"Nice…! Got outta talkin' about little old me by pushing Mount-Lady in front of a bus…!"

Izuku's thumbs hooked onto his belt straps as he followed after Mount-Lady. "I didn't do anything like that…" The streets were darkening and the lamps above preemptively switched on before the sun fell too low. "How was I supposed to know Woods was gonna upset her…?"

"But, it doesn't matter to you whether or not you knew it was gonna happen… It did… And it's on you because you are a coward…"

At this time, there would be an expectation of students and workers getting out of their respective responsibilities and heading home. However, it was quiet with the pathways near vacant of any traveler.

"If the streets were crowded, she would've called for the van…" The Heroine had ditched her mask and horns, holding them by their straps at her side.

He tilted his head to peer over her shoulder, noting the glow of a screen. "She's been on her phone since the attack… What has she been looking for…?" He heard something akin to a hiss from her as her thumb tapped away. "Mount-Lady was a big eye-catcher when she first debuted… She popped onto the news on occasion for an interview… Did a few commercials and was even on some dating show… So, scheduled appearances were normal, but the spontaneous public sightings practically disappeared… Until today…" His head teetered, "Suddenly, few and far between became the here and now…"

Izuku found his phone tucked between his waist and belt. The orbs on his visor widened before shrinking. Cracks had decorated the glass surface like malformed webbing. He pressed a button on the side before tapping on the screen.

"At least, it still works…" he thought.

The ol' Hero forums were still up as they almost always were. Due to his previous investigation, navigation to the chats pertaining to Mount-Lady was quick. The rooms dedicated to sightings and gossip were the most active, and so chaotic that one would think Mount-Lady died – or rather came back from it.

The previous posts were all about her string of appearances on TV or live-events. Now, it seemed like a very vocal part of her fan-base were frothing at the mouth as she appeared in-person. There was a flood of pictures that were just of her standing around or talking to police with perverse captions and comments. These were disturbing before, but now, they were bile-inducing as he felt static on his skin. Beyond that, were rumblings of questions, theories, and responses.

[Mount-Lady's patrolling again?!]

[Why was she patrolling with Kamui Woods!?]

[Who were those other three?]

[Kamui Woods has sidekicks?!]

[Mount-Lady has sidekicks!?]

[Who the hell was this jag-off in green?]

[Why was Mount-Lady wearing his gear?]

[Was he protecting her? That's so cute!]

[Are they together!?]

[No way! He's probably her sidekick. Kamui Woods on the other hand…]

[Mount-Lady dating her sidekick would be so hot…]

[I knew she'd be into younger guys.]

[Ugh, why him and not m—

"That's enough of that…" he thought as he ditched the forums and turned gossip—or rather news sites. He frowned in his helmet as he sifted through articles that matched the forum's thoughts, but with less pictures and crass. "All of this from just one patrol…?" His eyes drifted back to Mount—Takeyama. "And this is what she's been looking at all day…"

He looked back to articles before his eyes narrowed, "Hm… Shinso's and Ashido's caps are in this shot… My 'S' is in this one…" He pondered, "Shiketsu's media embargo is usually restricted to the surrounding city, but… Creating a faux controversy about a Pro-Hero dating a minor with their logo on them could seriously harm their reputation…" He nodded to himself. "They would definitely do something about this…"

"But, are you sure you want that…?" He offered, "More media attention like this shit is bound to catch Stain's attention… Bet that bastard would love to kill someone in the middle of their own controversy… I can imagine the shitface drooling over these…" His thumb hesitated over his cracked screen. "Let these stay up… And Stain will come… You get to be the Hero you want to be… right…?"

"Fuck…" Izuku looked up to see Takeyama raking a hand through her hair. Pass the falling locks, he could only partially see the side of her face, but all the same, the grimace aimed at her phone was evident enough.

