The secretary near Yaomomo's office quietly watched as we passed her by. With her mouth slightly ajar, and her hand hovering over a still-ringing phone – 'disbelief' would be an appropriate way to describe the woman's expression. Similar expressions were thrown our way as we traveled down to the lobby. Passengers on the express elevator, guards on the business floor, passengers on the public elevator, and nearly half the lobby – each and every person that was within a viewable distance, stopped in their tracks to view us at their distance.
No one ever comes out of the CEO's office – since no one ever enters it in the first place.
A popular rumor that took root because of this fact was that the office had never even been occupied – 'it's always been, and still is, completely empty'. The supposed single occupant of said office, the company's illustrious CEO, Yaoyorozu Momo was never seen entering or exiting its mechanically-sealed doors. So the logical conclusion had to be that even she wasn't even holed away in it. She must have been located elsewhere, giving her orders through a privately-monitored chain of command – and the CEO Office simply acted as a physical reminder of her position in the business. This had to be the case, since there was no plausible explanation as to how Yaoyorozu remains alive to this day. Even an over-accomplished genius like her had to eat, right? So when does she ever get food, if no one ever delivers to her doors, and no one's ever seen her leave them?
At this point, these logical explanations are completely debunked, and more questions have appeared than answers. Because right in front of everyone's eyes were two non-company individuals wearing the 'mythical' Golden Badges. All-security clearance badges that, according to the overheard gasps and whispers surrounding us, were personally given by Yaoyorozu, and no one else. Only one other person in the company was given this badge, and even they had confirmed that they only received it from the CEO herself. To see another set of walking, badge-wearing examples now proved two things against the innumerable rumors in this Agency: their CEO actually exists, and is still, somehow, located within her office.
The fact that Yaomomo's mythical existence to her own employees was so legendary, that even the physical presence of a living Hero-legend like my husband spurred no reaction from them, is as impressive as it is depressing. The 'strongest hero in the world', Deku, was standing right in front of these people, and all they cared to look at was the fancy, plastic clip on his breast. Momo really should come out and meet her employees.
Hard stares and excited murmurs continued to follow us as we walked down the large, open hall. At its end, or rather, at its start, these attentions quickly shifted away. The shocked gossips from the majority of the lobby quickly lost momentum on this side – where a loud and intrusive argument was forcing everyone into a stiffened silence. Most nearby passersby did their best to walk around the scene without getting involved, while the crowding security guards did everything in their power to involve themselves with the scene.
Bombing Run's fiery and aggressive attitude wasn't going to let anyone get past, however. People who attempted to skirt around him were abruptly stopped with his explosions. Guards who tried to approach him were abruptly stopped with his explosions. Working heroes and heroines that tried to calm him were abruptly stopped with his explosions. Everyone around the furious hero had become his enemy, as everyone had 'gotten in the way' of his real target: Uravity – who was standing her ground against him, in stern defiance.

This, depressingly, wasn't an unfamiliar scene for Deku and I. With more instances than there are fingers attached to my hands, the hero Bombing Run had stalked Uravity with a burning bone to pick. She would flee from him in response, then, as always, end up standing her ground – coincidentally by the entrance of whatever building she had walked into. Then the two would continue in their stacking arguments until either Deku or I got between them.
Nothing less would stop them. Because nothing less was what the two were arguing about.

