Light glinted through his dingy blinds, stinging Izuku's retinas as he continued to count the cracks on his ceiling for the hundredth time that night. Sleep had eluded him even as it lingered at the edges of his consciousness, teasing and beckoning him to rest.

But his mind would have none of it as it continued going over the events with Katsuki. His presence still lingered through the crevices of his room, grazing down his arms like phantom tendrils across his skin.

Izuku sat up to chase the other man's ghost away from his mind, and with the haze of insomnia, he went through his morning exercise.

The simplicity of his routine helped to clear his mind, but only for small moments at a time, as the images of Katsuki's stricken face at the hospital now took over his thoughts in their place.

Building up a decent amount of sweat, Izuku took a break, his mind unwilling to settle down.

He swiped his shirt across his brow as he decided on a smokes break.

The small patio was a rusty safety hazard, but the landlord didn't care to get it fix at this point. As he pulled out a cigarette, the cool air felt good against his bare torso. One good drag eased some of his withdrawal and helped to relax.

The pitch-black of night was long gone as the sunlight cast over the roof of the building across from his apartment.

The alley beneath him was quiet still, the stench of moldy trash and urine strong in the air, but it did not bother Izuku as he blew out a thin billow of smoke.

The events at the hospital came back to him, and Izuku closed his eyes in defeat. Katsuki had been keeping him updated with short handed text messages and the most recent news about Kirishima's condition had left Izuku reassured and disheartened.

The red headed didn't deserve to be in that state, and the guilt that Katsuki must feel after missing his call left a weight on Izuku for giving into his temptations.

They didn't know yet if the attack had anything to do with Katsuki's case or if it was an isolated incident, but Izuku doubted it was.

Any thoughts to the contrary were just wishful-thinking on his part. But it helped to stave off the guilt until he knew more.

Then there was Katsuki himself.

They hadn't spoken since Izuku left him at the hospital to work his shift at the coffee shop, and they both knew they needed to cross that bridge.

Eventually.

Not that he regretted a second of it. Nothing would make him regret Katsuki falling apart beneath him. His flushed face, as he called out to Izuku, would forever be ingrained and stored in his memories. He had been captivating and, more than anything, his dreams could ever conjure up.

But he knew he was playing with fire by continuing to give into the other man. As enthralled as he was, Katsuki wasn't supposed to be with Izuku. That was a fact that he knew, but Katsuki refused to accept. Izuku didn't know how to make the other man understand that he deserved to be proud of the person who stood next to him. Katsuki shouldn't have to feel ashamed of his partner and Izuku would bring nothing but shame.

At some point Izuku dropped into a restless sleep on his couch, the patio left open and forgotten as the cool breeze washed over him.

When he woke again, it was because of the ringing of his phone. Izuku stumbled off the couch and towards his room, his consciousness still trying to catch up to the waking world as he picked up without looking at the caller id.

"Hello?" He asked.

"Izuku? You still sleeping?"

Izuku glanced at the time to find it was a little before noon. He guessed it had been a little less than four hours of sleep so far, but it would have to do.

"What is it? Is your partner okay?"

"Nothing different. He's still unconscious for now. I wanted to ask you for a favor, though." Katsuki said.

He brushed the sleep from his eyes as he tried to process that Katsuki was asking him for help. He picked up on the hesitant tone of his voice, but there didn't seem to be any immediate danger, so Izuku relaxed as he sat down at the edge of his bed.

"What is it?"

"Kiri left us a clue on my phone when we were…. anyway I spoke with my boss and he wants to meet with my source."

That got his attention. Talking to Katsuki and meeting his partner had been one thing, but talking to Katsuki's superiors could be messy for him and he wasn't sure if this would be a good idea.

"Do you trust him?" Izuku asked.

Katsuki paused and Izuku was ready to decline the favor if he wasn't absolutely sure that this man could be trusted.

"Yeah, with my life." Katsuki said.

Izuku sighed. This guy must be one of Katsuki's important people then. He still wasn't sure how this would turn out, but Izuku would accept the outcome and trust Katsuki for now.

"Okay, when do you want to meet?" Izuku asked.

"Can you make it here in fifteen minutes? He's already here, but he's not alone. He brought someone he thinks can help." Katsuki said.

It felt like things were just getting worst for Izuku, but even as he thought so, his feet were already slipping into his shoes as he jumped into the fire for Katsuki.

