Izuku blinked slowly, propping his chin up on his hand as he rested his elbow on the slightly sticky table as he watched a slightly sheepish Shouta. "How," he began slowly, "Did we even get here." He paused. "Actually, scratch that. How did Nemuri have clothes that fit me? I only met her for a few hours. Once ."

"I've found it's better to not ask those sorts of questions," Shouta said drily. "She might actually answer at some point, and I'd rather not be horrified." He slowly dragged his eyes down what he could see of Izuku, gaze heated. "Besides, you look good."

Izuku flushed and ducked his head slightly, but he couldn't help his small smile. Nemuri had taken 'I don't go out like that' as a challenge , and now Izuku was in the tightest pair of jeans he'd ever worn, tucked into his own scuffed up pair of boots, and a long sleeved v-necked shirt that Shouta very much appreciated, going by the long looks he kept giving Izuku's neck. And the slowly fading mark he'd left there. The look Shouta had given him when Nemuri had shoved him out of the bedroom had been the only reason he'd agreed to wear the outfit at all.

"Well," he said after a moment, "They put in the work to get us here. Do you want to dance?" Shouta shook his head. "No, I'm not much of a dancer."

"Suit yourself," Izuku said easily. "I'm going to go see if Hizashi or Nemuri will dance with me." Izuku might not go out often, but he did enjoy dancing on the rare occasions Hitoshi had gotten him to a bar or club. The two of them were busy dancing up a storm in a crowd of admirers, but Tensei was more than happy to roll himself onto the dance floor and let Izuku dance around him, and Izuku laughed and grabbed his hands and danced with him. After a while, Tensei drew back with a slightly regretful smile, nodding over Izuku's shoulder. Turning, he was surprised to see Shouta standing there.

"I changed my mind," he said when Izuku raised an eyebrow at him. "I'd like to dance with you."

Izuku couldn't help his surprised smile, but he still searched Shouta's expression. There was something...off, about his posture, his expression maybe. Something just wasn't quite right. "Are you sure?" He asked, stepping closer so they didn't have to shout and half turning at the same time to wave at Tensei when the other man started to make his way through the crowd back to his

table.

"I'm sure," Shouta said, stepping forward and settling his hands on Izuku's hips. Tugging Izuku closer, he dipped his head down and kissed him hard.

Shifting and adjusting the angle so it wasn't quite so severe, Izuku reached up and smoothed his hands over Shouta's shoulders, sliding just a bit closer still and gentling the kiss. "Why don't you and I go outside and get some air," he suggested softly once the kiss broke.

"You don't want to dance with me?" Shouta asked, something flickering over his face too quickly for Izuku to catch.

Something told Izuku that he had to be careful here. "I do," he answered slowly. "I absolutely want to dance with you, but I don't think you want to dance at all." And the last thing Izuku wanted to do was make Shouta do something he wasn't interested in.

After a few moments of silence, a tension Izuku hadn't consciously noticed released and the line of Shouta's shoulders softened into something more familiar. "You're right," he agreed. "I didn't want to dance." He leaned down and dragged his lips over the exposed line of Izuku's throat, making his breath catch. "But I'm more open to it now."

That strange, not quite anger that had been banked in Shouta's eyes was gone, and his shoulders relaxed so Izuku smiled at him and said, "I'm always happy to dance with you." But Izuku and Tensei had been in the middle of a crush of people, so he grabbed Shouta's hand and maneuvered them through the mass of bodies until they hit the edge of the dance floor, which was far less populated. But before Shouta could do anything other than smile at him affectionately, a blur of color slid by Izuku, making him back off automatically, and nearly slammed into Shouta.

"Sho!" Fukukado Emi grinned up at him, her normal orange bandana in place over her green hair. "I haven't seen you in forever ! How are we supposed to get married if I only see you once every three months?" She demanded before laughing loudly.

Izuku couldn't help the way his eyebrow twitched slightly, but he took a low, slow breath in and then out. He had never had many boyfriends, but he'd never been the type to be bothered by them spending time with their friends. The problem was that Hizashi, Nemuri and Tensei tossing themselves all over Shouta was one thing-something Izuku could ignore and even laugh about-, but a former girlfriend was a whole different issue. An issue currently clinging to a clearly irritated Shouta's arm as she started to lead him off. Shouta was obviously used to this sort of behavior as he just sighed and slumped down, looking resigned to being dragged off.

