"Ready to meet Sir?" Mirio charged ahead and entered the agency. I nodded hesitantly, entering after him. What type of hero was Sir? Redemption was a loudmouth that helped anyone and everyone, no matter who they were, while looking like he could kill them. We walked up the two flights of stairs and down a long thin hall to a door with a brass nameplate: Sir Nighteye. Mirio knocked once before opening the door and entering. "Morning, Sir! I've brought that friend with me." I followed behind Mirio and stood beside the door, my case in front of me. My hands grasped the handle tightly, and I had to keep my shoulders down. Sir's office was covered from floor to ceiling in All Might merchandise. Katsuki and Midoriya would love to see this.

Sir Nighteye briefly paused his typing on the silver laptop in front of him to stare at me through the top of his glasses before returning to his work. "That's your friend?" His hair never moved – the green and yellow strands had been gelled down.

I quickly bowed at the waist, "it's nice to meet you, Sir Nighteye. I'm Makoto Satoshi – Quantum Hero: Polaris." I raised my head after a moment; Sir had his hand extended out while he continued to type away with the other. I quickly straightened myself, opened my bag, and pulled out the paperwork, crossing the room to hand them to Sir. Sir's hand brushed mine as he took the forms, his eyes locked. He paused and looked over me once more before closing his laptop. I stiffened. My shoulders began to creep towards my earlobes. Had I done something wrong already? Sir sat back, opened his desk drawer and pulled out his seal, stamping the forms.

"Wow! Welcome to the agency Makoto!" Mirio beamed, slapping me on the back. Even his congratulatory palming hurt.

"Mirio, please give us a moment." Sir kept his gaze on me as Mirio left, closing the door behind him. I stayed awkwardly standing in front of Sir's desk. "You don't have a singular funny bone in your body. Everyone here understands and appreciates a good joke. We all know how to have a laugh."

What? I gripped my case tighter. "Why accept me as a work-study student if I don't fit your agency?" What did laughing have to do with becoming a hero? Sure, All Might had his signature smile – but that was part of who he was.

Sir spun his seal between his fingers, moving it knuckle by knuckle. "Did Mirio advise you of my quirk?" I shook my head. "My quirk is foresight; I can see every move you will make in the future. The farther into the future I look, the grainier it gets. You are supposed to be here for some reason, and I can't change that. However, your quirk is a perfect fit for a case we're working on. Have Mirio show you around, change, and then come back here to be briefed."

I nodded. "Thank you, Sir Nighteye."

"Just call me Sir." He scoffed, opening the computer again. Just what had Sir seen with his foresight – and how far in the future had he seen?

"Thank you again, Sir." I exited his office, Mirio whistling with his hands behind his back.

"Ready for that tour?" Mirio smiled, giving me a thumbs up. He had totally been eavesdropping. I nodded, following him through the agency. He showed me the sleeping quarters, training rooms, and offices and introduced me to the only other two employees: Centipeder and Bubble Girl. I took one of the empty rooms over and changed into my suit. Power Loader had completed my request to take it in, and it was back to being snug. Now that Akari was no longer going to be a hero who I worked in tandem with – maybe I should look into changing my suit. I sat down on the bed and texted Katsuki. I tied my boots into place and put my phone into the built-in pocket in my leg. I made my way back to Sir's office – Mirio had also changed into his costume. Sir had closed his laptop once again; a few files opened on his desk. He motioned me to come closer. I approached his desk, standing beside Mirio. A photo of a man with tousled brown hair wearing a red and gold plague mask sat pinned to the folder. Sir explained that the man in the photo was the head of the yakuza group Shie Hassaikai, Kai Chisaki, and that they had recently met up with the League of Villains. A chill shot through me. I could run into not only Akari – but my Mother too.

