When Cathleen Bate first saw the full-length mirror in her hotel suite, she hadn't thought much of it at the time.

Cathleen knew she wanted to be a Hero when she was very little, when All Might himself saved her family from those two Villains. She's dedicated her life to Heroism. And that all started with her training. New Order is a tricky Quirk to use properly, but most of her Quirk training comes from her time in the government Heroics program. But by now, she's been a Pro Hero for fifteen years. And she's been training for even longer. In short, Cathleen is neither petite nor demure. She's built like a brick house. Broad shoulders, thick, muscular limbs. A sturdy core. Not to mention her height. Almost two whole feet above the average. Or, I guess, about fifty centimeters above average. I'm in Japan, after all!

She's known for some time that she's never going to be pretty. Not that she thinks her features aren't flattering. But she doesn't have what anyone would consider a conventional figure. And that's fine with Cathleen. She doesn't need to look like a runway model to be the best Hero she can be. And her steady climb through the ranks attests that her strength is paying off. So no, Cathleen isn't pretty, and she's perfectly fine with that.

Ms. Midoriya disagreed with that assessment. During their shopping trip across Mustafu after their Hana Café lunch, she'd noticed Cathleen's hesitance to purchasing dresses and clothing in general. Under Ms. Midoriya's perfected interrogating stare, Cathleen had pointed out that she wasn't exactly built for dresses or skirts.

"Nonsense!" she had said. "You just need a dress that works for you instead of against you."

At the time, Cathleen hadn't really believed her. She'd bought some of the dresses Ms. Midoriya had picked out for her because, well, they were nice dresses. But she didn't really expect them to actually look good on her.

Staring at herself in the full-length mirror, Cathleen finds herself reassessing her earlier steadfast beliefs. Ms. Midoriya had picked out plus-sized dresses for her, and it turns out Cathleen severely underestimated her eye for fashion. The fine purple gown wraps around her chest, the straps resting comfortably even over her bulky shoulders. A belt around her middle transitions the garment to the looser bottom of the dress. The beautiful fabric folds and creases as it drapes loose around her legs. Gold studding lines the fabric. Her arms remain bare, but that hardly matters. Not when the dress accentuates them so well. She looks beautiful.

A small smile dances on Cathleen's lips.

She had her ears pierced back when she was still in training. Just because she's never considered herself formal doesn't mean she doesn't have a fond spot for jewelry. And even without her earrings in, Ms. Midoriya had noticed the piercings, and had picked out earrings for Cathleen that match the dresses. Cathleen secures them into place, letting them dangle down.

And because Ms. Midoriya never does anything by halves, she's also won Cathleen over to a new favorite brand of perfume. Cathleen lets the wonderful floral scent waft for a moment before she set to dabbing the perfume onto her knees and the sides of her neck.

With her outfit completed, Cathleen does a twirl in front of the mirror, just for herself. She doesn't remember the last time she's put more than a token effort into her appearance—not counting her Hero Costume, of course. She puts a lot of effort into that. But as a civilian? Star and Stripe works hard to look good. Cathleen Bate… doesn't. Or, didn't. Seeing herself like this makes her heart feel lighter. She'll have to do this more often. She snorts. Imagine what the boys will think when they see me like this! It'll blow their minds!

It's only the third day of her vacation, but she's already so thankful that Aaron made her go. Not that he'd ever accept her thanks. He'd say something like, 'You already knew you needed the break, or you'd have just ignored me, Star!' And while it's true that she could have ignored him and just kept working, training, he'd sold his case really well with that little deception of his.

"Look at you, Cathleen," she purrs softly. "All dressed up, and nowhere to go." One downside to her somewhat impulsive decision to spend her vacation here in Mustafu is that she hasn't actually planned anything. No itinerary, no research into tourist destinations. No idea what the local sights to see are.

A quick search on the web gives her some ideas. Mt. Fuji tours are always happening. It's one of the most iconic landmarks in Japan, so she has to go see it before she leaves. But it's also not the kind of place she'd go in her nice formal wear. If she's willing to leave Mustafu for the wider Shizuoka area, the Kunozan Toshogu is another must-see, if only for the history. The Nihondaira Zoo sounds fun, but, again, not somewhere she'd go dressed like this.

