There was not a sound that echoed throughout the house. Not a meow, not a whisper, and not even a mouse. Just the sound of trees swaying and the soft breaths of the boy before him. He fell asleep on her lap. Completely knocked out.

Crap, what do I do?! They were nothing more than acquaintances a few seconds ago. People who respected each other, nothing more. It wasn't like she enjoyed the greenette's company. Not in a snowball's chance of hell. It was a lie.

She honestly didn't know how to handle this situation. A boy, a middle school boy sitting on her lap, asleep. That was something that only happened in the manga, right?! She sighed and thought. What would a manga protagonist do?

Instantly, images and unsavory thoughts filled her head as her imagination drifted over the many volumes and magazines worth of manga that she's read in her entire lifetime, making her cheeks heat up to a vibrant scarlet. Damn it, as if that helps. A boy was sitting on her lap, with hair as soft as snow, if not softer.

Her unconscious mind seemed to take note of the apparent softness and the boy's hair and soon found her fingers running through the many curls and twists of Izuku's hair, as she stared in a different direction. When she realized what she was doing, she nearly yelped.

Oh, God… it's so soft…! Why is his hair so soft? She wanted to stop, but couldn't. His hair wasn't just soft, it was relaxing. It was almost as if just by touching the boy's hair, a large amount of stress had been lifted off of her shoulders.

She squealed inside of her head, as she tried to think of a solution. But it's so soft… Almost as if she was seeking a reaction from Izuku, her gaze found its way to his face. Whatever troubles, let alone any of the demons which plagued his past were seemingly hoarded away, thanks to the ruffling of her fingers through his hair, as his face seemed to be relieved of any expression of stress or pain.

He seems to be enjoying it. She had to repay him in some capacity, right? She smiled at her sleeping friend, as a blush appeared on her cheeks. Before she knew it, her heartbeat increased, almost as if responding to the sudden increase of blood spreading throughout her cheeks.

She soon kept telling herself that she was only doing this to repay her debts to him. That as soon as he awoke, she would waste no time in escaping her current predicament. Deep down inside of her, she knew that all of this was false. No, she enjoyed the feeling of the boy's hair, on her milky white legs. Soft to the touch and best of all, warm.

She didn't know what her feelings towards the boy were. Whether it be something ugly, platonic, or something greater. Whatever the case, she didn't know. She could only sit there and gaze at his resting face, with a soft smile on her face.

She fixed her gaze on his phone. It was her responsibility to make sure that his mother at least knew that he was safe, just as he requested for her to do so. And a promise was a promise, so she dialed her number, with Izuku still fast asleep.

Come on, pick up! The anticipation was killing her.

One ring, two rings, three rings, four rings, and still, no one was picking up. Maybe she's asleep? No, wait. That's preposterous. She must've just gotten back from work now. Did she have a stressful day?

She looked at Izuku's sleeping figure once more. Once again, glossing over his baggy eyes and uncombed messy hair. Could she… It wasn't a stretch. She had no idea what type of life he led at home.

Abuse? And for what reason? No, wait. This is someone's mother. I should be more open-minded… And so she waited. As the air grew cold, the sun went down and the sunshine stopped peeking through her blinds. She waited. Until nighttime, for his mother to answer his missed calls.

A dark expression crept up onto her face as her stomach growled. Schrodinger was already fast asleep by the time nightfall rolled around, and Izuku was still sitting on her lap, unconscious. He was the sole reason that she couldn't just waltz up and grab a bite from her mini-fridge. I can't wake him up, she said, I need to endure it. Plus Ultra!

In a desperate battle between impatience and patience, she picked up the phone once more, this time manually punching in the numbers to call her. Please pick up.

And the result? A voicemail played. The same voicemail played any time she attempted to call her phone. "Hi, you have reached the residence of Midoriya Inko. If you are receiving this voicemail, please know that I am either out working, or currently asleep. Have a nice day!"

