"EARLOBES!"

Jirou paused, soda lifted halfway to her mouth. The feral shriek would have terrified her during their first few weeks of school, but now, between basically living with the guy and sitting next to him in class pretty much every single day, she can count the number of times she'd ever been genuinely scared of him on one hand.

That being said, she also wasn't even sure what she did to rile him up, so as far as she was concerned, there was nothing to worry about.

"I have a name and I know you know what it is." she drawled as Bakugou skidded around the corner. Leaning back leisurely on the couch, she could practically hear Iida berating her in her head for having a full soda can in the common room. It was Friday after classes, so she had no clue where the class rep was at the moment, but she was sure he was around here somewhere.

"Jirou," he switched to easily, and okay, considering that she'd almost choked in surprise, he definitely had her attention now. She hummed curiously, taking a sip of her soda.

"I need your help!"

Now that, she wasn't ready for.

The spittake that followed was instantaneous, soda splattering all over the coffee table as Jirou tried to properly process what in the utter hell this could be about. Soda disgustingly dripping from her face, the only response she could think to muster was a bewildered, "Come again?"

"JIROU!" The new voice made her jump, and she couldn't help but think that she so called it as Iida stormed in out of nowhere. "What were you thinking?! You know we shouldn't bring drinks into the common room, and for this very reason! As heroes-in-training, we-!"

"Not now, Four Eyes!" Bakugou snapped, grabbing Jirou's arm and unceremoniously yanking her off the couch. To Jirou's credit, she managed not to trip on her own feet. "I need to talk to her! This is more important!"

"Manners and etiquette are plenty important-!"

"Fuck off!"

And with that, she was dragged into the kitchen, and she couldn't help but admit that she was more than a little intrigued.

So, Bakugou's dilemma went a little something like this.

Thanks to Kaminari's yammering, Jirou was fully aware of who 'Baldy and Camie' were. As the story went, Bakugou and Todoroki had met the two during their remedial classes, and since Bakugou's inner circle of friends consisted of the dauntless, never-say-die type who are willing to almost literally bully him into friendship, she could get the idea that these two Shiketsu students were among the more stubborn and eccentric of people.

Considering that allegedly, 'Baldy' had gone from hating Todoroki to being borderline obsessed with being his friend and that 'Camie' had somehow managed to make Bakugou genuinely laugh and was on a first name basis with him, she suspected that she was right on the money.

Either way, as it went, the weekend was coming up, and the Shiketsu students were given a long weekend as a reward after they finally had something happen to them for once and stopped a car bombing earlier that week. To this, the two had been pestering Todoroki and Bakugou about getting together that Saturday and taking a trip to downtown Musutafu for some fun.

Todoroki, for what it's worth, had no problems with taking time out of his day and hanging out with his new friends. Bakugou, of course, was less than willing.

This is where the 'bullying' part comes into play.

For the next day or two, they pestered Bakugou nonstop about it, even going so far as to convince Todoroki to help them. This definitely explained why Todoroki would go 'join us' every time that he and Bakugou made eye contact, which was why Bakugou avoided him like the plague for the rest of the day and nearly flew into a rage when that was how Ashido worded her invitation/demand for that week's 'squad night'.

Cut to that very night, and of course, one of the four had been snooping around on his phone and found out about it. From there, he was pretty much cornered by them all begging him to not only go, but to take them with him so that they could all be properly introduced to their 'honorary squad members', among other things.

Now, normally, Bakugou is the last person who will ever have problems saying no. You can cry all you want, he'll just laugh in your face and leave you drowning in your tears. He literally could not give less of a fuck about your feelings. However, in this whole wide world of quirks and other anomalies, there was one person who existed that he always seemed to have trouble saying no to.

And that person was Kirishima.

And honestly, Jirou couldn't blame him. Anyone with a heart had trouble saying no to those puppy dog eyes and the genuine kindness that the redhead exuded from his very being. That, and the Kirishima Factor, the class's term for Kirishima's unexplainable ability to emotionally soften anyone he interacted with, would have been in full play. Of course, the closer you were with Kirishima, the stronger the effect was.

And considering that he and Bakugou were best friends, he was especially prone to it.

So now, here he was, going with BOTH of his wild, uncontrollable friend groups into the heart of Musutafu with no backup and as what was essentially a ticking time bomb, because once they got him to explode, and they would, it was gonna be a citywide catastrophe.

"So, you're inviting me to go out with you and your friends?" she laughed, a cheeky grin plastered on her face as she wiped it clean of spilled soda. "That's nice of you, Blast."

Bakugou glared at her sharply. "I need damage control." he stated. "You are damage control."

To be fair, he wasn't losing his shit over nothing. She knew her classmates, and she knew her class. They were troublemakers, and more than that, they were trouble magnets. She would bet her entire collection of instruments that something was going to go wrong at some point, and with the added bonus of having two wildcards in the mix, one with about as much knowledge of social cues as Todoroki but opposite in personality and the other having gotten the League's attention just like Bakugou, there was no telling just how south this night could go for anyone involved or not.