Bakugo Katsuki, hero-named Bombing Run, was a full-fledged, battle-based hero that earned his place through his own efforts and accomplishments. He currently works in the field as a freelance hero – belonging to no groups or individuals outside of himself.
Uraraka Ochaco, hero-named Uravity, was a full-fledged, rescue-based heroine that found her place through her own efforts and friendly relations. She currently works in the field as part of a hero team – belonging to her Agency and teammates.
In their heroic careers and outside of it, the two former classmates had little in common. What they sought as heroes, what their interests were, what foods they preferred, very few things – if not barely anything at all – matched between their tastes and methods. This was especially true when it came to their individual approaches to heroism on the field. Uravity was a slow and methodical heroine that focused her efforts in supporting others. Bombing Run was a quick and erratic hero that always aimed to solve things by himself.
So when the two of them were forced to work together on a rescue mission two months ago… You can imagine the surprise on their faces when they realized just how well they complemented each other. The rescue mission was a complete success – no casualties, no injuries, an acceptable amount of property damage, plus a lead to a more dire criminal case had been discovered by them – all achieved in under an hour. Results like these are near impossible to pull off – even between Deku and I.
Most people would rethink the position they hold within their careers in the face of this undisputed success. A lone worker would consider joining themselves to a group. A team player would consider transferring to a new team. This sort of consideration didn't just hold within it the obvious merits of the most recent accolades, but it carried with it the promises of better, more consistent, future results.
In other words: if Uravity and Bombing Run working together meant that more lives would be saved than when the two were working apart – wouldn't it be better for them to pair up as a team?
The answer should have been obvious for both Uravity and Bombing Run.
But it wasn't. Bakugo was willing to give up his lone wolf streak, all for the sake of better results as a hero. Ochaco, however, had no desire to abandon her position between her teammates – Deku and myself – no matter what the results promised. This was her choice, and that was his. And this was what their arguments always escalated over.

"So you just gonna' waste yer life away bein' a third wheel?!"

"At least I don't waste it chasing after one!"

"If chasing a damn wheel down the street means one more villain's locked up, I'd do it every day!"

"Maybe you wouldn't have to do it every day if you just found your own!"

"It ain't like you belong to those green-freaks!"

"Well it 'ain't' like I belong to you!"

"You don't gotta' belong to no one! It's just work!"

"Then act professional and take a 'no' for once!"

"GUYS!" I yell as a plant myself between them. Bakugo's ready to blast me aside, but when he notices who he's aiming at – he drops his arm.

"What do you want, frog face?! You come here to die?!" he roars. Immature in his threats, as always.

"I want you guys to stop yelling in public places already! It's embarrassing having to babysit you two."

"H-Hey!" Ochaco whines.

"It's embarrassing having to follow this girl around just to have a decent conversation!" Bakugo yells as he stomps one of his feet on the ground. A smoldering ring of ash kicks up from he stepped. "She's the one who keeps parking herself in front of doors just to yammer at me!"

I shake my head. "I didn't ask who started it, Run. I know that Uravity tends to hide behind people in enclosed spaces."

"Hey! No, I don't!" Ochaco whines again.

"Then tell her to quit hiding like a coward! She's a damn hero! She oughtta' act like one!" he barks, with a slightly less furious tone. Being told he's right always calms him down a notch. One more notch should make him easier to talk down.

"She wouldn't hide if you didn't chase. You know she scares easily."

"Pheh! Too much time between you dweebs makes her spineless."

"So then give her space to grow one. Call her when you're home."

"She don't ever pick up!"

"I'll make sure she picks up."

"You better!" he yells as he turns. The slump in his shoulders signals his satisfaction with my answer. Pushing aside the locked-out employees, he looks back in our direction one more time and says, "I'm calling tonight. Pick up or I'm blowing down your door."

The tense atmosphere in the area immediately drops once the grumbling hero walks out of view. Hero's Rescue guards and employees nervously roam back into their expected schedules – albeit late, and in a hurry. None of them stop to wonder or converse over what had just happened… because, for the company's sake, it wasn't worth giving notice. Exciting the tabloids and online rumor mills never ended well for larger companies, let alone news-famous heroes.
It's times like these that I really appreciated the culture of our city. I've heard that in other places it's common sense to spread hero gossip, and that it's uncommon to discourage nosey press. I wouldn't know how I'd live my life if I had rude paparazzi following me around everywhere. It's already draining enough having to deal with respectful journalists.
Now that we've dealt with the issue in the lobby, we can finally return to –

"Ts– Er, Hoplight!"

"No need to shout, I'm right next to you." I turn and face Uravity.

Pretending as if her shout hadn't already caught unwanted attention, Uravity leans in close and hisses, "You don't actually expect me to talk to Bakugo, do you?!"

"I don't see why not."