A large vein appeared on her forehead as her fingers nearly poked several finger-sized holes into the phone's screen. She was ready to blow a fucking gasket! But she didn't and sighed. Not with Izuku present in her lap.

Plus, she didn't want to break something which technically belonged to him. Surely, such a commotion would cause him to awake, and that was the one thing she least desired in her current situation.

Unfortunately for her, fate was not on her side, as she felt Izuku's soft, green locks move in between her legs. His eyes, flickered open as he rubbed some of the colds out of them. Their faces, now a mere head's height apart, remained stoic and clam.

"H-Hey there… enjoyed your nap?" The girl who had allowed him to sleep on her lap, beamed at him. For some reason, she couldn't shake the glee which radiated throughout her soul. A voice inside of her head made her feel like she was obligated to push him off from her lap the moment the two locked eyes, which was seconds ago. And yet she didn't. And didn't know why. Seconds later, both of their faces turned a furious crimson red, as Izuku got scooched away from her lap.

"T-Thank you, for that. Y-You didn't have to got-that far." A dopey smile was present on his face, as he remembered the feeling of his resting face, asleep on her lap. It was divine, easily one of the best periods of sleep that he's had in a while. But he wouldn't be telling her that. Not a single soul. He thought to himself.

"N-No problem. It was the least I could do. With how I treated you, yesterday." The two sat in silence for a while, as Schrodinger hopped off of Izuku's lap, waiting for food.

"Did you call my mom? We both agreed that we'll meet here, right?"

Melissa's eyes widened. "Uh, right. About that…" Melissa gave him his phone, as Izuku checked the call history, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets upon doing so.

"W-Woah… how many times did you call her?" He held his phone in disbelief. Did she not answer the phone the entire time? He pondered.

"Fifteen." A new wave of despair washed over Izuku, as he stared at the entity before him. "Fifteen times. I called her fifteen times and she didn't pick up. By the fifth call, the sun was already down. What time does she get back from work?"

"Five-thirty I think. A few hours after school ends." Melissa's gaze sharpened, as she looked out the clock on Izuku's phone. "Why, what's the matter?"

"It's eight o'clock. I think she fell asleep the moment she entered your house." She sighed, as she got up from her couch, and walked over to the mini-fridge. "Look, I'm hungry. I'm cooking up some curry, want some?"

"S-Sure. Why not?" The fact that a girl was technically preparing food for him sent waves of heart coursing throughout his body. He didn't need to look himself in the mirror to know what colors his cheeks were. W-Which flavor?"

"Hmm… Beef and chicken. I'm heating both, so which one do you want?" She said, some of the leftovers from the fridge and putting the container in a microwave. "I recommend the chicken personally, it tastes so good." She giggled to herself.

"C-Chicken it is then." He smiled, before staring at the feline that sat beneath his legs. Schrodinger looked hungry as well. "H-Hey, did you feed Schrodinger yet?"

"Oh, yes! I believed I set out some cat food on the table for him earlier. Would you mind pouring some into his bowl next to the couch?"

"N-No, no! I don't mind." He eyed Schrodinger, who was looking up his way, expecting something. He smiled and didn't hesitate to indulge in the urge to pet him while pouring him a box of cat food. The cat purred under his touch.

With the curry finished in a matter of seconds, and Schrodinger seemingly occupied with his bowl of food, Izuku sat down on the couch, picking up his phone and scrolling down. "Wow, you really did call her fifteen times."

Now that he sat down and thought about it, his mother would probably freak out when he saw how many calls she missed from his phone. He didn't know whether to feel terrified at what was to come once he stepped foot into his house again, in fear of being wrapped into a crushing embraced by her, or to feel concerned by how worried she'll be.

"Hey, hey! Want some tea?" That was another oddity. Melissa's voice. The once cold and unfiltered tone of a girl who hesitated to even look his way sounded soft. An unspoken pleasure that his ears were welcome to experience, as his cheeks blushed.