Izuku's heart bubbled as the taste of something awful lingered on the back of his tongue. Then, he clenched his teeth and shook his head, taking a deep breath. There were two authority figures of Shiketsu saved on his phone. One was Dr. Yaritezawa to update her on her on his medical status – specifically, unusual things. "The accelerated healing thing probably counts… Later…" He shook his head and focused on the other, Mr. Abraham. "Who knew getting locked in the workshop after school would help me out now…"

-XXX-

Yu's heel tapped on the ground as the elevator climbed towards the office floor. Her intern was standing silently in the corner. "I can't believe people are going off like I'm dating a literal child…" She shook her head. "I have like a decade on him…!" She fumed, "God…! I'm making myself sound old…! I'm not that old – damn this bullshit…!"

She crossed her arms, turning to him. "Look, once we've landed you can get out of that costume and head home."

"Okay…" He was shuffling… suspiciously.

Her eyes narrowed, "What?"

"Nothing," he said.

"Whatever… Once this week's done, he'll be out of my hair… I'll get a big bonus from Shiketsu… Then everyone else finally will…" She clenched her fists. "Just a little bit longer, Yu… Maybe finally make a dent in that loan…"

The door dinged and slid open. "Alright, what's the damage?" Yu asked as she stepped into the office.

She flinched when Ichimoku rushed up to her, beaming. "Boss!" He laughed, "We actually have great news! Shiketsu emailed us."

"Shiketsu!?" Yu's stomach threatened to leap from her throat to straggle the man's smile away. "W-What—What do they want?"

"They want the articles to stop – they're gonna be reaching out for us."

Yu shook her head. "How is that a good thing?" Her arms waved as she spoke exaggeratedly. "We can't protect your student from gossip channels – we're completely out of our depth, please help!? Is that supposed to be a good look?"

Ichimoku was smart enough not to touch her. So, instead he mimed patting her shoulders to calm, and it totally worked – not causing her blood pressure to rise at all. "Shiketsu has a media embargo. They don't like their students getting harassed by paparazzi. So, they sure as hell ain't gonna allow one of them to be painted as an illegal lover." Blood pressure was dropping. "They're gonna release a complete tear-down on these guys. A denouncement from one of the most prestigious schools in the country is gonna make everyone producing this crap panic from the PR nightmare. Especially, when alumni start voicing their support and sick their fans on 'em."

He laughed, "All we gotta do is sign off on the joint statement, and a PR firm funded by Shiketsu will take care of the rest."

Yu deflated as she nearly stumbled back. "Are—are you serious?"

"Yeah! Come on! Look!" He waved his hand to follow him to his desk. Which was where other members of the desk team were huddled.

Her eyes nearly glazed over as they read the screen. "Holy shit…" Her palms landed on the table as her head drooped. "Thank god!"

"Congratulations, ma'am!" said Kaguya, clapping.

"This is some good luck – think we're finally off that shit streak," said someone which caused everyone else to loudly groan.

"Gross, man," was said.

"Don't ever say that again," warned another.

"Don't ever talk again," was added.

"Wow, they work fast…" he muttered.

Yu blinked for a moment before looking up from the computer and spotting her intern. "What?" The orbs widened as the rest of the team looked at him – like a deer in headlights.

"Huh?" echoed Ichimoku.

Kaguya tilted her head. "Um… Mr. Midoriya?"

He finally popped out of his stupor. "Oh! Uh… Would you look at the time! I need to get cha—AH!" In his effort to quickly rush off to a changing room, the boy smacked his shoulder against a door frame, sending himself to the ground. Then, before anyone could say anything, he sprung back up and continued his disappearing act. The door slammed shut before a muffled, "Sorry!" came through it.

Ichimoku crossed his arms, "Huh… That's a bit surprising."

"How so?" asked Kaguya.

A shrug followed, "Well… he's a teenager…" He looked to Yu. "I mean, no offense, but if this rumor stuck around till he got back into school, he'd be popular as hell." Both hero and co-worker stared at him. "At least, with some of the guys." He huffed, "Don't look at me like that. You know I'm right."

