearly ripped her arm out of her socket as he whipped her arm in an uninhibited shake.

"It's good to see you, Uravity! I'm doing well. How are you? Last I saw you, they were wheeling you to an ambulance."

Now she allowed herself an outward wince. It felt like a lifetime had passed since the street attack. "I've been ok. I'm sure you heard about that warehouse raid a few days ago?" Mirio nodded solemnly, his eyes closed meditatively.

"I did. Which is why I asked Pinky if I could speak to you both"

It was a few more minutes of pleasantries as they sat down. As Togata busied himself with a small briefcase on the table, Mina swiveled her head and looked around. "Say, shouldn't Hikari be here?" Mirio shook his head. Ochaco shared a look with Ashido as Mirio took a moment to explain.

"I wanted to speak to you two. Alone. I don't know who I can trust with what I brought in. Gotta say, it was kind of hard nailing down a time where I'd be able to speak to you without Stoplight around."

"Now, wait a minute," Uraraka growled, "Hikari is our sidekick. We trust her with our lives out there. She's also been helping with this case. I don't appreciate her being left out."

Mirio peered at Ochaco, his face unfazed. A few seconds of uncomfortable silence fell over the room as the two heroes stared each other down. Finally sighing, Mirio intertwined his hands and brought them to his forehead.

"Look, I know about Deku and Hikari doesn't. Is that enough?"

Mina took in a hiss of breath while Ochaco felt her heart stop completely. Panic flooded her limbs. She felt like her body had just been injected with lead. He knew? She chanced a terrified look to Mina who only gaped at Mirio dumbfounded. Uraraka cleared her throat and tried to get some clarification. "W-what d-do you me-mean? W-what about D-Deku?"

"I mean," Lemillion said slowly, "I've been where you are." Mirio dug around in the small case, closing it with a snap after he found what he was looking for. He flicked a glossy black business card toward Ochaco. Before it stopped spinning, before it even reached her, Uraraka knew who it had belonged to. With trepidation shaking her fingers, she picked it up and looked at the embossed green rabbit that grinned widely. Bile rose up in the back of her throat while Mirio began speaking again. "Trust me, it's not easy being in his pocket. I don't care what he has on you. All that matters right now is finding Yuang and bringing Deku in."

Confusion fogged Uraraka's mind. Have something on us? What? Mina appeared equally confused. Mirio noticed, with alarm, that they did not seem to comprehend what he was getting at. He clenched his gloved hands tightly, his lips pinched tautly as the quiet stretched out.

"Lemme guess. He isn't blackmailing you?"

"What do you mean? Are you serious? No! You've gotta be kidding!" Mina broke out into a hysterical rant, cursing Midoriya and his entire ancestry. Mirio did his best to calm Ashido down. Uraraka stoically watched the scene unfold. Her mind raced to grasp the fact that Lemillion was in Deku's pocket. It didn't compute. Nothing made sense. How could Deku have Lemillion? The Number One Hero was being blackmailed! Her vision turned red.

How could I let this happen? I should have known! Once a crook, always a crook. That little bastard is going to pay. Toy with me, will you?

She slammed her fists on the table top. The other two stopped dead in midsentence. They stared at her as she seethed in pure rage. Standing up, Uraraka grit her teeth and spat out in a venomous tone.

"Explain. Now."

Mirio took a moment to collect himself. Mina sat back down in her chair, having found herself standing halfway on the table in her rampage. Uraraka also returned to her seat. Her face felt set in a permanent frown, the skin crinkled in between her eyebrows solid like concrete.

"This isn't the first time I've seen this happen. It's really nothing to be ashamed of. I mean, Hatsume and Shield are in the same boat, too." He blanched at Uraraka's deepened fury plain on her face. She felt heat flood into her face and neck, her esophagus constricting wickedly as she lost the ability to form complete sentences. "You… didn't know, huh?"

"Just how many people does that green fuck have in his corner?" Mina asked in a gasp. Mirio winced and hung his head, abashedly twiddling his thumbs.

"So far, just the five of us. You two, Hatsume, Shield, and myself. See why I didn't want your sidekick with us today?"

"First of all," spat Uraraka, "We aren't in anyone's pocket. No one's got shit on Mina or me. And he's got Mei and Melissa?! What the actual fuck! How did anyone let it get this far? How come you didn't bring his ass in before you got roped in?"