Cathleen sits back in her chair with a sigh. This is what she gets for dressing up in the morning instead of right before some fancy event she'd known was coming. But with another glance at her reflection, she can't bring herself to regret it. She never knew she could look so good. Cathleen has always been confident in her abilities as a Hero. She's strong, she's skilled, and she's proud of it. She's put a lot of effort into that. But there's something about knowing that she can make herself look nice whenever she wants to that makes her light inside. Cathleen's grin sharpens. What the hell? It's been a while since I tried contouring anyway.

Several minutes later, and Cathleen finishes applying her first make-up job in years. And she's not as rusty as she'd been afraid of. While her added subtle shadows accentuate some of her facial features, what she's proudest of is the royal purple eyeshadow that just goes so well with her dress.

Cathleen takes several pictures of herself dressed up in all her glory. It's liberating in a way, to be able to be so fancy without hiding her physique at all. She doesn't have to choose between 'looking nice' and 'being strong.' She can do both if she wants to. Ms. Midoriya really is a miracle worker.

Cathleen's phone rings, and she nearly drops it in surprise. Which is honestly embarrassing for a top Hero like her. In her defense, it's just past 1000 in the morning, so she supposes it could be the boys, but she's not expecting her brothers to call her at all on this trip. Looking at the Caller ID only confuses her more. Why is Ms. Midoriya calling?

"Hello?" Cathleen says, holding the phone up to her ear.

"Ms. Bate?" says Ms. Midoriya. She sniffles loudly into the phone. "Is that you?"

"What's wrong?" Cathleen straightens in her chair, instantly on alert. What could have happened that convinced Ms. Midoriya to call her instead of one of her friends? Something she thinks needs a Hero?

"It was…" She sniffles again. "We just got out of Izuku's doctor appointment. I—I wanted to see if something was… was wrong with his Quirk." Cathleen remembers Ms. Midoriya mentioning that his Quirk hasn't manifested yet. At the age of four, statistically, it should have manifested by now.

"Is he alright?" says Cathleen.

"He's just fine," she says. "But he's Quirkless, and the doctor was… he just told Izuku to give up! He looked me right in the face and said that 'there's no hope for him!'" A growl almost escapes Cathleen's throat, but she catches it just in time. How could someone so callous be a doctor? Ms. Midoriya continues, "I remember… yesterday you said that he could be a Hero even without a Quirk… he's devastated, the poor dear. And I thought… I thought you might be able to cheer him up better than I can…"

"Where do you want to meet?"

"I'll—I'll send you my address. Please, I can't bear seeing him so despondent."

"I'll be right there."

It doesn't occur to Cathleen to change into something less formal as she strides out of her suite. She's on a mission now, one far more important than how fancy she looks. She doesn't even notice people stopping and staring at her as she moves with purpose out of the lobby and down to the train station. It's a half-hour trip in total when Cathleen finds herself looking up at the apartment complex Ms. Midoriya directed her to.

She raps her knuckles against the door with the 'Midoriya' nameplate and waits. It doesn't take long for Ms. Midoriya to open the door. She seems to startle at seeing Cathleen, much to her surprise, but recovers quickly and pulls her into the apartment. The apartment is quite cozy. It's not very big, but it's not small either. The furniture and decorations show just how much its occupants love it here. Cathleen hears a very familiar sound, muffled by the walls. It's the video of All Might's debut.

"He pulled that video up as soon as we got home," Ms. Midoriya says. "He hasn't looked away since. I'm not sure if he can. He just looks so empty…" Cathleen nods slowly.

"Can you get me a piece of paper and a pen?" she says. Ms. Midoriya tilts her head in confusion. Her hesitation only lasts a second before she scurries off and comes back with what Cathleen asked for. Cathleen sets the paper down on the table and delicately traces out her autograph by memory. It's something every big, public Hero has to know how to do. A form of brand consistency. Ms. Midoriya gasps lightly as she watches Cathleen.

"I think I forgot to give him something yesterday," she says, smiling softly at Ms. Midoriya.

Little Midoriya's room is dark when Cathleen enters. The lights are off, leaving only ambient lighting from the hallway and the computer screen itself as light sources. She can't actually see Izuku when she comes in. He's too small to see over his chair. It looks like a pretty standard swiveling office chair to Cathleen, and that worries her. Because the Little Midoriya she met yesterday was full of energy and constantly moving. But that chair is perfectly still.

Cathleen may not seem like it, but she can be quiet when she wants to be. Part of her training. It's not something that comes up much in her Heroics career. She usually only needs it when the military has to get involved in a Villain situation, and that's only happened twice in her career. So she's confident she can sneak up on Little Midoriya without him noticing. Once she's right behind his chair, she moves her arm around to slide the paper in front of the computer screen. She hears a soft gasp from Izuku.

