It was 12:00. Way past curfew, and presumably his bedtime. Izuku stifled a yawn, as he anxiously organized his hero notes. He had been doing this non-stop for four hours straight. Losing himself to his own world. His personal safe space.

Melissa was working on a few of her projects in the background with Schrodinger in her lap. She had also been furiously typing away at her keyboard for several hours straight. Neither of them had uttered a word the moment they finished their meals.

Until now, that is. "So…" Melissa's fingers dangled over her keyboard, as he heard slowly turned to face Izuku's direction. With Izuku himself just barely registering her voice from across the room. "You planning on crashing here?"

"Guess so." He couldn't believe he just agreed to that. Visiting a girl's house was one thing, but staying overnight? That was on a whole other level that he just didn't want to put up with. Not until he built up some confidence at least."

Melissa resumed her task, as her fingers gently traveled across her keyboard with a grace that most people didn't have. "There's a futon in the back behind the couch. Use it if you want to."

He wasn't used to using futons despite his Japanese heritage. "Hey, you're gonna sleep? I-I mean, you've been typing away on that thing for hours-"

"Don't need sleep. Sleep is for the week!" She said while downing a good portion of her energy drink. "If you have trouble sleeping, just let me know! I can you lend you a pair of earmuffs."

He nodded as he laid out his futon while kicking off his shoes and gakuran shirt. A lot had happened today, so even though he had slept like a log less than a few hours ago, he was already exhausted. He figured that as he stood now, he just couldn't handle large amounts of socialization in one day.

He felt his consciousness drifting, and his eyelids drooping, exhaustion slowly creeping up his body, like those many hours before. He let out a sigh, as his mind went over the day's events in chronological order.

I have school tomorrow. Just great. He wanted to let out a loud groan, but he was too exhausted to do so. For even his, vocal cords seemed to be exhausted. He could see Melissa, furiously typing away at her keyboard, with an innocent smile on her face.

That put his mind at ease. His facial muscles relaxed as he looked at her turquoise-colored eyes from afar, as he drifted off to sleep.

Unbeknownst to him, Melissa was feeling quite an at ease herself. She was tempted to snuggle up into her own futon but quickly realized that doing so would be abandoning the task at hand.

Can't sleep. Need to get this done…!

When was the last time that she got a full eight hours of sleep? Melissa couldn't recall. She spent too much of her time on engineering and mathematical theorems to care about sleep.

No twelve-year-old child should've been capable of solving calculus, at the level of a college professor, no less. And yet she was. As a result of her exceptional if not legendary level of intelligence, she was so out of tune with her emotions that most wondered if she was even human.

Many of her classmates in elementary school made sure to stay away from her. To give her the space that she needed. Because when those surprisingly dark, yet turquoise round eyes set their sights on them, staring at them with the intensity of a thousand suns, there weren't many which wouldn't go down crying and weeping in front of the teacher's, begging for her to 'stop being so scary!'

One day, she caught a few kids from another class mouthing off about her, riding the rumors and whimsical half-truths that floated through her school's hallways. She didn't get it at first. Her eyes, while beautiful, were just that… eyes. Turquoise colored to boot.

It's not like she had a quirk that hypnotizes people by just looking at them. She wasn't an anime character who could silence an entire crowd, giving off feelings of murderous intent with just a glare. No, no. She saved that for the heroes. They somehow managed to master that craft in the videos she watched online.

She didn't get it for several years until she locked herself in the mirror and asked herself the following, "was that really me?" Nothing was wrong with her eyes, nothing of the sort. They just looked… cold. Unwelcoming, unfriendly, unyielding, but most importantly, cold. Very cold and emotionless eyes that sent shivers down the spines of whoever was unlucky enough to lock gazes with her.

The second after realizing it, and acknowledging her thoughts, she gave herself a very 'what the hell did that even mean' look in the mirror. Flabbergasted and bewildered, most definitely. But despite her young age, Melissa was very rational. Too rational to ignore the amount of sense it made.

Ever since then, it all clicked for her. And very soon after that, she became isolated from society. Emotionally at least. It wasn't until she met Izuku that her attitude towards her environment started to shift.

Now, she no longer worried about only her and Schrodinger, due to them being the only ones present in the abandoned area that they lived in. Now, she too worried about the green-haired wonder that sat fast asleep on her couch, with Schrodinger sitting nearby.