"Good to know that Ms. Takeyama's intern has better morals than you," said Kaguya with a flat look.

"One: teenage me," he corrected. "Two: I'm not responsible for that little shit."

"You're the same person."

"Are we?"

"Yes."

Yu chuckled before clapping her hands. "Alright, everyone!" Once she felt everyone's eyes on her, she said, "Let's wrap this up for tonight." She pointed at Ichimoku. "Get our part of that statement ready. I want you all bright-eyed tomorrow. Once Shiketsu's denouncement goes live, we're gonna get a lot of calls."

Ichimoku nodded, putting his hands on his face. "Meaning no late nights if you can. We need everyone awake for these. Responsive and clear – to the point." He turned, "Kaguya, think you can work up a script for everyone?"

"What happened to everyone going home?" said Yu.

"I'll be fine." Kaguya pumped her fist. "I can put that literature degree to work!"

Yu shook her head, offering, "We'll hash it out together – it's gonna partially be my statement too."

"Do you need any help?" asked Midoriya.

"Ah!" Ichimoku jumped, skipping away from the intern. "Where'd you come from?"

He blinked, "The, um… changing room?" His finger poked behind him. "It's, uh, down the hall?"

Ichimoku jutted out his jaw as he tilted his head. "Huh?" He walked over with wide-stance. "Are ya giving me lip, kid?"

Midoriya blinked, "…" He shook his head, looking befuddled. "Giving you what?"

Yu's hand lightly smacked against the man's face. "Enough." She rolled her eyes as her hand dropped to her hip. "He doesn't get your dumb jokes or whatever that was." She took a breath, looking at her intern. "And you've done more than enough, Midoriya." She stepped towards the elevator, waving her hand. "Come on, I can't leave the agency yet, but I'll walk you to the door at least."

"T-Thanks," muttered Midoriya.

The workers of the agency dispersed – some getting ready to go home while others prepped for the brainstorming session that was going to ensue upon Yu's return. A ding rang from above as the doors slid open before she and Midoriya stepped in. Another ding followed before it started to descend.

Midoriya took his cap off, fiddling with it. "I… hope I didn't overstep."

She turned, humming, "Hm?" She chuckled, "Nah." She shrugged, "I only wish you told me that you contacted them. I wouldn't have been so stressed out."

"Sorry," he said.

She waved her hand. "Don't apologize."

"I… I didn't realize how much just… patrolling with someone meant…" he muttered.

"It means nothing – seriously," countered Yu. "It's all these other people that try to make it mean something." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I guess my only advice is… ignore them. It's probably the best thing you can do, on most days."

The door dinged open as Midoriya lowered his head. "Is… patrolling with me going to cause you more trouble?"

"Kid…" She rolled her eyes before reaching over to rake through his hair wildly.

"H-Hey!" he whined as he stumbled back.

"I said it's fine and I mean what I say." Yu crossed her arms. "Nothing about what they're doing has anything to do with you, specifically." She shrugged, "And, hell, if you're really that worried, stick around. Now that I'm swept up in the media consciousness again, I'm bound to get swarmed next time I patrol." She raised her shoulders, cooing, "I could use someone who has my back~."

Something washed over his face, making her smile falter for a moment. "Guilt…?"

He shook his head before raising it. "Right…" He nodded, "I'll have your back."

She huffed, "Well, thanks." She walked over to the front door, opening it. "Good night, kid."

Midoriya stepped through. "Good night, Ms. Takeyama."

Yu stared at his departing form. "Hate the 'Ms', but that's progress, I guess…" She stepped and turned back into her agency, disappearing back into the elevator.

-XXX-

"If anything, we know that Midoriya doesn't want to talk about it," said Shinso.