Frankly, she would want a sane person backing her up, too. Of course, as the dauntless, never-say-die type, she wasn't sure how well she fit the bill, but considering the rest of Bakugou's options, she probably was his best bet.

Cut to now.

"Yeah, sounds like a disaster in the making for sure. I'll go." she smiled. "You don't even need to pay me back."

"Fuck that." Bakugou snapped. "I'll still feel like I owe you shit. I'll cook for both of us this Sunday. All three meals."

"Well, fuck. Now, I'm definitely going."

Saturday evening found Jirou down in the common room and dressed to impress.

Leather, fishnet leggings, a nice hairclip and a matching choker, all the stops. Ashido had said she was going in her nice sweater dress she saved for special occasions and a new purse, and this Camie girl was apparently a looker, so Jirou decided that she might as well go in style. Nothing wrong with getting some good attention for a change. Yaoyorozu had oohed and aahed at her completed look, a serene smile on her face.

"You look wonderful, Jirou!" she'd said. "Just promise you'll be careful, alright? Our classmates are dear to me, but they can be quite troublesome, yes?"

Uraraka and Asui said something similar, as did Iida, all seeing Todoroki off with Midoriya by their side. The freckled teen had been ecstatic that Todoroki and 'Kacchan' were making more friends and becoming more social, much to the latter's immense irritation.

Aizawa-sensei was ultimately the last person to see them off, looking downright constipated. It had been like filing a lawsuit to get him to agree to this excursion, but it had been Present Mic who eventually talked him down. He spoke to each of them one by one, checking their hero apps and emergency contacts and distress signals, making sure that each of them were under close watch and had the means to deal with an emergency.

"If anything happens and I am not informed, I am expelling all of you."

And off they went, the seven of them gallivanting into the sunset. With daylight fast slipping behind the veil of night, the group didn't have much time to enjoy before they'd have to turn back and head home. The last thing any of them wanted was for sensei to come looking for them.

Walking through Musutafu, the group, at least to Jirou, seemed to be in mostly jovial spirits, though Todoroki betrayed no emotion and Bakugou looked as if he'd rather be anywhere else. A part of her understood why he'd want someone else there to rally his friends back together, but another part felt at ease. They were an up-and-coming group of pro heroes, after all.

What could possibly go wrong?

"You think Utsushimi knows how to dance?" Ashido asked, swaying back and forth as they waited at a crosswalk.

"If the bitch knows anything, it'll be some stupid meme from tiktok." Bakugou groaned.

"Bro," Kaminari interjected. "You think she can whip?"

"Aaaaand I'm gonna go throw myself into traffic."

"Please don't." Todoroki cut in sincerely. Bakugou's glare could have set even his right side on fire.

Ashido just laughed as the light turned green and the crowds began to move. Jirou could feel her face growing warm with second-hand embarrassment as her two classmates began to shout different memes and songs as they danced their way through the throngs of people. Kirishima did his best to follow along, even though he was either clueless or just plain stiff, and Sero was more than happy to just step back and let the chaos unfold.

They were so lost in their own insanity that they didn't notice the incoming danger until Ashido was nearly yanked off her feet.

The pinkette's scream was what caught Jirou's attention more than anything, a large man sprinting by and grabbing the strap of her purse. Ashido clung to it like a lifeline, almost getting hauled along as the thug fought to pull it out of her hands. Of course, Jirou would later feel bad for the attempted purse-snatcher, considering that he targeted a hero-in-training surrounded by other heroes-in-training.

"I just got this brand new, you jerk!" Ashido shouted, pulling it as hard as she could and using her momentum to bury her boot into his gut with every ounce of strength she had.

It did the trick, the purse-snatcher having the wind knocked right out of him. He let go, stumbling back and turning around to catch his breath.

Only to have two fists simultaneously striking his face, one rock solid and the other crackling with heat.

The giant of a man crashed to the ground with a thud, the people around them watching in awe as flashes of cameras lit up the street. The group stood in silence, staring at the thug laid out in front of them as Ashido dusted herself off and straightened her look back up.

"So," she said. "Who's telling Aizawa-sensei?"

"NOT IT!"

It was at this moment that Jirou began to fear for her life.

In the end, it was Bakugou who played teacher's pet and called sensei, who must have nearly had a heart attack upon reading the caller ID. Meanwhile, Ashido managed to talk him down from charging in to oversee the villain's arrest himself and then bodily drag all of them back to campus.

"Yoooooo, it's the squad in the flesh! How's it hanging, fam?"

As Jirou expected, this Camie girl was, in fact, a serious looker, with a perfect figure, plump lips, and smooth blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. The other new arrival, Yoarashi Inasa, as he excitedly introduced himself, was a tall boy with a muscular build and a buzzed hairstyle. Though not bald, Jirou could see where Bakugou's nickname for him came from.