"I g-guess…" Her voice was the only reason that he could shake that aforementioned feeling of dread. The only reason that he could escape from it, and pretend that it wasn't there. For now. It's not like he would face consequences for choosing to go with Melissa, but just imagining his mother's reaction to him not being in his bedroom, past midnight… Now, that would be a sight to behold.

"Apple? Cinnamon? Maybe milk tea?" Melissa smiled at him. "Or perhaps, the usual…?" Her smile blossomed into a moderately sized grin. "Me?"

What? Time stopped. His heartbeat sped up, and his mind was racing at a million kilometers an hour. His cheeks were already red by the time the neurons in his brain began functioning again. What?! God help him.

"I'm joking, I'm joking!" She cackled with laughter, as she nearly collapsed onto her knees. "Man, you're easy to tease." She grinned.

Right, right. She was joking. He swore it. She must've taken off the last ten years of his lifespan by saying that. He wasn't even embarrassed at this point, he was just pale. "Don't joke about things like that Melissa, it's not funny."

"Really?" She pressed a finger to her lips as she tended to the batch of curry being prepared on the stove. "Ah, but I thought Japanese people liked that kind of humor though?"

"S-Still not funny." Izuku pouted, and Melissa's Cheshire-like shit-eating smile faded into a small, yet noticeable grin. "G-Green tea, please."

Melissa nodded at him and got to work. Leaving him accompanied by one thing, and one thing only. Silence. He didn't dare try to make small talk; that would backfire almost immediately. He was damn sure he was incapable of starting any meaningful conversations either, so his only companion, for the time being, would be his thoughts and the silent atmosphere.

Not that Izuku had a problem with any of that. For the most part, he was already incredibly antisocial. He couldn't interact with the opposite sex without his mind racing a million kilometers a second. He was hopeless. Luckily, he still had his notebook in his backpack. He smiled.

He began to jot down anything present in his mind. Quirks, any newly discovered information on heroes and their debuts. It gave him something to be occupied by, to remind him that he had a goal worth striving for. It was easy to forget why he did the things that he did… why he chose to walk the same path that many of his idols have walked.

His journals, or to put it more accurately; his hero analysis notes helped anchor him to reality. Prepare him for what was to come in the world of heroics. It was one of the only things keeping him going in terms of his dream.

"Tea and curry are ready." Melissa sat down two plates of curry and a kettle of tea, with two classes to accompany it. "Originally, I was saving this batch for when you and your mother were going to visit, but… won't be happening for a while."

"Oh, you made the curry yourself?" She nodded and poured both of them their respective cups of tea. "G-Great. I'm sure it tastes delicious…" He picked up his spoon while sitting down his hero notes, and was prepared to dig in. "It has a funny smell though."

Silence.

Wait a second Was curry supposed to smell like vinegar? Unconsciously, his body began to sweat literal bullets, as he hesitated at even eating his spoonful. It smells horrible!

"You gonna eat that? I mean, it's fine if you don't like it… It was my first batch after all. So it's not going to be perfect."

Gee, you think? Just taking a whiff of it was enough to make Izuku's nostrils burn. Did she put vinegar into this? He thought. Is this even edible? He shuddered while setting down his spoon and once again, picked up his hero analysis notebook. "I think I'll pass on the curry, for now."

"R-Right, right. Of course." Melissa's shoulders drooped, as Izuku sipped his cup of tea while going over his notes. "Hey, if you don't mind me asking, what're you working on? Notes for exams?"

That was strange… Rarely anyone had ever bothered to take interest in his notes. Even when they did, it was usually just to mock him. An image of Kacchan and his goons flashed through his mind, as he sighed. "If I tell you, will you promise not to laugh?"

"I swear with my heart!" Melissa pressed a hand to her lower collarbone, as she puffed out her chest. "You have my word." She grinned.

Here goes nothing. He handed her the notebook, as his cheeks were set aflame. Please don't make fun of it. Please, please, please, please…! Please tell me you're not like Kacchan and the others!