"It's complicated," was all Mirio offered.

Ochaco was fit to burst. Her face was now beet red and her arms shook from restraining herself from strangling Lemillion. Luckily for her (and perhaps Togata), Mina was still in the room. Ashido looked passive. If Uraraka hadn't been so enraged, she'd have been surprised to see her partner taking the news in such stride.

Mina leaned back in her chair, hands behind her back. She wasn't casual, per se, but there was a calm about her that set off Ochaco's honed instincts. If she didn't go off on Mirio, Mina was sure about to.

"Well, you showed your hand. Mind telling us what he does have on you?" Mina asked. There was poison in her words, dripping acidically through the air.

"I owed him a favor. I had just graduated and was working with Sir Nighteye. Don't know if you remember the big fight where he died?" The women nodded icily and he continued. "Yeah, I'm not surprised. It was a big deal. Leveled a whole city. Anyway. He was there. If it hadn't been for Deku, I woulda likely joined Sir. Not to give him any credit, but Midoriya really pulled some neat tricks. Managed to fool the guy Sir and I were fighting. Even brawled himself a little."

"Wait, wasn't this the fight with the guy who could steal Quirks?" Mina chirped. Togata grimaced and nodded in confirmation.

"Yup that's the guy, though that isn't public knowledge. Remember, the Hero Commission told all of us to keep quiet about it and to not ask questions. I don't know what Deku did to protect himself, but he slipped away with his Quirk intact. Like I said, it was a neat bag of tricks. Anyway, he bought me enough time to form a plan and beat the guy. A week or so later, Deku approached me. Actually, it was more like he infiltrated the agency office. Got right past my sidekicks. He said he had an offer for me: be ready to fulfill a favor or risk him going public with the information about fight. Could you imagine the terror the public would have if they knew someone was out there who might steal their Qurik? What choice did I have?"

"You could have brought it to the Hero Commission!" Ochaco shouted, once again pounding her fist on the smooth, lacquered table. Mirio hung his head in shame as Uraraka continued to barrage him. "You're the top of the top! You're the best out of all of us and you're telling me that Deku got the better of you? Bullshit. Everyone knows about that fight! It's not like a little extra info was gonna throw everyone into a tizzy."

"There's… It's more complicated than that. Listen, if I could tell you what else there was, I promise I would."

"And just what does Deku have on our inventor friends? Seems pretty sus' to me," Mina chimed in. She was eyeing Lemillion with disdain.

"He… he helped Melissa with her immigration paperwork. Deku manipulated and toyed with the system so that she was able to become a citizen quickly. You know how it can take years for someone to get through? He managed it in two months. From what I uncovered, he blackmailed and greased up a lot of politicians to get what he wanted. The way I heard it, he called in a lot of favors."

Uraraka sunk into her chair, rage dissipating into a spoiled, confused air of admiration. Deku did that? He saved Lemillion and helped Melissa out? But why? Just of favors? She looked up from her thoughts and into Mirio's eyes.

"What'd he call in his favor for?" Ochaco swallowed as Mirio began to look unsure of himself. Dread crept into her limbs again, now suddenly not wanting an answer.

"He… ok so the first time he called it in, he asked me to secure him a building. It was an old block of bricks that was gonna get torn down. Don't know why he wanted it saved. The second time though-"

"Mirio. A. Second. Time?!" Mina looked at her wit's end. Ochaco couldn't bring herself to be as upset. Of course Deku managed to string his favors along. Given who he was and what he did, it shouldn't have surprised her.

"He told me to take the credit for saving a bus full of people," Mirio offered lamely. Mina looked confused. Uraraka, however, recalled an incident about last year. It was a hostage situation. A bus full of travelers had been caught in the middle of a turf war on a bridge. Lemillion had been the only one to respond to the scene of the attack and saved everyone. "He knew it was happening before it even started. He told me about it and said he would help me out. I hadn't realized that he'd beat me to the bridge. Deku used some kind of knockout gas. Fogged up the whole place. I passed out within a minute of arriving. Unfortunately, he had his mask on. He woke me up and told me to take the credit. As he left, the fog was lifting. I saw the attackers conked out, lumped together in a pile. Before I knew what was happening the media had swarmed the area along with the police. Next thing I knew, I had another card waiting for me at my agency."