She had to admit, he looked pretty scrawny, even when compared to her, a female. With his average-looking facial features, the only thing that stood out about him was his red sneakers and busy, dark green hair.

Yet even still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was peculiar about him. If not slightly off. She wouldn't consider their relationship to be that of 'friendship.' Far from it. She respected him, and even though she considered him to be a genuinely nice person, and treated him fairly, neither trusted the other. She could tell.

And frankly, to her? That's what made him perfect. As both an acquaintance and someone to talk to. Because that was all she needed. Melissa Shield didn't need several groups of friends to manage her insecurities. She could stand on her own two feet.

Friends trusted each other, confined in each other, and loved each other platonically, even if they didn't admit it. Izuku Midoriya and Melissa Shield didn't abide by, nor did they follow those rules. Less than friends but more than simple acquaintances. That was their relationship.

And she was sure that Izuku himself, thought the same.

As a parent; a legal guardian, and one of Izuku's only family members which whom he regularly kept in contact, Inko was really trying hard not to panic. Not to lose her marbles, at the very thought that she left Izuku all by himself at home, with not a single explanation explaining why she wasn't there with him.

She really tried to. That alone was worth crediting, right:? Statistically, she knew that the odds of something bad happening to him were probably a million to one, but that motherly side of her couldn't help but worry.

Especially when she saw the fifteen missed calls that she saw in her call history. That nearly gave her a god damn heart attack. Just what on Earth possessed her to decide to spend most of the night helping her friend puke her guts out? Inko wasn't exactly the most religious person on the planet, but at that moment, she could imagine that if God really existed, he'd probably be laughing at her right now.

She tried texting him back and somehow managed to send fifty different texts in less than a minute, before giving up, after realizing that her son probably would've noticed it by now. Either his phone died, or he was simply fast asleep. God forbid that a villain found him. That made her heart sink, but she knew that it was unlikely.

Once again, statistically speaking, the chances of Izuku or any person encountering getting attacked by a villain, and receiving serious injuries from said attack; in broad daylight no less, were about as likely as someone winning the lottery. When deciding on where to move before she and Hisashi had Izuku, she had chosen this area specifically simply because of how ridiculously low the crime rate was, due to how many hero agencies there were around.

The chances of Izuku finding himself in any kind of situation where self-defense was eligible, were so little that Inko practically discarded the thought. That is, until reached their apartment and realized in a matter of ten seconds that Izuku was nowhere to be found.

His room, her room, the extra room they kept for guests, the living room, and the kitchen showed no signs of the greenette. Setting aside how close she was to a heart attack, the logical side of Inko's mind knew that if there was one place that Izuku would be at, it would probably be the Bakugo's.

He had always stared at their house from time to time when Inko had to go on various long business ventures. Even if neither of them liked it, it was better, and more legal than leaving him alone in the confines of his own home with no adult supervision. After all, she was a responsible parent.

That left only one option left to Inko, as she eyed the phone in her hand once more. Quickly casting aside her doubts and beliefs, she dialed up a phone number, put the phone on speaker, and waited for her call to be received. Approximately fifteen and a half seconds later (yes, she counted) the receiver picked up.

"H-Hello? This is Bakugo Masaru speaking." The voice said, before pausing for several seconds. "I-Inko?!"

"Good evening, Masaru-kun. Is Izuku with you? He wasn't present when I got back home."

"N-No. It's just me, Katsuki, and-" The man was interrupted the moment the sound of the toilet flushing reached their ears. "S-Sorry, it's just Mitsuru. She came back-"

"I'm aware." She chuckled. "And I thought she could hold her liquor. Looks like I was wrong." She sighed as she set aside the matter for another time. "Well… tell Katsuki I said high, alright? As difficult as he is to deal with, he's not a bad kid."

"Right, right. I'll make sure of that. Good night, Inko."

"Goodnight, Masaru-kun." She hung the phone up, and exhaled a slow breath, before collapsing onto the couch. Oh, what a day it had been.

Working nonstop at her job for several hours straight, and then came home to find out that her son wasn't anywhere to be found. The worst part of it all? She had no idea what to do. Her first instinct was to phone the police, but at this hour, there were likely busy apprehending villains or filling out mountains' worth of paperwork.