Mina descended from the train platform, taking her cap off. The sky above was painted in bleeding wafts of violets and blues; contrasted with the burst of orange that faded towards the horizon, chasing after the setting sun. "If it weren't for all these lights, I might've actually seen some stars…"

"Yeah… I know." Mina had replied. "I'm worried about Mount-Lady too… She was acting all funky after the fight, and then after what Mr. Woods said…"

She walked down the sidewalk, noting the rare passerby. In her pocket, her hand was bound around her phone. "Just in case…," she thought. Acid was great for defense; not so nice on cloth. So, once she was sure that she recognized where she was, she briskly strolled down the path. Memorizing the way to the Midoriyas' was one of the first things she did during this internship. There was a turn here, another there, and this one was around a street lamp that she 'needed' to grasp in order to make that sharp turn.

"Everyone has their… stuff." Shinso shrugged. "If Mount-Lady trusts us enough, maybe she'll talk to us about it. Something for Midoriya." He let out a breath. "So, stop trying to meddle and just… be their friend or… have their back." He closed his locker. "Like what you guys were for me."

Mina blinked when she came upon the back of one wandering Midoriya. "A not-so-rare find…," she thought. Her pace slowed to cautious steps as she quickly closed the gap between them. Then a breath was sucked into her lungs before she rushed forward, leaping towards his back. "HEY, MIDORI!" she cried as she thwacked his back with a slap.

"AH!" His phone leapt from his hands. He swiped and swiped at it, knocking into the air once, twice – before catching it. "A-Ashido!" He frowned at her laughing face. "That isn't funny."

"S-Sorry…" She wiped a tear from her cheek. "Your phone, okay?" She blinked, "Woah, it's all cracked…"

Midoriya shrugged, "Yeah, probably got that way from the fight earlier today. But, hey, it still works, so it's no big deal."

"Hm… if you say so." As they started to walk, Mina tilted her head. "What do you think's for dinner?"

"Not really sure," he said.

Her head teetered, "Hey, Midori… I got a question for you…"

His knuckles slightly whitened as his shoulders raised slightly. "Hm?"

She forced her frown down, asking, "What else do you do other than all this inventing stuff?"

"Uh… um…" His face contorted as if painfully raking through his hall of memories. "Exercising?"

"That's it?" She thought for a moment. "Wait, didn't you used to study Quirks or something?"

Midoriya chuckled, scratching his cheek. "Study… That's a nice way of saying it…"

"Well, weren't ya gonna write a page on mine?" Mina raised her head, framing her chin with her index and thumb. "Got any impressions? How awesome it is? How splashy it is?"

He hummed, "It is a pretty amazing Quirk." His hand rubbed his chin. "Plastics are usually non-reactive to acid – considering they're meant to be a storing material like glass. But, then again, that woman's hair looked like plastic, but maybe it doesn't hold the same properties." He concluded, "So, maybe stronger than expected but definitely more reactive than expected… I mean just a small amount of baking soda can render a large quantity completely neutral – safe to touch. It makes me wonder about how it reacts to other conditions like heat or cold…"

"What, you want to do an experiment or something?" she asked.

Midoriya stared at her. "…" He blinked – like one at a time for some reason. "Can I?"

Her eyes narrowed for a moment before cautiously. "Uh, sure?"

His eyes wandered for a moment before narrowing and widening; mouthing something. His gaze met hers. "We need glass," he muttered. And then, he just… walked away.

"M-Midori?" Mina blinked before slowly following him. "Midoriya?"

-X-

"We have glass cups…" he muttered as he climbed to reach a higher cabinet.

"Probably?" murmured Mina as she stood near the entrance to the kitchen. "Okay, what's the plan here?"

Midoriya hopped down with two glass cups, placing them upon the counter that separated the kitchen and the living room. "I need you to put highly acidic acid in one cup and then weak acid into another."

"Okay?"

"We'll refer to the highly-acidic as just acid and the weak one as base." He walked over to the stove, taking out a frying pan. "To test heat, I'll just pour the acid into a searing hot pan—"

Mina held up her hand. "Midoriya, if it doesn't do anything, it'll just melt through the pan and stove."