Not happening. Izuku quickly slid in front of them, offering Fukukado a sunny smile that had her blinking rapidly. "Sorry," he said cheerily as he snagged Shouta from her suddenly lax grip, slipping his hand into Shouta's. "I can't have you running off with my boyfriend-what will people think?" He joked-but not really. He had less than zero interest in listening to people like Bakugou or Nite-Lite use that as ammunition in their arsenal.

"Boyfriend," she repeated, her voice a little bit flat. "I...didn't realize that rumor was true." There was something hurt in her gaze when she looked at Shouta, and if Izuku was a better person he would feel sorry for her.

"Don't look at me like that," Shouta said, careful to keep his voice low even though his anger was obvious. "I've told you for years that I will not get back together with you. I've made myself very clear, so you have no reason to be hurt."

"You're right of course," she murmured, and the way her shoulders slumped and her voice wavered would have hurt Izuku. If he hadn't seen the way her gaze flicked up, just slightly, to see if they were buying was she was selling.

A quick glance at Shouta had shown that he'd seen it too, and wasn't surprised in the least by it.

"You can stop that at any point." Shouta's voice was sharp. "Neither of us are falling for it."

"Forgive me," Fukukado murmured with a small sneer, "For thinking that your boy toy might have a heart."

Izuku could feel the way Shouta's muscles tensed in anger, and the last thing either of them needed right now was a scene that made Shouta look bad-especially when it came to Fukukado, when so many people still remembered how their relationship ended. "I'm flattered you think I'm pretty enough to be a boy toy," Izuku said, fluttering his lashes up at Shouta playfully. Shouta's lips curved into a reluctantly amused smile, and Izuku felt like cheering. Crisis averted!

"You're gorgeous," Fukukado said, perfectly calm as she smiled at them. Izuku could feel his good mood evaporating as goosebumps raised on his arms. "But you'd better be careful, being around Shouta." Her smile widened and turned mocking. "After all, he's so jealous he couldn't even let you dance with one of his best friends without interfering."

Shouta's grip on Izuku's hand tightened to an almost painful extent, and Izuku considered his expression when he'd cut in while Izuku had been dancing with Tensei. And he considered the conversation they'd just had a few nights ago regarding Shouta being a bit jealous over how much Izuku talked with Tensei. "Ah," he said, patting Shouta's arm sympathetically with his free hand. Shouta absolutely did not like to talk about it when he was jealous, and having Fukukado bring it up so boldly definitely didn't help matters.

"Doesn't that bother you?" She demanded, slightly incredulous as she watched Shouta's jaw slowly unclench as the green haired man leaned into him slightly.

Izuku arched an eyebrow. "I mean this in the nicest way possible, and with all due respect." Which was none at this point, in Izuku's opinion. "But that's none of your business."

Shouta snorted a little bit when her jaw dropped in shock. "Izuku's right," he agreed. "Our relationship is none of your business Emi. Excuse us," he added, taking advantage of her shocked state to guide Izuku to the door. It was time for that air Izuku's had suggested earlier.

"Well, that was an experience," Izuku murmured, leaning against the wall and enjoying the cooler air outside of the building.

Shouta grimaced slightly. "I'm sorry you got caught up in that."

Hesitating briefly, Izuku finally asked the question that had been bothering him since he'd intercepted the two of them. "Were you really just going to let her drag you off?"

"I was," Shouta admitted quietly. "If I don't just let her do what she wants, she makes a scene and it's exhausting." He looked at Izuku a little closer, surprised by the edge to his voice. "I...didn't realize it would bother you, I'm sorry."

Izuku tipped his head back against the wall, fighting to keep his lips in a neutral line instead of scowling like he wanted to. He didn't think of himself as an overly jealous person, but watching Shouta walking off with his ex without a single sign of protest had hit every button Izuku had. "It bothered me," he agreed when he was sure he could speak without snapping. "I can understand not wanting her to cause a scene, but letting her drag you away from the person you're dating without even mentioning it was a little much."