To be quite frank, part of her knew that Izuku was probably okay. By all accounts, if something bad had happened to him, somebody would've noticed it, especially considering the number of heroes still patrolling the street. Which drew her back to square one. The only other possibility was him staying over at a friend's place.

As ignorant and naive as the faculty members of Aldera High wanted to believe that she was, she was smart enough to realize that Izuku had little to no people to confide in, as far as his education went.

Excluding Katsuki, who was an entirely different can of worms, Izuku had only befriended one person and one person only. A girl, which she assumed was the same age as him and relatively good-looking for her to get a reaction out of her son the way she did. But then all thoughts came to a halt in Inko's mind, as she pondered an idea that was slowly rising in her mind.

A girl… someone who Izuku recently acquainted himself with.

Someone who by any means, according to Izuku's words, wasn't really a friend, but was someone he could count on. Last night's conversation raced through her mind as she remembered the details that he had spoken of.

The feeling of dread rooted in Inko's stomach was replaced by something else, the moment that the gears in her brain started to turn.

Well, this just got a whole lot more interesting… She said as a smile made its way onto her face.

It was warm. Comfortably so, as Izuku realized that he was tucked under the covers of a futon, with half of his gakuran uniform removed. With rays of sunlight escaping from the blinds in the window, it was enough to etch a feeling of tranquility and peacefulness into his very soul. He smiled, as he stretched his limbs.

He rarely ever got the chance to wake up peacefully. Factoring in his studies, late-night hero analysis sessions, and nightmares. This was a rare luxury that he didn't know what he did to be rewarded for. As such, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind as he took in his surroundings.

Schrodinger rested peacefully by his side. He could not say the same for Melissa, who for the record, was hunched over in a posture that no one would consider to be comfortable, completely knocked out.

He noticed the bags in her eyes as he focused his vision. As the quiet humming of her computer, he quickly realized that it was still on. Just how seriously did she take her work? Oh, what he would've given for an answer.

Wait. He checked his phone, buried deep inside his pocket. Noting how bright the entirety of the room looked to be. Which could only mean one thing…

8:40 in the morning…?! Fuck, he was late.

He inwardly groaned as he realized that even if she were to sprint his way to school, nonstop, with no breaks, just like he did yesterday, it probably wouldn't even matter, considering that he was already forty minutes late. Crap. He could only imagine the profanities which were going to be tossed his way the moment that he returned to school the following day

It chilled him to the bone knowing that he was practically a sitting duck for the remainder of the day until he entered that classroom, where he guessed they would attempt to roast him alive.

It wasn't a very pleasant feeling if he were being honest with himself.

Setting aside his obvious discomfort with his circumstances, it had already come to his attention late last night that his mother was probably worried sick. The least he could be to hurry on back home, to not cause her any more trouble.

The moment that he stepped foot out of his futon and slipped on his red shoes, a voice spoke to him from behind. "Leaving already?" He swiveled his head, realizing that he must've awoken Melissa.

"Y-Yeah. Sorry, I woke you. I-I… just need to get back to my apartment. My mom's probably worried sick, so-"

"No, no. No need to apologize. I completely understand." Melissa said, as she yawned and stretched her bones. Looks like those monster energy drinks were wearing off. "Just make sure to explain the situation to her. We don't want her to be a-assuming… anything about what transpired last night."

Izuku looked at her like he was a deer in headlights, completely oblivious to the hidden message in her sentences. "Y-Yeah, sure." These were the last words that he said to her, before he walked out of the shed, making sure to close the doors.

Upon contact with the fresh air, he unconsciously released a sigh that he didn't even realize that he had been holding. It was a sigh of relief, he figured. Sheesh, that was awkward.

He knew what time it was, thankfully. Lucky him, considering that his phone battery died the moment that he pulled it out for use but a minute ago. Likely because of one consecutive session of hero analysis, the only other way one could tell it was morning was the rising sun, which was still set relatively low, in the sky. That gave it way almost instantly to Izuku.

With a few kilometers to travel and some time to kill, Izuku began his walk back home. Noticing how few and far the number of people present in the streets and sidewalks were. He had only spotted a few heroes and police officers continuing their patrol from what must've been a late-night shift.

Normally, such a sight would've been enough to spark stars in his eyes, and begin checking his hero analysis notes for any identification on the professional hero's part. But for some reason, he just didn't care. He didn't have time to wander around the neighborhood and geek out over the many superpowers that he would come across. If there were any, that is.