Midoriya blinked, tapping his chin for a moment. "Oh, uh…" He dropped down and opened a cabinet below the counter. "Hang on!" There was a clang and a shuffle before he laughed. "Ah! Ah-ha!" He popped back up, holding a—"Casserole dish! Glass and oven safe." He placed a dish down before moving over to the oven settings. "Pour acid in and let it sit at three-fifty for ten minutes." The oven dinged alive. "Then, uh…" He wandered to the other side of the kitchen and picked out a bag of baking soda. "Neutralize it and pour whatever is left in a plastic bag." He shrugged, "Repeat for base."

Mina blinked, taking a breath. "Wow… You came up with that fast." She scratched her cheek. "What's your mom gonna exactly think when she sees us doing this?" Her eyes widened for a moment before looking around. "Actually, where is your mom?"

Midoriya shrugged, "Must be working late."

"That happen a lot?" she asked.

"Sometimes."

Mina walked over to the counter and started to fill them up. "So, are we doing both, uh, heat tests at the same time?"

"Heat's a bit messy when it comes to tests. We should probably do it one at a time," he said.

"Okay. So, how do we test my acid's reaction to the cold?"

Midoriya put his hands on his hips. "Whatever is left over in the cups, we'll just put it in the freezer for ten minutes and see what happens."

"Alright." She shook her head. "I guess I asked for this." She blinked before putting a hand on her hip. "We don't have to just sit and watch the oven, right?"

-XXX-

They did – or rather, Izuku while Ashido watched TV at his insistence. He didn't expect anyone else to be completely glued to this test. It kinda reminded him of his childhood… not the acid bit, but sitting in front of the oven and watching whatever was inside. "Watching acid boil is definitely something I've never done before…" He chuckled to himself before looking over at Ashido who sat upon the couch, watching something. "Acid… boil…" He blinked, "Acidic fumes…"

Izuku looked forward and peered through the oven's glass window again. Suddenly, the blue-ish gray sludge disappeared into a cloud of vapor. "I didn't think this through…" He stood before walking out of the kitchen. "Ashido, can you turn on the fan?"

Slightly distracted by the TV, she frowned as she went for the fan's switch. "You shouldn't sit so close to the oven if you're gonna get that hot."

He pulled a standing fan from a closet before bringing it towards the kitchen. "I'll be more careful!" He plugged it in and switched it on before grabbing oven-mitts and taking a towel to his mouth and nose. After cracking open a window, he crouched before the oven, reaching up to grab the oven's handle. "Three… two…" He cracked open the oven and shut his eyes as the vapor rose. Soon, it was carried away by the fan and towards the window.

But, an… odor caught his nose, causing him to gag and cough. He spluttered before pushing onto his feet.

"Ugh, what is that smell!?" cried Ashido.

Izuku shook his head, trying to fight off the scent. "It smells like sweat?"

She stepped into the kitchen. "Oh my god! It smells like an old gym locker."

"It's your acid!" He hacked, "It evaporates under a consistent high temperature."

"Wait, what!?" Ashido gasped, "Is it like acidic gas!?"

Izuku waved his hand, "I'd be coughing up blood if that were the case." He gagged, "The only danger here is that smell…" His phone buzzed, so he pulled it out of his pocket before his eyes widened at the screen. "Oh… god…" He slammed his phone down. "Ashido! We need bleach! My mom's on her way!" He fought through hacks and teary eyes. "We need to cleanse this unholy place!" He pointed down the hall. "To the pantry!"

Ashido couldn't help but laugh, almost incredulously, as she followed him out. "This was so stupid!"

-\XXX/-

AN: Fantasy acid~... It doesn't work how acid actually works, but that's what we're rolling with. Cause its more fun. Ashido's acid is gonna be kin to Deathstroke's promethium. I guess... I don't if that's like a deep cut reference sorta thing. I learned it from Death Battle.

Anyway, thank you for reading and criticize away!

Update Window: October 20th - 30th

Intended Due Date: October 20th - 25th