"What do you use for your hair?" Ashido asked Camie in awe, hovering a hand over her shoulder-length locks.

"I lowkey don't do much." Camie smiled. "I can tell you about my routine, tho."

"Yes, please!"

"Any other questions, brosephs?"

"Yes, me, actually." Kaminari suddenly said. "One, can I have your number? Two, can you whi-?"

"Finish that sentence and I will blow us both up."

"Yes, sir."

"And Camie," Bakugou snapped. "Do not indulge them. They are a pack of children."

"I wanna be on a first name basis!" Kaminari whined.

"I'm Mina, by the way!"

Sero cleared his throat. "Are we not gonna talk about Bakugou being on a first name basis with a hot, flirty chick?"

Jirou jabbed the blonde with her elbow. "Didn't take you for a player, Blast."

"Would all of you shut the fuck up!?"

Camie giggled. "All my baes call me Camie. You guys should, too."

Kaminari and Sero fist pumped. Jirou pretended not to know them.

"Oh yes, by the way!" Yoarashi suddenly piped up, his strange smile still plastered on his face. "Have any of you happened upon some thugs on the way here?"

Jirou's eyes widened as Camie snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah, some weirdo followed us for a while on the way here. It was totes creepy, but my quirk covered our trail."

"No way!" Ashido exclaimed. "Someone tried to steal my purse on the way here!"

"Noooo!" Camie gasped. "What a coinkydink!"

"Is it, though?" Jirou heard Todoroki mutter, and she was thinking the same thing.

"Enough dillydallying!" Yoarashi shouted enthusiastically, making half the group jump and Jirou wince at the volume. "I'm quite famished myself! Let's go get something to eat!"

Jirou, Todoroki, and Bakugou let the rest of the group cheer along as they marched their way towards a restaurant, filled to the brim with bubbling excitement. The group of nine stuck close together as they moved through the crowd, exploring the city for the perfect place to sit down and eat.

"You mean nobody knows where we're gonna go?!" Bakugou yelled in irritation. "The fuck are you expecting!? That the perfect diner's just gonna fall out of the sky?!"

"I mean," Todoroki thought aloud. "Anything is possible these days."

"So some psycho's gonna conjure up a brand new establishment for our convenience?"

"You never know."

Bakugou looked as if he was about to have an aneurysm. "Good lord, he's worse than you, Sparky."

Todoroki frowned. "What did I do?"

"You existed!"

"That wasn't my fault, though."

As the two bantered, Jirou suddenly took in the distinct lack of noise in their immediate vicinity. She stopped, suddenly pale, whipping around in a panic to calm her nerves and prove her suspicions false.

They were not.

"Um, guys?" Jirou called. The group stopped, staring back. "We might be missing a few people."

It took Bakugou a moment to register that, eying the group before his glare sharpened like knives. Camie gasped. "Yo, you right!"

"It appears that Kaminari, Ashido, and Sero were separated from us." Todoroki mused.

Bakugou, looking about ready to self-destruct, shoved past the dual quirk user and squared up in the middle of the sidewalk, taking a long, deep breath in.

"SPARKY! HORNS! SOY SAUCE! WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GO!?"

The people around them all jumped at the volume of his shout, some appearing frightened while others gave him dirty looks. Movement must have caught his eye, because Bakugou was zeroing in on something like a predator a moment later, marching with purpose as he pushed himself through the crowd and towards the street, where a bus stop and streetlight stood side by side. Standing directly in front of the light, he aggressively banged his fist against the pole, staring up at the top as if the lights had personally offended him.

Jirou looked up. Apparently, Sero was up there.

"Ah, dammit, that was quick." he whined, though he didn't come back down.

"The hell are you even doing up there?"

"If I said I was looking for a place to eat, would you believe me?"

Bakugou's deadpan glare would have made Aizawa proud. Sero grinned sheepishly. "Okay, okay, so-"

CRASH!

Both Bakugou and Jirou were at attention faster than the latter could comprehend. She'd blinked and Bakugou shot off like a rocket, a heat-seeking missile that no flare could misdirect. She knew that she had no hope of catching up, but Jirou still ran after him, heart in her throat and mind laced with confusion. Next to her, Sero hit the ground running, the two of them chasing after the trail of smoke to the best of their ability.

The scene they found was utter chaos.

What they'd been led to was a small candy shop, now missing a window and merchandise scattered everywhere. On the floor were two thugs, one out cold and the other getting the snot beaten out of him by one Ashido Mina. Off to the side, Kaminari was wandering around, completely fried, while a young woman and the store owner watched the whole scene in respective awe and horror.

"The fuck is going on here!?" Bakugou shouted, storming into the store. Glass crunched under his boots as he grabbed Ashido and attempted to haul her off. "That's enough, Raccoon Eyes!"