"Fine, if you think they're trustworthy, then I'm going to take your word for it, Katsuki."

He hoped Katsuki understood the gravity of his words. Izuku didn't trust anyone much these days, but for Katsuki he would allow it.

He sent a notice to his boss, apologizing that he had to call out so last minute, but she responded quickly, telling him to rest and come back looking less like the dead. He guessed he had looked like shit during his last shift, so he was thankful she understood his situation. Izuku grabbed a ride and made it there with five minutes to spare. Katsuki answered the door after the first knock as if he had been waiting by the door for his arrival.

He didn't invite him in right away as they gazed at each other, realizing this was the first time they had seen each other since that night.

Katsuki didn't invite him right away as he looked back at Izuku with a light pink on his cheeks. That neither had seen each other since the hospital came back to Izuku and he grew warm himself at the sight of the blonde.

"Katsuki?"

They turned to the voice and Izuku caught sight of a rumpled older man leaning against the far wall of the hallway. His five o'clock shadow was thick on his face and his eyes were unreadable as he eyed them

Katsuki let Izuku enter and as he closed the door, Izuku stood awkwardly under the stranger's scrutiny. He got the sense that this man didn't care for him one bit.

"Aizawa, this Izuku Midoriya. Izuku, this is my boss, Shota Aizawa."

The two briefly shook hands and Katsuki led them back into the living here Aizawa stood by the entrance and Izuku got his first view of the two unknown people Katsuki had warned about. There was stiffness to his stance. Being cornered in an enclosed space like Katsuki's living room was unpleasant, but he held his discomfort back as he waiting to be introduced.

Katsuki pointed to the man who looked the closest to their age. He sported an interesting birth mark that was stained across one eye and moved up into start white hair that only took up half of his head. The other half was a bright red that was like Kirishimas's though Izuku guessed this man's hair was natural.

"This is Shoto Todoroki…"

The other man interrupted Katsuki as he stood from his place to shake Izuku's hand. He didn't give off any intimidating aura like Aizawa, but was more friendly, in a businesslike way.

"I'm Bakugo's friend." He said.

Katsuki scoffed but didn't deny it as he continued.

"Stop introducing yourself like that. Anyway, he's a lawyer in our department." Katsuki said.

"It's nice to meet you, Izuku Midoriya."

Izuku wasn't sure how to take that introduction, so he only nodded in greeting.

"Nice to meet you?"

Katsuki pushed Shoto out of the way and instead motioned Izuku to the other man, who was older than all of them. The mans hair was an interesting shade of green that was a different shade compared to Izuku's. He kept it controlled and slicked to one side, which only emphasized the blonde streak that he had.

As he moved closer to Izuku, he could make out the meticulous way he carried himself down to the pressed clean suit. He showed authority in his stance, but the strange polka dotted tie confused him as it looked strangely out of place for his character.

The man stood a few inches taller than Izuku as he introduced himself, his eyes calculating as he looked down at Izuku.

"My name is Mirai Sasaki. I'm the Deputy Chief and Aizawa's superior."

That seemed pretty official and Izuku looked over at Katsuki as he shook the man's hand, uncertain by what was happening. Katsuki nodded in reassurance as they finished their introductions.

"Its nice to meet your both, but what did you need from me exactly?"

"We don't mean to take up too much of your time, but we're at a bit of a stalemate at the moment. Katsuki has information that you gave him we think would be beneficial in a case that I have been working for a while now. The thing is, we're not ready to disclose any information until we know for sure." Mirai said.

"I wanted to make sure it's okay with you first, before I gave them anything." Katsuki clarified.

Izuku considered his options. On one hand, the information that he gave Katsuki could put people in danger if it got out, but Izuku knew Katsuki was being put in a bind by keeping quiet.

"Use what you think will be useful to the case." Izuku said.

Katsuki nodded and everyone, but Aizawa, sat down as Katsuki went handled the meeting. He kept anything about the organization itself and focused more on the lower levels of the branches. His true involved being lowered back to his cover story as a fighter for AFO.

"You were a fighter?" Aizawa asked.

"Yes, it was how I paid for my debt." Izuku said.

"Katsuki, pull up Kirishima's voicemail." Aizawa said.

The audio had static-noise with broken words that Izuku barely pieced together, yet one clear name resonated with him when he heard it. He leaned forward in his seat, his jaw clenching as Kirishima spoke.

"You know who that is?" Mirai asked.