"Woah…" Her face went from zero to one-hundred almost instantly, as her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, with her mouth practically sunken to the floor. A cold drop of sweat glistened off of her forehead. "I… wow, this is…"

"D-Do you think it's weird?" He rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish smile finding its way onto his face. "I've been doing it since I was four years old. Something just clicked inside of me when I first saw a hero for the first time… It's fine if you're a little weirded out by it. Most of my classmates think my hobby is… strange, and creepy."

"Weird?" A chuckle escaped her lips, as she sat down the book onto the tatami mats. "Weird?!" The chuckle turned into a giggle, with the giggle soon turning into a fit of laughter. "Yeah, of course, I think it's weird."

"Oh… Well, that's understandable-"

"Well, weird might be a little bit of an understatement. It's so detailed… I mean, look at this!" She picked up the book and flipped through several of its pages. "This is incredible! I couldn't even write down notes that are this good! Seriously, you're amazing, Midoriya-san." She finished flipping through the entirety of the book and realized that only a dozen or so pages had been finished. "How long did it take you to make this?"

"T-That specific volume?" Melissa nodded, as Izuku cupped a hand to his chin. "Let's see… I don't know, two weeks I think?"

Holy fuck. Did he write dozens of pages worth of material in less than… a month? Highly descriptive explanations on the theoretical functions of the Quirks of pro heroes… With pictures, and mathematics there to back up his claims… She gasped as she inspected the notebook even more. There's even a works cited page at the back of it? What the hell?

"Hey, are you okay? Y-You kind of spaced out there for a bit." He smiled nervously, as he reached down to pet Schrodinger's head.

Melissa was completely and utterly dumbfounded. How could someone as shy and unorthodox as Izuku be capable of writing down notes that had enough detail to rival people with quirks which were specifically designed to read people's movements, and abilities?

Ah, that's it… I see now! This must be his quirk. I have to admit, I'm a little jealous. Just thinking about the applications of such an ability got the gears in Melissa's head-turning. "This is crazy. Is this your quirk at work?"

Izuku damn near spat out his tea when she mentioned him having a quirk. "W-What?!" A quirk? He had no such thing. He was publicly known as one of the only quirkless students to attend his school. To say that he had a quirk was… it was almost refreshing to Izuku.

But Melissa didn't know any of this. She didn't know that he had been quirkless for nearly a decade in his life, nor did she know of his desire to become a top hero, despite all of the obstacles that obstructed his path.

Which was good.

What would happen if she discovered that he was quirkless? Surely, anyone with a brain would want little to do with him, once they learned about his genetics and dream… Why would she be any different? Acquaintance or not, Izuku was still wary around her. He didn't… fully trust her. Yet. Not yet. He told himself. He refused to let himself be taken advantage of again. He wouldn't be falling down another rabbit hole as he did all those years ago.

And so, he played along. "Y-Yes, yes! It's my quirk. Some of my classmates think it's lame since it's not very useful in terms of offense against a villain, but I… I like it."

Melissa's smile was wiped clean off her face, but only for a fraction of a second, as she beamed an even brighter one. "R-Really? That's horrible… It's such a useful quirk to have in a scenario against a villain, to the point that I'm almost jealous…"

"Jealous, huh? W-Well, I'm sure whatever type of quirk you have is leagues better than mine… After all, you're the daughter of the David Shield. You probably have something up your sleeve, correct?"

If only he knew. Melissa giggled to herself, as she turned away, to face the wall. She wasn't sure if being quirkless was amusing to her, but it was ironic given the circumstances she found herself in. I'm literally at the bottom of the barrel concerning quirks. I don't even have one, and this guy is saying he's jealous? Oh, the irony.

"Something funny?" Izuku asked as he scratched his cheek. "I-I'm not trying to be modest! I wouldn't be surprised if your quirk was more versatile than mine." A millisecond later, an idea flashed across his mind. "Hey, would y-you mind if you showed me yours? T-That is if it isn't too much trouble."