"I'm not done with him!" she screamed back, flailing in his grip.

"I ain't, either!" the thug roared, jumping back to his feet even as his skin sizzled with acid. Without even blinking, Bakugou kicked upward, nailing the guy in the chin and sending him right back to the floor.

"Tape Face, tie the goons!" Bakugou ordered, looking impossibly tired. Bodily hefting a flailing Ashido under one arm, he grabbed the shirt collar of a still-fried Kaminari as he whined, thumbs up and eyes glazed, and stomped back out of the store without so much as an apology, dragging his two friends along with him.

"Ah- Thank you!" the girl called after them as Sero and Jirou ran to catch up with Bakugou.

"AND DON'T COME BACK!" the store owner screamed, pulling out his phone. "IF I SEE ANY OF YOU NEAR MY STORE EVER AGAIN, I'M CALLING THE POLICE!"

Jirou would later learn that Ashido, Kaminari, and Sero had originally wanted to mess with Bakugou by playing hide n' seek when the former two discovered a candy shop. While exploring, they'd noticed a woman being robbed and assaulted outside the window by two thugs, so Ashido had crashed through said window like a psycho and the fight ended back in the candy store, messing up the entire room. Kaminari had fried the first thug, along with himself, while Ashido beat the other until Bakugou had pulled her off. While the woman was grateful for being saved, they were sure Aizawa would be hearing about this.

Jirou was starting to understand why Bakugou had been so apprehensive about this trip.

"LOL, you guys are cray-cray!"

"Perhaps you could have handled the situation more subtly!"

Jirou watched as Bakugou nearly launched his ramen bowl at the two Shiketsu students while Kirishima laughed at his exhausted friends' idiocy and Todoroki quietly slurped on his soba. In the end, the group had decided to go to a fancy noodle shop that All Might had once taken Todoroki and Bakugou to after their remedial classes, both of which had been impressed by the quality.

"So," Jirou mused aloud, mindlessly stirring her noodles with her chopsticks. "Are we gonna talk about the elephant in the room?"

Todoroki nearly choked. "What elephant-?"

Bakugou groaned. "I'm seriously not in the mood for your bullshit."

"I meant all these thugs running around." Jirou clarified. "What's up with that, anyway?"

"How are they elephants-?"

"Shut up, Icyhot."

"I was thinking the same thing." said Ashido. "First my purse and then that. Downtown isn't always this dangerous, is it?"

Jirou shook her head. "Not from my experience."

"Something's up," Sero agreed. "And sensei's gonna kill us for getting involved."

"Welp, Eraserhead's not our problem." said Camie, patting Yoarashi's shoulder.

"Guyyyyyyyys," Kaminari whined. Staring at his bowl, he looked about ready to cry. "We have bigger problems to worry about!"

Bakugou scoffed, swallowing another mouthful of spicy ramen. "You're the one who wanted to do the spicy noodle challenge. You made your bed, so lie in it."

"I haven't even tasted it and my eyes hurt!"

"How is that my problem?!"

Todoroki hummed. "A bed of cold soba..."

"Halfie."

Jirou absentmindedly stared out the window as her friends' banter drowned out the rest of the world. Though the streets seemed safe and calm for the time being, the night's events did prove to be alarming. It was one thing for something to happen to them while out and about, which was normal, but two?

Two is a coincidence, three is a pattern.

If this was the precursor of some kind of mass attack, their group would be ill-prepared without their hero equipment. She didn't know Camie and Yoarashi well enough to say, but she at least trusted her classmates' prowess and resourcefulness, but that didn't mean that they were ready for something to go seriously wrong and it certainly didn't make them invincible. It was all a matter of time before something catastrophic tore their class apart if they weren't ready for it.

A matter of time...

Sudden screaming made her jump, whipping around to find Kaminari writhing on the floor as Sero recorded it. Kirishima and Yoarashi fussed over him in concern while Ashido cackled and Bakugou grinned wolfishly. Meanwhile, Camie and Todoroki ate their food in silence.

Jirou smirked. She couldn't tell whether they'd be alright or if they were screwed.

"Dude, we told you not to do it."

Sero's words were lost to Kaminari's violent heaving, spicy noodles splattering all over the alley as Jirou wandered over, Kirishima and Ashido close behind. Saliva and bile dripped to the ground as Kaminari groaned, Sero giving him a napkin to wipe his mouth as he slid to the ground against a building.

"It's just not your day, is it?" Jirou sighed, crouching down beside him despite the strong smell of vomit. "Someone can take you back to campus, or we can call Aizawa-sensei."

"Noooooo," Kaminari whined. "I don't wanna-"

Jirou backed up as he started heaving again, giving Sero a tired look as the raven-haired boy helped him lean forward to puke. "Man, that stuff had to be spicy. I don't know how Blasty does it."

"It's terrifying." Kirishima agreed. "I don't know how he does a lot of things."