Izuku didn't respond as he replayed the audio again. He schooled his features the best he could, but they had already caught his reaction.

Again, the name came through clear for a moment.

Toga.

Toga fucking Himiko

Izuku stood up from his seat as he put the pieces together. If Toga was involved, then it could only point to one person behind all of this. But it was possible that the crazy bitch had gone rogue now that they paused the organization. He couldn't rule that thought out completely.

"Mr. Midoriya, do you know who that person is?" Mirai asked.

"I have to go."

His sudden declaration startled everyone as Katsuki stood from his seat along with Mirai. The other man looked suspicious, but he didn't move towards him like Katsuki did.

"Wait if you know something you need to tell us," Katsuki called out.

Izuku said nothing as he turned from every with every intention to leave, but Aizawa stood in his way, the entrance blocked.

Izuku considered his options on how to move the other man with the least amount of struggle and without making Katsuki look bad.

"I'm going to ask you to step aside," Izuku said.

The other man crossed his arms, unmoving. Izuku turned to Katsuki instead.

"I'll explain it later, Kacchan, but I need to leave for now."

"You clearly are keeping something from us. Why don't you tell us first and then you can go?" Aizawa said.

Izuku grit his teeth as he straightened his stance. His face darkened as he faced off with the older man, who only quirked a brow in response.

"You promise to tell me what's going on later?" Katsuki asked.

Izuku nodded, but he didn't break eye contact with Katsuki's superior to see if he would step back.

"I get that you've cooperated with Katsuki, but I don't trust you. There are too many holes with you involvement." Aizawa said.

"I never asked you to, but let's clarify that I only trust Katsuki, so by extension I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt…. for now." Izuku said.

"Step aside Aizawa." Mirai said.

The other man moved closer as he adjusted his glasses. The lawyer stayed back, watching silently for now.

"Given the circumstances, we will leave things here for now, but we ask that you consider the situation and cooperate with us when you return. We hope you see this as the olive branch that it is." Mirai said.

Izuku nodded and although Aizawa didn't give him much space, Izuku passed by him without incident and left, with Katsuki right behind him.

"What was all that?" Katsuki asked.

Izuku sighed as he scratch at his head, a bit embarrassed now that he was outside. He didn't like the feeling of being cornered, and he didn't care for authority at this point.

"Too many coppers in one place." Izuku joked.

Katsuki shook his head, unamused by his attempt to ease the tension of before.

"What's going on Izuku?"

Now alone with Katsuki, Izuku felt more forthcoming with his hunch, even if he wasn't ready to give up anything specific.

"Its Toga Himiko. You won't find much on her since we scrubbed her from your records, but I have a hunch who sent her after Kirishima. I may be wrong, but I need to confirm before I say anything further." Izuku said.

"But you promise to tell me once you're sure?" Katsuki asked again.

"I just need to make sure first." Izuku whispered.

Izuku pulls his phone out, already texting Kaina to meet at Ochako's as he says this. There was a bitterness brewing as he considered Kaina's involvement in all this. There was no way she wouldn't have known that Toga was active or that Kirishima would be her next victim. But as considered the distinct possibilities, Katsuki grasped his face to turn him back to him.

"Hey!"

Katsuki moved closer into his space, laying both his hands now on either cheek so that he could bend Izuku down closer towards him. Katsuki's presence took over his senses until he could only focus on him.

His breath tickled against the corner of his mouth and Izuku itched to wrap his arms arm him. He settled with covering his hands over Katsuki's.

"Sometimes it feels like you're going to disappear on me if I don't have you in my line of sight at all times." Katsuki said.

Katsuki's warmth seeped into his skin and Izuku closes his eyes to allow him a moment to enjoy the sensation of his palms against his face. Even pissed as he was, Katsuki could ease his darkened mood with just a touch.

"You made me promise to come back and update you, so there's no way I can break it." Izuku mumbled.

"Damn straight." Katsuki said.

He could hear the smirk in his words, so Izuku opened his eyes to confirm that it was indeed spread across his face.

"You even try to run away and I'll track you down and kick your ass," Katsuki warned.

His lips press against his and Izuku melted, too weak to protest. He wondered if he could ever truly escape Katsuki now that Izuku was in his grasp.

Or would he even try?

"Hurry back." Katsuki said.

Izuku nodded and pulled away with all the reluctance in the world and left.