"Hey, kid," she says softly.

"Star—Ms. Bate!" Izuku says, looking up at her in awe. She smiles.

"I'm pretty sure I told you that I'd give you an autograph, didn't I?"

Little Midoriya instantly bursts into tears. Large streams of water pour down his face, and he starts hiccupping. Star's smile softens. She sets the paper down on the desk and ruffles Izuku's fluffy hair. He leans into the touch.

"Ms.—Ms. Bate," he wails.

"It's all gonna be alright, kid," she says softly. "Do you know why?"

"Be—because you are here?" he says between sobs. Cathleen shakes her head, her smile staying strong.

"Nah, kid. It's because you are here."

"Ms. Bate," Izuku says. "A—a super cool Hero like that..." Izuku shakingly points to the video of All Might's Japanese debut. It was a massive natural disaster. Streets and city blocks were torn apart. And yet, All Might saved just about every civilian caught up in the disaster. Cathleen remembers watching it on the new. She was still in training, then. But seeing her idol and inspiration doing so much… it was a hell of a motivator.

"Can I… Can I be a Hero like that?" says Izuku.

"You want to be like All Might, right?" Cathleen says. Izuku nods. "Do you want to be the kind of Hero who saves hundreds, the kind of Hero who really inspires people, the kind of Hero who brings hope to people, or the kind of Hero with endless strength?" Izuku stares at her blankly for a moment before his eyes light up in understanding.

"I—I wanna be a Hero that makes people feel safe!" he says. Cathleen's smile widens.

"Good answer kid. Yeah, you can be a super cool Hero like that."

"Even without a Quirk?" Izuku says.

"Do you want to hear a story?" says Cathleen. Izuku blinks the tears out of his eyes and looks at her expectantly. "I was a young girl, only a few years older than you are now. My family and I were on our way to Santa Monica pier—an amusement park—when a Villain attacked." Izuku sucks in a breath, but his crying seems to have subsided. "They were robbers. They stole, uh, about a billion yen. And they were trying to make their escape."

"What about the Heroes?" Izuku asks.

"There were two: Elecplant and Cow Lady," Cathleen replies. "I didn't really see them. They got blasted back and the Villains got past them."

"Oh no!" says Izuku. Cathleen quietly snorts.

"The Villains were running down the street, right at our car. They weren't going to stop. We were about to be crushed."

"What happened?" Izuku bounces in his chair.

"Alright, alright," Cathleen laughs. "So there I was, terrified out of my mind."

"You were scared?"

"I was still just a kid. I was sure I was going to die. And I was praying to myself that at least my sister would be alright. And at that moment, a miracle happened."

"What happened? What happened?" says Izuku, his bouncing even more excited. Cathleen smiles, her eyes lost in memory.

"All Might happened." Izuku gasps. "He punched the Villain away, and when the other Villain fired missiles at him, he blew them all away with a swipe of his arm. And he promised that we were all safe now, because he was there."

"And then he caught the bad guys!" says Izuku, waving his arms in the air.

"Yup!" says Cathleen. There is a little more to it than that, but explaining that the Villains managed to run away and All Might chased them down via car doesn't really matter to the story she's telling. "And that's when I knew I wanted to be a Hero like All Might." Izuku pauses, then looks down.

"But I'm never gonna be able to do that," he says. "I can't launch a Villain with a punch, or blow missiles away."

"No, you won't," says Cathleen. "But that's not why I felt safe." Izuku looks up at her, his brow furrowed.

"It's not? But he's so strong!"

"He sure is, kid. But it's not his strength that makes him All Might. It's his smile. His attitude. His skills. His strength is how he keeps you safe, but it's not why you know you're safe. Do you understand?" Cathleen says, ruffling Little Midoriya's hair again. Izuku purses his lip, his brow creasing in thought.

"It's not because he's strong…" says Izuku slowly. "It's because he told you everything would be okay… and then he saved you? He kept his promise?" Cathleen beams.

"That's exactly it, kid. He made a promise that we would be safe and he kept it."

"But I can't do that," Izuku says in a hushed voice. "I can't promise anything like that."

"Maybe not yet," she says. "But when you're older, you can promise people that you will protect them, and you can keep that promise to them. And once you do, they'll know you'll keep that promise. They'll know that you being around makes them safe."