"Hmm…? W-Well, I-I… How do I put this? It's not my forte to show it to people… I get embarrassed because they start asking a lot of questions and… it overwhelms me. Quite a bit." Of course, all of that was a complete lie, to cover up the fact that she was quirkless. The weakest of the weak. Literal 'scum' as some people on internet forums had put it.

Izuku sighed and laid back on the couch. "Thought so. I guess we're in the same boat."

"You're trying to be a hero, right?" He nodded slowly, as his eyelids began to flicker up and down. "Me too…"

"H-Hey, Melissa-san…" Izuku turned his head over to Melissa's head. His breathing slowed and a smile appeared on his face. He didn't know why, but he was awfully quiet for some reason. "What's your motivation?"

"M-My what?"

"You know, you're motivation for becoming a hero. Someone like All Might, right?"

Melissa took a few seconds to contemplate her next choice of words. Motivation? Heroism? When was the last time she thought about such concepts? For the past few years, her main concern was whether or not she'd be capable of making it through middle school and getting into U.A High's support course. Becoming a hero was at the very bottom of her bucket list.

"I-I… I honestly can't answer that. At least, not without half-assing my answer." She chuckled, as she leaned back onto her cushion. "Screw it." She grinned, and sat up, with one thing on her mind. "Hey, Midoriya-san. You know what I-Island is right?"

"Can't say that I'm exactly unfamiliar with it." He could vividly recall a memory of where his mother took him to visit the island after they both discovered that he was quirkless. All for the sake of cheering up Izuku.

I mean, I remember enjoying my time there, but… Seeing how so many people got to use there ignited a twinge of envy in his heart, if not emptiness as if he was missing something, that others had. Was this particular island part of her motivation for becoming a hero?

"My quirk is, as I said, not that good. It's fundamentally useless when it comes to physical combat. As a child, whenever I saw people freely using their quirks over there… I don't know, something just snapped inside of me."

"S-Snapped? As in…" Now that he thought about it, it sounded familiar to his story. But snapping? Was she referring to a mental breakdown? Temper tantrums? At least she's not quirkless.

"No, no, no! It's not what you think it is. Uh, bad choice of words." She twiddled her thumbs, with an awkward smile on her face. "After that, I became fully committed to my goal of becoming a hero. I was no longer satisfied in becoming someone who made support gear for heroes, like my dad.

That's right. She is the daughter of THE David Shield. Of course, she'd know how to make support items like him. If his memory served him correctly, he remembered an article that discussed how David Shield developed support items for All Might. Specifically, his golden age suit. This lines up with how Melissa said she knew All Might personally. It all makes sense.

"I wanted to become something more. Something greater, better… Someone whose only talent lies within assisting heroes outside of the frontlines. Money, glory, fame, recognition… none of those have ever mattered to me. Not now, and certainly not for the foreseeable future. I want to make a difference in this world."

A difference, huh? Izuku proceeded to sip his tea as Melissa went on with her speech. Never thought about it like that."

"As unfair as it can be, I see potential in it… A future where everyone, regardless of what type of quirk they have, can smile brightly. Knowing that they have just as many equal opportunities as everyone else on their path to greatness."

The air between the two went silent for a while until it was interrupted by a loud slurp as Izuku sipped on his tea. "W-Woah. T-That's…"

"Deep, right?" She chuckled to herself, as she kicked her legs back and forth in glee. "I got kind of philosophical for a bit, sorry. But really, that's the shortest answer I could give you."

"S-Shortest…?" Was she some kind of poet?

"Precisely. I think that if I tried to write my entire reasoning down on paper, it would probably be large enough to write an essay about." Wow, he really dodged a bullet there, didn't he?

"Well, from what I could take from your reasoning, Melissa-san. That's honestly… v-very commendable."

"Y-You think so? I don't think it's that b-big of a deal. I mean, so many heroes risk their lives for the sake of protecting others. Why am I exceptional?"

"I… You have a point. We're just two middle school kids who dream of becoming heroes. I-It's not like w-we're professionals or anything… after all, we don't hold a candle to someone like… someone like All Might, at the end of the day."