[B&M]

I pouted, holding the ice to my cheek as I opened the door to our dormitory. "Welcome back, Makoto – how was it?" I couldn't tell them everything – not with Sir stressing how secret this mission was. I had spent all day yesterday on patrol with Lemillion, Mirio, in public and then on my own at night, infiltrating some of their suspected bases. Sure, Mirio's quirk appeared to have a similar function – but he would lose all his senses when moving through matter. My own senses remained but were spread across more space, allowing me to take in more information. I turned, closing the door behind me. Uraraka sat with Midoriya and Kaminari on the sofa. Hado had recommended both Tsu and Uraraka to intern with her at Ryukyu's as well, but they had yet to start. She smiled at me before noticing the ice and my swollen cheek. "Are you okay?" Katsuki sat at a table, his hand pressed against his cheek as he studied. I watched as he stiffened and shifted his gaze to meet mine.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. I didn't break myself down fast enough when we were training earlier. It was good, though." I smiled, "How was class yesterday?"

Midoriya hung his head. "You two are so lucky to be recommended already. Aizawa and the school are only allowing experienced heroes to take us on for work studies."

"It sucks, man." Kaminari groaned, "unless we got a lot of offers at the Sports Festival, we're shit out of luck. Only people worse off than us are those who didn't get their license. Right, Bakugo?"

Katsuki slammed his books shut and stood up from the table. "Mind your own damn business Sparky." His gaze caught mine before he stalked over to the elevators. I quickly excused myself to change and entered the elevator with Katsuki. Once the doors closed, Katsuki slipped my duffle off my shoulder and onto his while pressing the button for his floor. Right. I had gone into the elevator for the men's side. I stiffened. This was the first time I would be going to Katsuki's room after we kissed. I like you, Makoto. I kept my face forward as I felt my cheeks burn. "Who did that?" He motioned with his head to the ice.

"Oh-uh. Centipeder. He's one of Sir Nighteye's sidekicks. We were working on how fast I could break down and reform while he attacked me." I turned to Katsuki. His jaw had dropped.

"S-Sir Nighteye?" Katsuki stammered. I nodded, biting my lip. "He was the only sidekick All Might ever had." The elevator dinged on his floor. We walked past Shoji's and Kirishima's rooms.

"Really? That actually makes a lot of sense." I mused, hesitantly entering Katsuki's room after him. He closed the door behind me and set my duffle down on his desk with his books. The All Might poster displayed above his desk. "How did your first licensing class with Todoroki go today?" I sat down on the edge of his bed, my hand tightening on the ice.

Katsuki knelt in front of me, taking the ice from me. "Boring – nothing but textbook crap. This is still bruising. Do they know…?"

I shook my head. My hands gripped onto my blazer. "It's just a bump – it'll heal in no time."

"This time is just a bump," Katsuki stressed, his eye twitching slightly. He took in a breath, closed his eyes, and sighed.

"I'm fine," I stressed. "It's just a bruise." Sir had told me late last night when I returned from scouting that the visions he saw were of me training at his agency, working on building my defence. Why I was working on my defence with him and Centipeder – I did not know. Neither of them had experience with Sirius or Milky Way before, how was I going to learn from them? I should give Redemption a call later – see if he knew of any connection to them and Sirius.

Katsuki rested his head on his shoulder and stared down at my hand that I had burnt. "When do you go back?"

"Saturday." Katsuki frowned as his eyes glanced over the rest of my body. I held my breath. Why was he eyeing me like that?

"Want to watch a movie?" He stood after I nodded and got his laptop. He set it on the chair and rolled it over, opening Netflix while I changed out of my uniform and into pyjamas in his bathroom. We settled on a new release. I scooted back on Katsuki's bed until my back hit the wall. He sat down beside me, our hips touching. We were both stiff as we sat beside each other. We had kissed, confessed, and now I had no idea how to act. When Akari dated Honenuki, she practically hung off him and was constantly kissing him. Was that what Katsuki expected of a relationship as well? I bit my lip. I could not see myself acting like that – ever.

We watched the film in silence until I spoke. "So, what are we?" I bit the inside of my cheek as I felt Katsuki stiffen beside me.

"I-I'd like to be your boyfriend." My heart hammered in my chest. Boyfriend? I turned to look up at Katsuki. He was staring at the screen; lips pulled into a thin line with a touch of colour in his cheeks. Was he, Katsuki Bakugo, nervous?