Drifting a little closer, Shouta watched Izuku's carefully placid expression closely. "I've gotten so used to her dragging me away from Hizashi and Tensei that I've gotten used to it. I'm sorry," he

repeated.

Izuku finally cracked a smile, much to Shouta's relief. "Not Nemuri?"

Shouta let out a small huff of laughter. "Nemuri would eat Emi alive if she tried to drag me away from her."

Izuku's smile widened at the mental image that left him with, before fading slightly. "Do we need to talk about my dancing with Tensei?" He asked gently.

"No," Shouta frowned. "I hate to admit it, but Emi was right about that. I was being unreasonable and overly jealous. I'm sorry about that too."

"I probably should have remembered that you had already mentioned you were a little jealous of how often he and I were talking," Izuku pointed out.

Lifting one shoulder in a half shrug, Shouta took a spot right next to Izuku on the wall, close enough Izuku could feel the warmth of him. "It wouldn't be fair on you to expect you to not dance with a friend-especially after I already told you I didn't want to- just because I'm being unreasonable. I'm not the kind of man that expects you to stay right beside me at all times-I would never want to be that kind of man."

Before Izuku could say anything to that-was there anything he could say?-Nemuri's head popped out the door, and once her gaze focused in on the two of them she let out an exasperated noise. "You two really are perfect for each other," she muttered. "Out here talking instead of dancing or drinking." She jerked her head. "C'mon, Hizashi is telling everyone stories about Nedzu."

Izuku met Shouta's gaze for a moment, mirth dancing in his eyes. "There's no way he tells any of those stories the right way," Izuku decided, pleased when he watched Shouta's mouth curve into a small smirk. "Wanna go show him how it's done?" He held out a hand, and grinned when Shouta took it without hesitation.

A few drinks in, Izuku was pleasantly buzzed as he and Shouta headed home. Buzzed enough that when Fukukado slid out of the shadows, eyes focused on Shouta-surprisingly well hidden, even with her bright hair and bandana-he shifted and shouldered past her as gently as he could. "Sorry, this one's mine. Find your own."

Shouta crowded Izuku against the door and smirked at him once they'd entered the apartment. "I'm yours?"

Izuku arched an eyebrow at him. "If I'm yours, you're mine." His lips curved into a playful little smile as he slid around Shouta. "Until you decide otherwise."

Shouta couldn't help his surprised laugh as he followed Izuku into the kitchen. Catching the slight wince as Izuku moved his shoulder in just the wrong way as he reached into the fridge for a bottle of water, he asked, "I know you have plans for Bakugou, but what about Nite-Lite?" The plans for Bakugou were extensive, to say the least, so he was curious if he was plotting about Nite-Lite in the same way. Especially now, after everything she'd done.

Turning to face him, Izuku frowned slightly. "Up until the point she decided it was a good idea to physically hurt me, I hadn't really planned anything, per se. It was more of a case of giving her enough rope to hang herself-the more vocal and public she was about harassing me, the more ammunition she was giving me to take to the Commission." Izuku waved his hands in the air in irritation, barely managing to stop his water from spilling over the top of the water bottle as he

gestured. "If she had been as smart as she thinks she is, she would have stopped before now. I would have let it go, you know? Hormones can make us do stupid things, even when we're out of puberty." If she had stopped when Shouta had told her to, Izuku was almost certain that they both would have...not forgiven it, necessarily, but accepted the fact that Bakugou was the bigger problem. They could have let it go.

"Well, I guess she could have had your forgiveness and then I could have terrorized her into retirement," Shouta mused.

Izuku paused. "I would literally pay to see you terrorize her into retirement at this point," he admitted with a laugh. "But seriously, I haven't planned anything for her yet, but she has no one to blame but herself for the fact that we've reached the point that I'm going to have to brainstorm with Nedzu about it."

If she hadn't brought it on herself, Shouta would actually feel a little bit sympathetic about Izuku and Nedzu both going after Nite-Lite. But as it stood currently, all he felt was a vicious sense of satisfaction. "Good, I'm glad you're going to make plans for her too."