"Literally no one holds a candle to All Might though…" Melissa grinned awkwardly. "Even Endeavor, as powerful as he may be, can't hold a candle to All Might's power."

"T-True." At this point, Izuku had long since finished his tea. Now that he took a second to sit down and talk with Melissa, he realized that he was hungry. Perhaps a better choice of words would be starving. He rubbed his stomach. "H-Hey, pardon me for asking, but do you have anything in the fridge?"

"Yeah. Some cake, fruits, chicken, and… pie." That last bit sounded strange to him. Especially when he realized just how many slices she had.

"O-Oh, nice. What flavor is it?"

"There are eleven different flavors." Izuku could only deadpan. "I think."

Of course, she has eleven different flavors… He pressed a hand to the bridge of his nose and let out a heavy sigh, which only intensified when he saw the shit-eating grin on Melissa's face.

Though, he at least had to give credit where credit was due. At least she had cinnamon.

It was a late, Monday night. Inko had barely enough time to get her bearings in before her friend, Mitsuki dragged her out for a couple of drinks. Overall, she'd say that she was handling the situation pretty well. Outside of smelling like booze.

"Hell yeah!" Mitsuki slammed a cup down onto the bar's hardwood counter, for whatever reason, crying tears of joy. "That hit the spot!" Not a second later, she burped loud enough that the entirety of the bar couldn't help but cringe. Even Inko. "Oi, oi! Waiter, give me more of that good shit!"

"You already drank ten bottles of whiskey. Can't you… relax a little? I think the bartender is starting to go pale. You drunk most of his best whine…"

"Nonsense! Five bottles of that stuff are… how much again? Inko, why do I have six fingers?"

"That's fifty-thousand yen, you drunkard!" Inko angrily shouted at her, as she passed her a bucket. "Come on, puke it all out. It's better than waking up to having a hangover in the morning."

"The hell are you talking about? I can hold my liquor- BLEGH!" Truth be told, Inko was honestly baffled that Mitsuki managed to hold her liquor for this long. After drinking, not one, not two, not even fucking ten bottles of expensive liquor, but twenty. The number probably would've been higher had she not tossed Mitsuki the bucket.

She's already spent over fifty-thousand on just the wine alone… She facepalmed. "Can you at least pay your tab this time?" It seemed as if her prayer was answered, as a big fat wad of cash was laid out onto the bars counter. Inko breathed a sigh of relief and thanked whatever gods answered her prayer.

"I'm calling a ride for you. Don't worry, I've already explained to the driver where to go. Just please, don't do anything… reckless with him." She shuddered at that last part. The last time that Mitsuki got… didn't end well for her or the parties involved.

"G-Gotcha!" Mitsuki flashed her a thumbs up, even while she continued to puke her guts out. Something about the site made Inko respect her just a little bit more. Just a little bit.

"Anyways, I'm leaving. I'm sure Izuku is already back home by now. Don't want to leave him all by himself again. Poor boy." Inko waved her friend her final goodbyes and exited out of the bar.

It was already evening by the time Mitsuki roped her into this, and now it was nighttime. Checking her phone clock made nearly made her eyes bulge out. Well, it would've. Had a similar event not have happened before.

No, what really made her do a double-take was the fifteen calls that she apparently missed. In retrospect, fifteen missed calls wouldn't mean all of that much for her. She got calls like that all the time. From co-workers and higher-ups. It wouldn't be anything to be wary or nervous about.

Had they not all been from Izuku.

Authors notes

We meet again! Sorry for not updating this in over two weeks. I sort of encountered writer's block in the middle of writing this. Either way, can't wait to start writing the next chapter! That's when things will start getting interesting.

I hope that I satisfied all of your expectations with this chapter. I apologize if there are internal inconsistencies regarding grammar or certain details about the story. In all honesty, grammar or small details has never been my strong suit, so, please. Bear with it for now. As always, thank you for taking time out of your day to read this. It means a lot to me.

Until next time, ~good day!