"I-I'd like that," I spoke, watching him swallow. His Adam's apple bobbing. Katsuki's phone began to ring. He groaned, pulling it out of his pocket. Kirishima making a very unattractive face lit up the screen.

Katsuki swiped to answer it. "What do you want?" He reached over with his free hand and intertwined his fingers with mine. I tucked my face into my shoulder. I could hear Kirishima yell into his phone that he was accepted as a work-study student with Fat Gum. "Congratu-fucking-lations. I'm busy." He hung up, tossing his phone screen down on the bed. His hand flexed, gripping my hand tighter for a moment before relaxing again.

[B&M]

I exited the station onto the busy street. I walked along the cobbled path I had used hundreds of times. I came to the small cafe and opened the door, the bell ringing slightly. My old co-worker Rika stood at the counter, wiping down the white granite. Rika looked up, her eyebrows rising as she called out, "Mrs. Haruka!" The few customers in the café turned briefly before turning back to their own conversations. It was after school on a Wednesday – not a popular night for people to go to a café.

"Did you drop another cake?" She groaned, the double doors from the back swinging open. She paused, her eyes landing on me. "Makoto, how did your licensing test go?"

I gave her a smile, flashing her my provisional license. Rika let out a screech, earning a light backhand to the upper arm from Mrs Haruka. "I passed."

"Congratulations," Mrs Haruka beamed as she ushered me to the back. "I saw that news story on you – didn't even have your license for twelve hours before saving someone."

"Oh, Redemption ended up coming to watch so he took me out after." I smiled, shrugging my shoulders out of habit.

"Did your cute boyfriend of yours pass too," Mrs Haruka swept down her lightly floured apron. I began to stammer, frozen in my place. She laughed, "no boy comes around that often unless he has a crush on you. Don't you think I didn't notice him waiting for you every night either."

"He wasn't my boyfriend. But no, he didn't pass." I finally forced out.

My words piqued her interest though. "Wasn't? Are you two now?"

I bit my lip, "I-I guess so."

Mrs Haruka reached out and gently hit my elbow, "way to go Polaris. Maybe with you he'll stop being so angry all the time. That boy could be a model if he stopped saying he was going to kill everyone." She laughed, holding her stomach. "Are you going to be working with Redemption again?"

I rubbed my foot against my calf, "actually – I took a work-study position with Sir Nighteye. UA's picky about which heroes take on first-year students."

"Oh! That's All Might's old sidekick, right?" Did everyone but me know who he was? "He's very dashing." I was the one to laugh that time. We continued to chat for next while as she worked away on prep for the next day. When I needed to head out, Mrs. Haruka sent me with a box of macarons to share with my classmates. I snapped a photo of the macarons all neatly in line before tucking the lid in. We bid our farewells and I got back onto the train to UA, uploading the photo to my Instagram. I held the box in my lap protectively as I typed in Akari's account. Her profile picture was there, but when I clicked on it, a notification that the account had been deleted popped up. I frowned. I couldn't check up on her. I sighed, slipping in my earbuds and drowning out the sound of the train on the tracks until I got to my stop. I stood, music still loud in my ears and made my way the last bit to school. I made my way to the dorms, up the steps, and pulled open the door to 1A's dorm. I placed the box of macarons on the counter in the kitchen, opening up the package. I took out a passionfruit macaron and headed to the elevator, taking a bite of the treat. I took out my phone, messaging in our group chat that there were macarons for everyone downstairs. Mina had started the group shortly after we moved into the dorms to plan class activities. I finished off the macaron before I even made it to my door. I entered my room and sat down on my bed, pulling up Redemption's contact. My finger hovered over the call button. Did I actually want answers? Would I get those answers if I asked. I let myself fall to the side and pulled the astronaut stuffie Katsuki had given me for my birthday into me. I pressed the call button and held the phone to my ear.

"Hey Polaris!" Redemption answered at the second ring, the sound of traffic off in the background. "How's the hero life?"

"I actually got selected for a work-study. His current student recommended me – Sir Nighteye." I looked up at the ceiling as I rolled onto my back, fiddling with the arm of the astronaut Katsuki had gifted me.