Alone, his mood darkens as he made his way to Ochako's place. One thing he knew for sure, Kaina had kept things from him. Which meant she had sided against him, or there was more to the story.

The evening sky spread a blue twilight over Ochako's house, its neighborhood still-quiet as families settled down for the night. The tension in his body had only grown with time, so when he entered the house and saw Kaina waiting for him with a knowing smile on her face, it pushed Izuku over the edge.

He didn't take a second to think it through before he had slammed her against the nearest wall, the picture frames shaking violently in place as he clamped a firm hold against her throat.

"Bunny?" Ochako shouted.

Izuku took a second to look over at his friend, who stared wide eyed at him from over Iida's shoulder. Her husband kept them at a distance, his stance protective. Thankfully, Eri didn't seem to be with her, so Izuku kept his focus on Kaina.

She didn't look bothered by his aggression as she held onto his grip; her smile morphing into a smirk as her voice came out strained.

"Hello to you too."

"Tell me what you've been keeping from me, Kaina." Izuku said.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

He tightened his hold long enough to cut her air supply for a moment, a warning for her not to test his patience.

"You think I wouldn't find out Toga was involved? Did you switch sides on me?" Izuku asked.

"Toga Himiko?" Ochako asked.

There was a shake to his friend's voice and Izuku almost regretted bringing the other woman up in front of her. Ochako would be one of the few people who truly understood the gravity of someone like her being involved.

Kaina didn't respond right away as she looks back at him, her eyes going cold and Izuku could see the anger that she had been holding back until now.

"Must hurt to feel so betrayed, huh?"

Izuku wasn't expecting that, and she took the chance to slam her hands into his arm, making him bend forward and release her. Izuku didn't fight back as he pulled away from her in frustration. She leaned forward, heavy coughs wracking her body as she pulled herself back together and Iida went over to check on her.

"I may not understand what's going on, but you shouldn't treat your friends this way, Midoriya." Iida reprimands.

Izuku didn't acknowledge Iida's words for now, unsure if he could even consider her a friend, as his focus stayed purely on Kaina.

"Why?" Izuku asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Kaina said.

"Is this about me leaving?"

As she straightens, she glared at him, her lips thinned in anger and Izuku glares right back. Her silence was answer enough.

"You know why I left."

"Bullshit." Kaina spit out.

"I was supposed to be your right hand, the one you could trust above anyone else, and you think I wouldn't notice a bullshit excuse when I see one?" Kaina asked.

Their words were stale between them, but Izuku had nothing more to say on the matter because whether or not he told Kaina everything about his reasons didn't concern her in the end and he wouldn't entertain her tantrum any further than this.

"Tell me now." Izuku said.

Kaina sighed, any satisfaction that she had drained from her face.

"For the record, I didn't know this information would have anything to do with you. And when I realized what they had planned, they placed me in a gag order." Kaina said.

Kaina brushed Iida away with a reassured pat on his arm as she straightened to look at Izuku with genuine sympathy.

"A few months ago Tomura declared himself the next head of the organization and he's been making moves to rebuild ever sense."

If he hadn't been running away, then maybe Izuku could have kept things from going this far.

"Mr. Shigaraki wouldn't have allowed this," Izuku said.

"You've been gone Izuku. We don't know what AFO is doing anymore. Kurogiri was seen with Tomura, so to the high ups, that's enough of a sign that AFO is acknowledging Tomura's claim to the seat even if it is unofficial." Kaina said.

This made little sense to Izuku, but it explained why the other branches had allowed things to go as long as it had.

He couldn't guess what was going through AFO's mind if he was allowing someone like Tomura to take over. Before Izuku had left, Tomura had been managing a lower level branch that wasn't even within the inner circle. And even if he had been AFO's son, the man didn't have the clearance for most things. So how did he get AFO's approval so quickly?

Kaina pulled an envelope from her jacket and handed it to Izuku. They made it of card stock and looked like an ordinary invitation letter with the stamped emblem of AFO in red wax.

Opening it, Izuku found the invitation for a dinner with Tomura. A date for tomorrow in the evening.

"Even if he has the majority following him, Tomura isn't stupid."

Izuku understood what she meant as he continued to read through the letter and Ochako curiously moved closer to look over his arm.

"What's it say?" She asked.

"It's an invitation to come back." Izuku said.

It was more an order to return to his place than an invitation. He turned to Ochako as she looked backed at him, worried.