"But how?" says Izuku. "I can't breathe fire, or make things move, or, or make things explode, or—"

"Kid," Cathleen says gently. "You don't need to do any of those things."

"Huh?"

"You just need to use that big brain of yours," says Cathleen. "The one you used to recognize me yesterday." She pauses, considering, "Also, you should probably build up some body strength. Maybe learn a weapon." Izuku hums to himself, then turns in his chair and starts typing away on the keyboard. After a few second of just hearing him type away, Cathleen breaks. "What're you up to?"

"I'm looking up smart Heroes!" Little Midoriya says. "I wanna know what they did!" Cathleen smiles.

"I'll leave you to it, kid."

"Thank you Ms. Bate! Oh, and thank you for the autograph! I'll treasure it forever!"

Ms. Midoriya is waiting for her in the hall outside Izuku's room. She's pacing when Cathleen steps out of the bedroom and back into the light. Ms. Midoriya looks up at her, wringing her hands.

"How is he?" she asks.

"Better," says Cathleen. All the tension bleeds out of Ms. Midoriya. "I told him that if he couldn't fight harder, he should fight smarter. Also, you might want to get him some water. He cried pretty hard for a few minutes there."

"That sounds like Izuku," Ms. Midoriya chuckles. She winks at Cathleen, and the tips of her ears burn. "He gets it from me." Ms. Midoriya guides Cathleen back to the table. "Sit! I'll make tea."

While the kettle heats up, Ms. Midoriya pours a cup of water from the tap and take it in to Izuku's room. She's back only thirty seconds later looking even more relaxed than before. Seeing Izuku back in high spirits must've done her a world of good.

Ms. Midoriya sets a cup of tea down in front of Cathleen and sits across from her. Cathleen raises it to her lips, letting the steam warm them, and takes a cautious sip. It's not so hot that it burns her tongue, but only just. Ms. Midoriya smiles softly at her.

"It's good!" Cathleen says. "Thank you."

"Thank you," Ms. Midoriya says. "I don't know what I would've done for Izuku if you hadn't come."

"It was my pleasure," Cathleen takes another sip from her tea. "After yesterday, I couldn't leave him like that. He's a good kid."

"He really is," says Ms. Midoriya with a content sigh. They don't say anything for a few seconds, until Ms. Midoriya says, "I see you're all dressed up." Cathleen blinks, taking a moment to process before she remembers what she's wearing. She looks away, blushing.

"I owe you an apology," she says with a nervous laugh. "I didn't think I'd actually look… good in what you picked out. But…"

"You look radiant," says Ms. Midoriya, and Cathleen flushes under the praise. "Do you dress up often?" Cathleen shakes her head.

"No," she says mournfully. "I didn't think there were clothes for people like me. I always wore my Hero costume to events." A smile graces her lips. "But if all the dresses you picked out are as wonderful as this one, I'll have to do it more often."

"Don't thank me," Ms. Midoriya laughs. "My best friend is a fashion designer. I've picked up a thing or two by osmosis alone."

"She must really know her stuff," Cathleen says.

"I'm sure she'd love to meet you," Ms. Midoriya says, draining her tea. "Little Katsuki—her son—he's just as big a Hero fan as Izuku. And she'd love trying to design something for you."

"I might take you up on that if I have the time."

"Oh, do you have plans for your vacation?"

"Not really," Cathleen shrugs. "It was a bit of a last-minute decision. And once I was all dolled up, I didn't want to go out. I was trying to decide what to do today when you called."

"That's good," Ms. Midoriya says. "I was afraid I took you away from your schedule." Cathleen smiles into her cup.

"Not at all. Seeing you both again was a pleasure." And it really is. The Midoriyas are both such kind, wonderful people. She's grateful she ran into them. Sometimes serendipity is wonderful like that.

The clock chimes, and Ms. Midoriya looks up at it in surprise. Cathleen glances at it. It's just hit 1200.

"Oh dear," says Ms. Midoriya. "I haven't even started lunch yet. I'm sure Izuku's going to be hungry after all those emotions." Ms. Midoriya turns back to Cathleen and smiles apologetically. "And I dragged you all the way over here, too. I know you don't have plans, but I'm sure you would have liked to do something."

"There is nowhere I would have rather been," Cathleen promises. "But if you want to make it up to me, I could always join you for lunch again."

"We would love to have you," says Ms. Midoriya.