"Ah! That'd be Lemillion, right? He's one stand up dude." He let out a burly laugh.

"I actually had a question for you." I bit my lip. I needed to know.

"Of course – what's on your mind?" Redemption laughed again, the noise of the city lessening.

I swallowed hard. "I've been thinking a lot about my parents lately since Akari left. Were you there the day they…?"

Redemption hummed. "Yeah. I was."

"What – exactly – happened?" I held my breath, waiting for his response.

"Where is this coming from?" Should I tell him?

"When Akari left, she said she was joining the League of Villains. She," I paused, rolling the words over in my mouth, "she said some things that questioned who Mom and Dad were."

"Kai and Kaguya got into a fight – verbal at first. He gave you two to me and I got you both out of there. Next thing I knew they were hurtling light and matter at one another on the streets. I wasn't watching when Kaguya used her Light Spears or when Kai used his Nebula. Everything around them for five city blocks were decimated."

"Did they ever –"

"It's expected that they were completely obliterated on a molecular level."

I swallowed. I had my answer. Neither of their bodies were found. "Thanks."

"Oh – speaking of family. Has a lawyer reached out to you yet?"

"No."

"'Kay. Apparently, your grandmother left a letter for you, and he wanted to make sure it got to you. Couldn't give it to me even though I'm not your legal guardian. Damn bureaucracy. Gave him your new address and said he'll mail it." Redemption scoffed. "I've gotta had back now. Come by to train sometime."

"I will. Thanks Redemption." We hung up. Why would my grandmother leave me a letter? She barely acknowledged that I existed when I was standing right in front of her – but she would leave a letter? I rolled back onto my side, my phone lighting up with messages in the group chat. I swiped open the conversation.

Kaminari: These are the !

Uraraka: Don't eat them all! Leave me one!

Aoyama: Magnifique

Aoyama sent a photo of himself, Kaminari, and Hagakure enjoying the macarons. My phone buzzed again.

Sir: Come in after school tomorrow.

M: How long?

Sir: Three days.

I bit the inside of my lip – Sir was already calling me. I sighed, pulling myself up to start packing once again.

[B&M]

"St-stop!" I laughed, my wrists held above my head and my feet locked into the bottom of the contraption.

Sir just shrugged, "if you want it to stop you've gotta get out on your own. Or tell me a joke." I writhed, trying to move out of the way of the feathers tickling my sides.

It hurt to laugh and smile at this point. "I can't br-break myself d-down l-li-like this!"

"Isn't this a little much?" Bubble Girl pointed apprehensively to me.

His eyes flashed, "not at all." I needed to concentrate to break myself down – but with these feathers going to down on my sides it was near impossible. I closed my eyes and puffed out my cheeks to suppress the laughter. If only I weren't so ticklish. Thankfully Katsuki had not figured that out yet. I focused on my wrists, isolating my atoms to break them down. I bit the inside of my cheek as I tried and tried to focus on breaking down just my wrists so I could slip out of the restraints. I let out the air I was holding and quickly sucked in another breath. If I could not break myself down in my usual manner with the distraction wreaking havoc – maybe if I tried to vibrate my atoms. The last time I had tried to vibrate my own atoms my lungs had convulsed for the first time. Hopefully, with the progress I had made on my quirk, that would not happen again. I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on vibrating my atoms just quick enough that my wrists could faze through the metal restraints. I squeaked as I rushed forward, barely catching myself with my forearms. I had done it! I took in a deep breath now that the feathers were no longer tickling my sides but immediately began to cough. Blood splattered across the floor in front of me.

"Polaris!" Bubble Girl rushed to me, unlocking my feet from the machine. I continued to cough as I uneasily steadied myself on my hands and knees. She rubbed my back until the coughing subsided, then retreated from the room. I sat back on my heels, the air burning as it entered my lungs.

Sir approached me, handing me the handkerchief in his pocket. "Thanks," I breathed, wiping my mouth. Blood spread across the fabric.

"Sometimes, our quirks have a ceiling that we need to shatter before it can grow further."