Jirou could definitely agree with that.

The retching stopped as Ashido knelt down and hugged the electric blonde. "I'm sorry for laughing! I'll eat some spicy noodles if it makes you feel better! And I'll stay right here until you don't feel like throwing up anymore!"

"We might leave soon, anyway." said Jirou. "Todoroki's footing the bill as we speak and the others are with him."

"Alright." Sero nodded. "We'll catch up with you. You guys go ahead."

"You sure?" asked Kirishima. "There's been a lot of villain activity tonight."

"We can handle it." Ashido smiled. "We'll catch up with you when Kami feels better."

"Thanks, guys." Kaminari mumbled as Jirou and Kirishima turned with concerned glances. It was starting to get late and they'd left their things in the noodle shop, so they couldn't exactly leave just yet.

"How about we get our things, find the others, and we all come back here?" Jirou suggested.

"Yeah, I like that." Kirishima agreed. "That way, we all stick together. Tonight's been crazy."

"It has." Jirou nodded.

And then she paused.

Kirishima noticed immediately, Jirou's earjacks high in the air. They twisted and turned like satellites, or a cat's ears listening for prey or incoming danger. "You hear something?"

"Footsteps." she said. "Lots of them."

They weren't approaching them, but they were close, and they sounded heavy. There were at least half a dozen, circling through the alleyways as sirens sounded in the distance. And if Jirou listened close enough, there was a light pair too, trailing behind, closer to them and lost in the mess of sounds surrounding them.

"This way." Jirou whispered, motioning for Kirishima to follow. The two walked along the labyrinth of alleys, rats scrounging for food and the occasional cat hunting. Their shadows stood tall against the towering walls of buildings, washing along in the darkness of the night and light of the bustling city.

They rounded a corner, and suddenly, there was a figure at the other end, cautiously sneaking through the alleyway.

Kirishima perked up. "That's Bakugou."

There was no mistaking the mess of blonde spikes as he disappeared around the corner. Glancing at each other in emotions that neither could read, they stalked down the alley, following after the vanishing shadow of their friend. Jirou ignored the multitude of critters that crowded the dark corners of the alley, making themselves at home in the cover of darkness.

Rounding the corner, the hint of ash blonde was there and gone again, the pair silently following after him. The sounds of the city were like echoes of an outside world, far in the distance and faint like a separate reality. The occasional siren was not lost on Jirou, their presence becoming more and more frequent as the night went on.

"I think he went this way." said Kirishima, pulling Jirou along. Jirou racked her brain for answers as to what Bakugou was even doing back here, and exactly what or who he was looking for or following, but she could only assume that he had his reasons.

Of course, all thoughts came to a screeching halt when they rounded a corner and Kirishima had to harden for a crackling punch to the face.

Jirou leaped back at the attack, ferocious glints in Bakugou's eyes as he slowly recognized who'd been following him. He let out the breath he'd been holding. "The fuck's the matter with you?!" he whispered fiercely. "I thought you were some villain trying to get the jump on me!"

"Sorry." Kirishima said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"What are you even doing over here?" asked Jirou.

"I was following some goons." Bakugou spat. "Didn't want 'em near the other extras."

"Aww." Kirishima smiled softly.

"Shhhh!"

Jirou snorted, earning a hard glare in return. "What kind of goons?"

"Oi, you guys hear something?"

All three stilled, frozen like deer in the headlights as the light of flashlights illuminated the alleyway. Bakugou was the first to react, shoving the other two into a corner and crashing against a dumpster. Three cats leaped out, startled and skittering along as two large figures appeared nearby.

"Damn cats." one of them muttered.

"You're too jumpy!" the other snapped. "There's nobody there!"

"If you're sure."

Heavy boots crunched against pebbles and loose concrete. Jirou, pressed up against the building behind them, tried to stay quiet as Kirishima squirmed next to her and Bakugou pushed them back, watching the alley around them like a hawk. Jirou could hear at least one of the men walking around just on the other side of the dumpster, while more footsteps could be heard inside of the building they were hiding against.

By all means, if there was no wall there, they'd be surrounded.

"Honestly, if this is how you are now, I can't imagine you on the job." the second one, the older of the two, sighed. The smell of nicotine wafted through the air. "This petty crime shit is much more up your alley."

The former stayed silent, contemplative, and Jirou couldn't help but wonder what was going through the man's head. "I have a family, you know."

"So?"

A long silence passed. "...Yeah, I guess you're right. I ain't cut out for it."

For what, first of all. Second, by petty crimes, are they talking about stealing candy from babies? Or is a convenient store robbery low-tier to them?

Or are they talking about purse-snatchers and muggers?

Don't tell me, she thought.

"Have any of you happened upon some thugs on the way here?"

"What a coinkydink!"

Is everything that's happened tonight connected?