"You two need to take Eri and leave. If this gets messy, I don't know how long AFO's protection will last." Izuku said.

As he moved to help get them ready, Ochako pulled him back, her arms latched around his own and her face devastated.

"You need to come with us."

Her smaller form was shaking and Iida moved closer to pull her away, but she held on tighter, unwilling to leave without a response from him.

"You know I can't go with you." Izuku said.

"Yes, you can! There's no reason for you to stay away anymore. If we have to go into hiding, then you should just come with us!" Ochako yelled.

Izuku pushed her back gently and Iida grabbed her shoulders as she teared up.

"We don't have time for this, Ochako. You three need to go."

"Izuku." Kaina said.

Izuku turned, and another envelope was in her hand as she handed it to Ochako and Iida.

So Tomura was making an explicit threat by sending them an invitation as well.

"Fuck."

Izuku stepped out in anger, the sliding door of their patio slamming back with force as he left for another smoke.

Message received Tomura.

Eri was being watched, so leaving now would be futile.

Kaina and the others followed him outside, but he didn't turn to them just yet as he tried to get his emotions under control.

"Are you the one assigned to watch them?"

Kaina scoffs from behind him and he took a deep drag until his lungs burned from the smoke.

"No, Tomura called me back, but he hasn't given me any assignments for now, probably waiting to secure you under him before he trusts any of your subordinates."

Izuku agreed. Tomura was sloppy during these months with his power, but he wasn't completely stupid. He would wait to see what Izuku would do.

He looked at the invitation again and noticed that Katsuki's name appeared at the bottom and another feeling of dread filled him as he was placed down as Izuku's plus one.

So Tomura was aware of their relationship too.

The idea of involving Katsuki was becoming their only option, even while his mind wanted to reject the very idea.

It wouldn't be easy, but the organization would get rid of Tomura before they would allow him to bring them all down completely. Izuku just needed enough evidence to make Tomura a liability and organizations limbs would cut the head off themselves.

"What are you going to do?" Ochako asked.

"We'll need to prepare to accept his invitation and return to the estate." Izuku said.

Her face paled, and even Iida's face soured at the idea of Ochako or Eri returning to such a place.

Izuku left them to discuss their preparations as he went upstairs to check on Eri. He found her already in bed, sleeping away without a care in the world.

He was thankful that she had slept through his earlier outburst and he moved forward to tuck her blankets tight around her.

Ochako waited for him outside in the hallways, her hands wringing together in front of her. He covered them with his own and she relaxed a fraction.

"You be careful. For now, AFO's protection is still in effect, but I promise to get you all out of there if there's any chance of it changing. I'll contact him myself if I need to."

"I hope it never comes to that," Ochako said.

They embraced until Ochako calmed and the two went back downstairs so he could get ready to leave.

"What do you plan to do?" Kaina asks.

"We need to remove the new head." Izuku said.

Her head tilted to the left, her eyes curious as she looked at him.

"I'll need to use Katsuki along with his connections."

"You really want to go in that direction? Wouldn't it be easier to kill him?"

"Then we're asking for a civil war. Better to have the branches agree and remove him willingly."

Kaina nodded, and Izuku called Katsuki, who answered after the first ring.

"Izuku?"

"I'm on my way back. Tell Aizawa to bring in anyone and everyone who will be involved in the case."

"Are you sure?" Katsuki asked.

"Yes, we'll hash out the details when I get there."

Katsuki let out la breath of relief.

"Okay, we'll be ready for you."

Izuku turned to Kaina, who was still waiting for him outside as he said his goodbyes to Ochako and Iida, promising to see them soon at the dinner.

"Send a message and Katsuki's address to Dabi." Izuku said.

Kaina nodded, the phone already out as she sent him a quick text. She looked up to see that Izuku was still standing there before noticing that he didn't have a mode of transportation.

"Do you need a lift?" Kaina asked.

Kaina had parked her motorcycle in the driveway, and Izuku nodded as he sat down with every intention of driving. Kaina gave him a look but didn't protest as situated herself behind him.

As he started the engine, Izuku smirked at the familiar humming in his ears as an adrenaline rushed through him.

"You know you could just buy one for yourself instead of stealing mine." Kaina said.

"On a part-timer's salary? Nah, I'll just steal yours." Izuku teased.

Kaina's laugh echoed between them as Izuku revved the engine and they sped off back to the city.

"Just like old times." Kaina yelled.