"You know exactly why not! I already gave him my answer a hundred times and he still won't leave me alone! And you already know how I feel about this – I'm not leaving the team!"

I sigh. It's already been a long day, and it feels like it's only going to get longer. If there was someone around with a time-bending Quirk, I'd ask them to fast-forward to the part where I crawl into bed. But as it is, the day is still crawling along, and there's still a lot more for us to do.
"We can talk about this later, Uravity. For now – we need to get back to work."

She blinks, her face returning to the professional expression expected from an upstanding Pro Hero, then nods. "I came in here looking for you two, actually. When I couldn't find you in the safe zone, I flew back to where we separated – and that's when I saw you landing on this building's roof." From her pocket, she produces a neatly-folded paper and hands it to me. She doesn't even give me the chance to read it before she explains what's written inside: "Endeavor Agency reported that they rounded up the last of the suspects in our area. And Grape's Agency officially picked up the search and rescue efforts from where we left off. All that's left for us is reporting back to our Agency."

"Does the military police need support in perimeter patrols?" Deku finally joins the conversation. He had been standing awkwardly to the side, acting as our stiff bodyguard – just in case Bombing Run got riled up for whatever reason. With the danger passed, he seems to have relaxed. "What about the cleanup crew? We can assist them with moving the rubble."
Typical Deku – always looking to for a way to help others. It's a terrible virtue to have when everyone wants your help, but no one really needs it. If he were allowed to, he'd help everyone in this city and then some… He would never be off the clock as a hero.

But with me around, of course he isn't allowed to. I press a button in my belt – jabbing his rib with one of my grappling hooks. "You heard Urar– er, Uravity. We have to report to the Agency."

He holds onto his rib with a gasp – showing immense pain. Despite what most people think, Deku is susceptible to damage from regular impacts. His Quirk needs to be active in order for his muscles to glance off blows. It's only during times like these, while his guard is down, that I can get him to snap out of his hero bravado with a hard smack to the ego.
"But what about –"

I threaten to press the button again before he can finish that sentence. He closes his mouth immediately.
"If you want to go gallivanting as the hero everyone can walk all over, then you can quit the Agency and work on your own. I'm sure Bombing Run would love that. He'd get to start fights with you without Agency relations getting in the way." I say to him as I detach the shell from my back and look into its hidden compartments. Pulling out what I need – a small communicator – I place it between us and turn it on. While it begins its connection process, I continue my lecture to Deku, "But right now, we're employees to a company. And as employees, we follow regulations. The mission we were sent here for is complete. We secured a safety zone for the military police, and we incapacitated the villains. Well, Endeavor Agency finished that job for us, but what's done is done. Our Agency's rule for post-mission is to halt all hero duties and report results immediately."

"Okay, okay…" Deku sighs with defeat. He must have heard this reminding lecture from me more than fifty times. I wouldn't need to keep bringing it up if he wouldn't keep trying to ignore our Agency's policies. He's already made me go against company policy today… making me escort those civilians.

"If – If you want to quit the Agency, I will too!" Uravity blurts out.

"Don't give him ideas."

"Why don't we just start our own Agency?" she adds in, "Grape Juice and Yaoyorozu started their own."

"Need I remind you that Grape Juice and Yaoyorozu funded their Agencies out of their own pockets? We don't have that kind of money."

"W-Well if we take out a loan…"

"Living our lives as heroes in debt doesn't sound appealing."

"We'd pay it off eventually."

"With how much property damage Deku causes? No way."

Deku flinches. "I'm working on it!"

"Well until you're done working on it, we can continue working here. Besides, there's nothing wrong with working under our Agency. We've got vacation time piling up, medical –" A cheerful, musical chime plays. "We're patched in." I say as I pull the three of us to one corner of the lobby.

Sitting ourselves down on waiting seats and placing the communicator on a coffee table in front of us, we look over a small screen with professional interest. A bright light flickers, and a faint, semi-hologram of our employer appears just below eye level.
"How are my twinkling stars doing today?" Aoyama Yuga winks at us in greeting.