"You two!" someone shouted from afar. "This is no time for a smoke! The cops are onto us, which means heroes will be, too! We gotta grab what we can and get out!"

"Alright, alright." the older huffed, dropping his cigarette and crushing it underfoot. Farther away, screams could be heard as the thugs exited the alleys and entered the streets.

"Is this some kind of major villain attack?" Kirishima questioned in concern.

"I think this is more like the group Halfie and I dealt with after we got our licenses." Bakugou reasoned. "And if they're the same tier, they should be easy to deal with."

"If you say so, man." Kirishima mused as Jirou leaned against the wall. Tonight had really knocked the wind out of her, leaving her exhausted just from trying to keep up with her friends as every little thing seemed to spiral out of control. And now, they were dealing with villains, again, because of course they were.

What else was new?

It was here that she felt something strange.

It felt as if her back was beginning to arch, the wall behind her inflating like a balloon as it pushed back against her. Kirishima and Bakugou seemed to notice too, Kirishima pausing mid-sentence as his brow creased in confusion.

All at once, the bulge in the wall grew at exponentially higher speeds, startling the teens. Something seemed to click in Bakugou's mind as the bulge began to break down, his eyes widening as the giant dome shape wrinkled and shook. The look of panic that flashed across his face had Jirou's stomach dropping to her boots.

In an instant, he was grabbing Jirou, yanking her into his arms and throwing them both into Kirishima's. "Kirishima, harden!"

POP!

It was a sound akin to a balloon popping, but loud like an explosion detonating directly in her ear. The world spun as Jirou felt her feet lift from the ground, locking into a ride she didn't remember getting on as she clung to the hardened form of her friend as they careened through the air. Glass breaking and walls crumbling were the last things she heard before everything became distant.

There was a ringing in her ears, the world silent for one terrifying moment. Kirishima had a death grip on her waist as they rolled across the ground, crashing through another wall as whatever they'd been thrown through crumbled around them. Something was clinging to her upper arm so tightly that she thought she might lose blood circulation, and it took her far too long to realize it was Bakugou's hand.

There was an impact as they hit the street, bouncing off with a tremendous thud, and it was then that sound returned to Jirou's world, car alarms blaring and people screaming as they ran for cover. Jirou found herself still trapped in Kirishima's arms as he reoriented himself, his ears bleeding even in his unbreakable form, which was only now beginning to wear off.

Bakugou fought to pull himself out of Kirishima's arms, trying to pul Jirou out with him and only succeeding when unbreakable was completely gone. Jirou stumbled on her feet, sound still a little too far away as she steadied herself. "How did you know that was about to happen?"

"Call it a hero's intuition." he said gruffly as Kirishima got to his feet. Bakugou smacked the back of his hand against the redhead's shoulder. "Good reflexes."

Even with his ears bleeding and scrapes on his body where unbreakable hadn't yet completely formed, Kirishima's face lit up.

The sound of motorcycles filled the air, and Jirou found her back against her classmates' as they were quickly surrounded by villains. She didn't know how many of them there were, but it seemed as if a crowd of dozens had suddenly formed right before her eyes.

"Man, I can't believe they ate the boss's quirk like that!"

"Must be trained in something, 'cause they sure don't look scared!"

"We don't have time for this!" Someone shouted. Another motorcycle appeared from the alleyway, a bald man with paper-white skin driving. "Those of you who want a fight, hold them back! The rest of you, follow me!"

With cries of excitement and malicious chant, at least half of the group were gone, leaving the rest to jeer and taunt the teenagers watching them in silence, warning glares murderous.

"I'm surprised any of them want to fight." Jirou thought aloud, twirling an earjack.

"They signed their death warrants." Bakugou growled, hands crackling.

Kirishima said nothing, simply slamming his hardened fists together as proof enough of the villains' mistake.

And then, before anyone could make a move, sirens were blasting through the air.

Like a speeding bullet, two police cars came tearing around the corner, red and blue flashing like beacons as the vehicles sped forward at top speed. Jirou realized in confused astonishment that the cars weren't slowing down, backpedaling out of the way as her classmates stood with her in the center of the road. The cars swerved, aiming for the left and right of them where the villains were realizing with terror that death was incoming.

There were shouts of fear, of revving motorbikes as some made a break for it. Some were simply too shocked to react, standing there and watching as death came barreling towards them.

Then, as the cars barely grazed their first victims, they disappeared in a puff of sparkling smoke.

"Having fun without us? Boo."

In the next moment, waves of wind and ice had the villains in a frenzied panic, some being thrown into the air while others were frozen to the ground. The one poor sod who managed to escape ran face-first into Bakugou's waiting explosive hand.

"Bastards!" the ash blonded shouted. "We had it under control!"

"Thanks, guys!" said Kirishima, just as he punched another runner in the gut. "We were good before, but we're even better off now!"

"The gang's all here!" a new voice shouted, and everyone was surprised to see Ashido marching up to meet them, Sero and Kaminari just behind her.