Eying Shouta with a little smirk, Izuku told him, "You can still terrorize her to your hearts content."

Shoua grinned. "Perfect."

Going into work the next day was pretty perfect as well, once Izuku realized that Nite-Lite was nowhere to be found. Hideo beckoned from his office, and Izuku bit back a sigh. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but you and I have been spending way too much time together recently," Izuku grumbled as he dropped into the chair in front of Hideo's desk.

"No offense taken, I agree with you," Hideo said drily as he leaned against his desk. "So, I've suspended Nite-Lite. I think you're aware, by this point, that I've been trying to keep an eye on her." He smiled faintly at Izuku's nod. "I don't think it's good for you, the other Heroes, or the Agency itself to keep her here any longer."

Izuku leaned forward. "Are you firing her, or are you transferring her?" He asked curiously.

Nodding in approval, Hideo told him, "I'm transferring her to an Agency in Tokyo. I'm couching it as temporary to her, but I'm looking to make it a permanent move. She's damaged her reputation too much with the Underground Heroes here in Musutafu to stay."

"That makes sense," Izuku said quietly, a sense of relief washing over him. "And transferring her away from Bakugou can only be good for her, really." Neither of them wanted to risk pushing her off the final ledge by firing her-this was the best option they had at this point to get her away from Izuku and Bakugou both.

"Agreed," Hideo said shortly. "She was always a little off, but never like this." He sighed, dragging a hand over his face. "At least, not that I saw. But none of our previous analysts liked her-they never said anything to me, even after they quit, but now I have to wonder if she was doing the same things to them and they were just quiet about it."

Izuku smiled wryly. "I probably would have stayed quiet about it too if it wasn't for Eraserhead."

"Shut up, I don't need anything else to be grateful for when it comes to him," Hideo grumbled, waving Izuku off to work.

Izuku went cheerfully, completely zen despite the whispers and Sonic's resentful glare following him around. X-Ray glared everything into submission- especially Sonic-and dropped into the chair

Izuku kept at the side of his desk for extra files. "I take one day off and these fuckers let Nite-Lite draw fucking blood. Useless," he bit out, looking furious.

All Izuku could do was offer a faint smile and shrug, and some empty platitudes. "I don't think they expected her to get physical with me."

"So they thought letting her verbally harass you was just fine?" X-Ray asked incredulously, managing to look even more furious than he'd started out.

Izuku hid a wince. He was not very good at de-escalating, especially when someone was mad for him rather than at him. "I've got nothing," he admitted. "I guess they thought the protection you had offered only counted when you were here." That had been the hard part to swallow. X-Ray had said they'd all have his back, but when push came to shove and X-Ray was gone, it had proven that he was the only one who had Izuku's back when it came to Nite-Lite.

"Apparently." X-Ray sighed, slumping down in the chair. "I feel like I let you down," he admitted.

"You haven't," Izuku said firmly. "You've done your best. You expected other people to keep it up while you were gone, and the fact that they didn't isn't on you. It's on them."

X-Ray offered a slightly amused smile, his exhaustion etched in the lines around his eyes. "You give a pretty good pep talk.

Izuku snorted. "I try," he deadpanned, before shooing X-Ray off so he could get some work done. There was a large takedown of a group of villains running drugs and girls coming up soon-it was a large enough group that the Underground Heroes and Limelight Heroes were teaming up for it, and it was all hands on deck with the analysts to try and figure out the best way to keep all of the Heroes safe.

He was actually pretty pleased with the analysis he'd been assigned-he was to analyze video clips they'd received of the villains and figure out what their Quirks were, likely limitations and uses, and then he was to pass that one to the other analyst working on the case so they could figure out the best assignment for the Heroes participating in the takedown.

Of course, like most things in life, it wasn't quite so cut and dry. Izuku and the other analyst, a bubbly blonde named Sakura, bounced ideas off of each other frequently and when one was stuck the other was more than willing to take a look.

Humming cheerfully, perfectly pleased with how things were going currently, Izuku threw himself headfirst into his work.