"Ok, so what did he call that one in for?" Mina demanded. Mirio shot another guilty look. Oh no.

"He sorta asked me to save Uraraka. You know, when there was that random fight from a couple months back?"

"He… he did what?" Ochaco whispered. Disbelief flooded her. It couldn't be true. There was no way. He couldn't have!

Mirio scratched his head, clearly uncomfortable with where the conversation turned. Uraraka felt Mina's eyes fall on her, the golden eyes practically searing into her scalp.

"I thought it was weird too, but get this: it looked like he had saved you from the cave in. And then he tells me to get you outta there? He hasn't contacted me since, thankfully. I just can't help but feel that he's going to find me one of these days."

Mina groaned loudly into her hands. Ochaco took a moment to bang her head against the table. Stupid, sweet bastard. Just had to save me, didn't you.

"Ugh! Ocha, I gotta tell you. Deku's got it bad for you if this is true," Mina whined. Lemillion looked between them sharply. Uraraka felt close to slapping Mina, but managed to keep herself under control.

"Well that makes sense. In the few times that we did talk, Midoriya mentioned his love of heroes. Especially ones that helped people smile. He talked about you sometimes, Uravity. Never figured he was the touchy-feely type."

"It's really not like that," Ochaco muttered. She was quickly becoming numb to shock after shock. There wasn't anything that could possibly surprise her now.

"Anyway, how does this help us find Yuang? So Deku is connected. We figured that much. How does he actually fit in with this case?"

"I have a few theories on that. First, remember that building he asked me to help secure?" The pros nodded, feeling a bit of whiplash at the sudden change of pace. "Well, take a look at these."

He opened up his case and tossed out a few glossy photos. They spilled out on the table. Uraraka and Mina took turns rifling through them. The first few showcased the building in it's disrepair. Windows were broken or completely blown out. Next were some in-progress pictures. It was the last three that caught Uraraka's eye. The building had a gaudy marquee attached, lit by huge light bulbs that lined the outer perimeter. The kanji for "Mad Love" were etched into the plastic canvas. A string of women dressed in beautiful dresses were lined outside of the entrance. Deku could be seen walking through the front doors. One photo displayed him being greeted by a woman with ashy blonde hair. She looked positively smitten with Deku who remained neutral in the picture. The last photo showed him standing on the building's threshold, flanked by the previous woman and a much shorter one red hair parted into two long ponytails. He had a haughty, proud gleam in his eyes as he stood mid-march with the ladies linked to him arm-in-arm. Uraraka flung the pictures away from her, disgust bubbling inside of her stomach. Mirio began to explain, though she nor Mina needed him to.

"I think the reason you can't find Yuang could be down to two things. One: he already has her in his employ at this place. I checked the lease and it's in his mother's name only she's no longer with us."

"What?" Ochaco sat down again, feeling light and heady. I thought she had gotten better. S-she died?

"I know. What kind of low life uses his own mother's name for a smutty place like this? My only guess is that he's got some kind of record and the only way he could keep this place running was that. Second theory, which seems super unlikely, is that he still hasn't found her and is being fed bad intel. Why anyone would want to give him bad information is beyond me," Mirio finished with sarcasm.

They were silent for several minutes. Mina kept shifting her gaze from the photos to Uraraka. For her own part, Ochaco stared resolutely into the carpeted floor. She didn't want to look at anyone at that moment. If she was being honest, all she wanted was to curl up and die. Mirio's eyes were on her. She felt his intense scrutiny boring through her skull. Finally, she gave up. Ochaco stood up and marched out of the conference room. She ignored Ashido and Togata's cries for her to stop. Without thinking, her feet took her straight to her office where she slammed the door shut and locked it. Uraraka slumped against the door and stewed in her misery. No one came for her. No knocks on her door or text messages telling her to come out. Just her and the silence of her conflicted heart.

Something out of her periphery caught her eye and she looked up. Standing on her desk, which had been organized now, was an emerald vase filled with sunflowers. Ochaco pushed herself up and flew to her desk. She snatched the vase and threw it against the wall. It shattered into dozens of pieces, leaving a mess of water splattered against the painted plaster. Ochaco dropped to her knees, sobbing into the dark and lonlieness, the only company to her aching mind were the damaged flora.