"Kami!" Jirou exclaimed. "How are you feeling?"

"Better now." he grinned. "I heard that big boom and got nervous, 'cause that's not what Blasty's explosions sound like, you know?"

Bakugou scoffed, but Jirou ignored him. "That doesn't answer my question."

"There's no time for questions!" Bakugou snapped. "The other cannon fodder are getting away! Baldy, Icyhot, Tape Face, and Raccoon Eyes, come with me after those guys! The rest of you either take care of things here or tell the heroes to get their acts together!"

"Right!"

Bakugou was taking off before anyone could even question him, giving the others only a moment to chase after him. They were gone before Jirou could blink, leaving her, Kaminari, Kirishima, and Camie to watch their retreating forms in the breeze they'd left behind.

"Dope." was all Camie said, pulling out her phone. "Should let Sensei know what's going down."

Jirou suddenly paled. "...Aizawa-sensei."

"Oof," Kaminari cringed. "Not looking forward to that conversation."

Kirishima grimaced. "So, who's making that call?"

"NOT IT!" Kaminari shouted. "I- Uh-... I- I'm going after them!"

"What?" Jirou asked incredulously. "And how do you plan on doing that?"

Kaminari hummed, looking around until his eyes landed on a motorcycle, lying on its side and free of the glacier that so many thugs were trying to claw themselves out of. "I'll drive there!" he declared, running over and lifting the bike onto its wheels.

"You? Drive?" Jirou questioned. "Can you drive?"

"Guess I'm about to find out!"

The keys still in the ignition, Kaminari revved the bike up, laughing at the way the engine roared to life. "This is so cool!"

"Dammit." Jirou sighed, marching up to him. "Scootch forward! I'm coming with you!"

"Really?!" Kaminari exclaimed. "Are you sure?"

"If you're dying tonight, I'd rather you not be alone."

She almost missed the sentimental look of awe on his face as she climbed onto the seat, forced to snuggle up against his back to hold on for dear life. "Kirishima, you're the one making the call! Camie, call someone to arrest these thugs!"

"Coolio." Camie drawled with a thumbs-up.

Kirishima was less than pleased with his designated job. "Guys, wait-!"

Kaminari hit the gas and they were off like a rocket, tires screeching as he sent it flying down the road. Jirou clung to him desperately as the bike felt like it was wobbling, even with Kaminari's surprisingly steady hands. The world seemed to buzz by them faster than Jirou could comprehend, the wind whipping her hair back and her earjacks flying into the wind. Her leather jacket billowed behind her like a cape.

The bike turned so sharply that she could have touched the asphalt beneath their feet, and for a moment, she opened her eyes against the wind. Lights flew by at speeds she couldn't fathom, Kaminari's hair flying behind him as he screamed into the wind. Even though she couldn't see his face, she'd never heard him sound so alive.

Her heart dropped when she saw more villains turning the corner, their own bikes roaring up next to them. "Wait, you're not-!"

Kaminari barely dodged when a villain tried to sideswipe him, making his bike wobble dangerously. The fact that he regained control was a miracle, but oncoming traffic was still a real danger as the villains attempted to box them in. Though Jirou's heart was in her throat, the world seemed to be in slow motion for Kaminari. Craning her neck to see his face, his eyes were filled with wonder, wide in amazement.

His mouth was agape in awe, before it shifted into a feral grin. "Hang on tight! I'm about to try something!"

"I don't like the sound of that!"

Jirou's shout was ignored as Kaminari raced through traffic. It felt as if they were about to scrape something or someone, sparks flying behind them as villains failed to follow through the weaving traffic. Ahead of them, a stoplight turned red as a truck came barreling in from the side.

"Hold on!"

Jirou screamed as Kaminari twisted the bike and leaned it down, so far that Jirou was sure she felt some leather scrape off of her arm as they slid under the bed of the truck. It felt like slow motion as Jirou stared up at the vehicle, but a moment later and they were through, Kaminari fighting to get control back as they flew over a hill and back onto the road.

"How did you even do that?!" Jirou screamed.

"Dude, I have no idea!" Kaminari wheezed. "This is amazing! I just found my calling, man!"

He squealed in delight as they raced across a bridge, the moon illuminating the water below. Its silver light shone against Kaminari's wispy blonde hair, and here, in this moment, clinging to an idiot, Jirou felt perfectly at peace. "We should do this again sometime!"

"What'd you say?"

BOOM!

Explosions rained down on the bridge as villains crowded it, trying to escape the fury of the heroes-in-training following after them. The blasts caught Kaminari by surprise, the bike wobbling so far that he felt it jerk to the side before he could do much to save it.

It slammed into the guardrail, sending its two occupants over the side and into the open air. Jirou screamed, clinging for purchase as Kaminari grabbed her, pulling her into his arms and clutching her against his chest. The wind whipped around them all over again, like a typhoon swallowing them up and leaving them suspended in the air.