Still, it didn't hurt to have his notebook out, did it? Sometimes, having his hero analysis notes out in the open for him to read as he either walked or commuted to school eased his mind. Going over any errors that he had made the night before, was what mainly motivated him to do so this time around.

Although, that was only part of his motivation. Part of it. He had realized a few minutes ago that he would probably be late to school, even if he started running the moment he got out of Melissa's shed. And he was not putting himself through that again.

Popularity and already weak public persona be damned and put aside, his grades and attendance were already of an exceptional level. Missing a few days of school would do little to tarnish his already impressive performance as far as academics went. His grades wouldn't be dropping any time soon as long as he kept up his studies. That much was certain.

He halted his steps, taking an evaluation on the thoughts that had been building up in his mind ever since he left that shed, before slapping himself. What the hell am I saying? He asked himself, as he took in his environment.

He should be concerned about his mother worrying over him. Not some mark on a piece of paper. What am I, some type of nerd…?

In all honestly, he wouldn't be in a rush to answer that question. Nerd or not, grades good or bad, all of those mattered little to him at the end of the day. For as shy and genuinely antisocial as he may have appeared to be, he still cared about his mother.

Unfortunately, such good-willed thoughts were not enough to distract him from the sound of footsteps nearing him from behind. In any other situation, he would've paid it little mind had there not been so few people on the street. It didn't take a genius to know that a middle schooler such as himself could provoke unwanted attention. He was naive, but not dumb.

He prepared himself for the worst and tensed his shoulders before glancing behind himself… only to find a man clad in a trenchcoat and a tan fedora. "Hey, you there. Mind explaining to me what a middle schooler such as yourself is doing out on these streets?" The man said to him.

He furrowed his brows as his lips curled downward in an awkward frown. Was the man a villain, hiding in the shadows and alleyways, waiting for someone to rob? If that was the case, his motives sounded purely suicidal, given the amount of hero patrol present in the area. But of course, there was another possibility, one that made the tension in Izuku's shoulders disappear, if ever slightly. "A-Are you…?"

"Ah, forgive me," the man chuckled to himself, as he took out a medallion from his trenchcoat. "As cliche as the outfit looks, most people wouldn't really think that I'm with any form of law enforcement." The medallion, which was seemingly made out of metal, shined in the sunlight, giving away the man's profession. "I'm a detective, with the police force." He replied politely.

Well, that certainly clears things up. Izuku's shoulders relaxed, as his expression softened. Yet even still, some of the tension from early remained on his shoulders, as he stared at the detective. "I was staying over at a friend's place and I… I overslept…" His cheeks flushed at his mention of a friend.

Of course, he and Melissa were anything but friends, and more so acquaintances, but he didn't want to give the detective any bad ideas.

"Overslept, huh?" The detective cupped a hand to his chin, as he sighed. "I see. I kind of thought you were some sort of delinquent skipping class or something. Still, you should be in school right about now, even if you're late."

"A-Actually, I was making my way home." The detective only stared at him. "Ah, wait. Let me clarify… I was just sleeping over at a friend's place overnight… And I-"

"You overslept?" Izuku's cheeks blossomed into a furious red as he prepared for whatever type of cruel words that would come his way. Fortunately for him, the detective simply smiled in understanding. "I see… Well, do you need a ride home?"

In hindsight, that didn't sound too bad. Even if he sprinted all the way to his apartment, it would still take around an hour or two. With a car, he could slice that time frame down to about a third of the time it would take if he ran at top speed.

"I'll take you up on that offer," Izuku smiled at him. "Detective…"

"Tsukauchi. Tsukauchi Naomaso. A pleasure to help you out." The man said, before walking up to his car. "You coming?"

Izuku paused, gripping his backpack straps. He had never really interacted with anyone in a friendly manner, excluding Melissa and his mother. He couldn't help but be wary of this 'Naomosa' figure and his motives.

He scoffed at himself and followed Naomosa into his car. Who was he kidding? It's not like the detective would be as bad as Kacchan. He grinned to himself.

Although, he couldn't imagine him being as nice as Melissa…

A/N: Sorry for not posting for a while! Writer's block has been kicking my ass. I'll try to update more frequently this month. I promise. And if I break that promise then... well, that's on me. I'll probably make sure to give you guys an extra-long chapter if that happens.

Until next time, goodbye!