It was a few moments later that Jirou dared to open her eyes, realizing with sudden clarity that they were floating.

"Are you guys alright?!" someone shouted, and the two looked up to find Yoarashi floating above them, staring down with his strange smile. "You came out of nowhere! It was so cool!"

"We're okay!" Kaminari called up as Jirou pulled herself out of his grip. "Thanks for saving us!"

Above them, up on the bridge, they could make out the sight of ash blonde, bright red eyes staring down at them with the intensity of a thousand suns before he disappeared altogether, another explosion rocking the bridge.

"Hey, more kiddos!" Jirou heard as she and Kaminari were lifted up to the bridge by Yoarashi's wind, and suddenly, Hawks was there to greet them. "That was quite the entrance! Good to see more of Eraserhead's infamous class back at it again."

"Hawks!" Kaminari exclaimed in surprise.

"We don't try to." Jirou huffed as more heroes crowded the bridge, grabbing villains left and right, both those that were already there fighting and those who had foolishly followed the pair back into the fray. There were places where the pavement bulged up, like small domes littering the roads.

"Don't step on those." Hawks warned. "One of the villains' quirks makes bubbles of condensed air that explode like landmines. Nasty things. Not sure what we're gonna do about them yet."

The pair only nodded along numbly, watching as the controlled chaos unfolded around them. Jirou recognized many of the heroes present, catching a glimpse of a classmate every once in a while fighting alongside the heroes in a minor, though large-scale, villain attack of some sort that just so happened to take place that very night.

As explosions rang out, as fire roared, as tape and acid shot out and the wind blew, Jirou couldn't help but wonder how her life came to this.

"You guys got the energy to help out?" Hawks asked. "This is definitely an all-hands-on-deck situation."

She wondered how her life came to this.

Kaminari smiled. "You got it, boss man! You in, Jirou?"

She wondered, and yet...

"Hell yeah."

She couldn't be happier.

Aizawa-sensei had not been a happy camper, but in their defense, one, they weren't after them, and two, none of them got hurt or kidnapped.

Kaminari said he was 'proud of Kacchan'. Bakugou nearly tossed him back off the bridge.

Apparently, these villains were a little bit more than just petty thugs. They'd been among dozens of villains who have been hired by an unknown source to kidnap children with powerful quirks, but this group in particular had failed to capture their target thanks to Ms. Joke, who happened to be off-duty and in the area. Because of this, they'd been desperate for money, so they'd turned to mugging. A mass mugging, if you will.

"That sounds kinda dumb." Jirou thought aloud. "That just makes them super obvious, like it did tonight. Were they really that desperate?"

The others agreed. Bakugou, meanwhile, had been quiet, a hand against his face and deep in thought. Kaminari leaned next to him. "What'cha thinking about, Kacchan?"

Bakugou's eyes narrowed. "Were these guys hired by the same guy as Burn Face and Putty Arms?"

"Who?" Kaminari blinked, but Bakugou didn't elaborate, an unsettled look in his eyes.

The night grew late as the heroes moved off of the rigged bridge, still covered in 'mines' as the villain, the bald guy and apparent leader of this operation, refused to remove them. The bridge had been cut off from the rest of the city, forcing civilians to travel elsewhere to reach their destinations. Here, back on the streets of Musutafu, the city was still alive, even barred off like this.

"So, all's well that ends well." Camie hummed, the nine of them in a circle after grabbing smoothies from a nearby cafe. Aizawa had been stubborn about it at first, but the promise of coffee had been too appealing at the time. "You guys rock."

"Camie and I have had a wonderful night!" Yoarashi shouted, slamming his head into the ground. "Thank you for inviting us on this excursion!"

"You're so welcome!" Ashido cheered. "This was so much fun, despite the villains!" She pumped her fist in the air. "Nobody can ruin our night!"

Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero copied her. Yoarashi did the same a moment later.

"Idiots." Bakugou grumbled into his smoothie. Todoroki, meanwhile, couldn't help the barest of smiles, which had Camie swooning.

And Jirou felt happy, if not exhausted. She couldn't imagine handling all of these guys by herself. How someone as high-strung as Bakugou did it was beyond her.

"Man, I'm sure tuckered out, though." Kaminari whined, stretching out as light sparks flew from his arms. With a yawn, he leaned against a telephone pole.

And it exploded.

The loud BZZZT! noise made everyone jump as they were suddenly plunged into darkness, the sounds of shouts and cries ringing in the distance as part of the city went completely dark. Heroes were on their feet in an instant, prepared for this to be another villain's plot or an opportunity that someone might take to commit crime. Aizawa-sensei, off to the side, looked about ready to drown himself, while the group of teens were staring and glaring at their electric friend.

"...Oops?" Kaminari said sheepishly.

And Jirou takes everything back. She hates it here.