"Man… His smile looks so fake…", thought Denki.

Admittedly, Denki hadn't really worked with Ingenium that much for his internship with most of the training being handled by veteran sidekicks. He couldn't say it left a bad impression, but it certainly strained the one he had. It didn't help what he overheard.

This morning, a body was found in Hosu City, and clearly, all hands were on deck for Team Idaten. Almost everybody was gearing up for a patrol, including Denki himself. "Probably just gonna be walking around with Mr. Blaster or Bigshot…" he thought.

Though Bigshot, Hashida, seemed to have other ideas – ones he expressed to Ingenium. Denki wasn't privy to the whole conversation, but he did catch a few sentences like: "We talked about this," "Take the kid with you, then," and "You sound like an absentee father!" From there, one thing led to another and now, Denki was sitting across from Ingenium and next to a lady sidekick on a train. Which was heading to Hosu City – where someone was just murdered.

There would be the occasional passerby who'd get brave enough to ask the Pro for a picture. Ingenium never treated them like they were a bother and would always oblige. However, after they would walk off, he sagged into his seat while his shoulders stayed tense. That toothy grin he held when the fan asked questions and snapped their picture shifted a thin-lipped smile with taut jaw underneath.

The Hero was holding something back and it made Denki tense up. "Mr. Hashida, what did you get me into…?"

The woman next to him moved in an almost robotic action. "Mr. Kaminari." She held up a little bag of peanuts. "Would you like a snack?"

"Uh… no thanks…"

She nodded, "Understood," before leaning back into her seat. Her name was Kitagawa Kanade, the Eyes-In-The-Sky Hero: Overwatch. She was in a black bodysuit with notable seam-lines and silver armor: chestplate, shoulder-pads, elbow-pads, gauntlets, knee-pads, and greaves. Her black hair was in a tight ponytail and the upper half of her face was shielded by an opaque visor tinted in a red to violet gradient.

Her costume usually included a set of wings with turbines as well, but since they were on a train, those wings were folded up and set to lean against the fourth seat in their booth. That was also where Ingenium had set his arm exhaust things. They would occasionally clatter together and it just made Denki more tense for some reason.

It was either that or the occasional glance Ingenium spared to the gauntlet on his arm. Though, he spared more than a few glances to it himself. In the rush to get ready for their journey, Denki had just… slapped it on.

He flexed his hand, tugging on the armatures upon his fingers. He then just shook his head before saying, "Um, Mr. Ingenium?"

He blinked at him for a moment or two before a chuckle escaped from his lips. "Just Ingenium, or Iida even, would be fine." He offered, "What is it?"

"Why're we going to Hosu City?" he asked.

"I was offered to assist with the investigation of the crime that you've… more than likely heard of." His gaze lowered, "Given my luck the past few days, Hashida, and admittedly myself, don't believe we'll find much."

"Okay…" He scratched his cheek. "Why take me along?"

"In spite of the fact that you're an intern for my own agency, I've neglected training you myself," said Ingenium. "Bigshot helped you with your Quirk. I'll be ensuring you leave my agency with some experience, at least." He explained, "Patrolling will be what you do on most days as a Hero – your future mundanity. Our patrol will start once we leave the station. Overwatch will fly high while we talk the streets. Our first stop will be the local police station."

Denki nodded, "Okay… cool…"

Ingenium's gaze looked to something behind him. "We'll speak more on it later."

"O-Oh, okay…"

It was another approaching fan, opening with, "Are you really Ingenium!?"

"Public transportation isn't that great if you're famous, huh…?" considered Denki.

-XXX-

"This is the face of a True Hero!" echoed in Tensei's mind.

"Marking Native's body like that… Mocking him with something like that…" Ingenium stepped out of the police station's front doors. "False Hero… Stain may have never said those words to me, but… the sentiment is too similar for me to ignore…" Overwatch retook the skies. "His… beliefs keep popping up on forums… The posts get taken down by moderators… The users banned… Half of them were children…" Kaminari walked beside him down the street. "The other half… Adults… Who share those beliefs… Who may even act on them… Who may have chosen Native as their first target…"

"But, first…" Tensei swiped on his phone, sending the most recent file to Overwatch. "Now that we have our official route, we'll start on our little hike."

"Right…" Kaminari cleared his throat. "Um… I understand that I'm new and everything and that… patrolling makes people feel… safer, but… shouldn't we be focusing on the investigation?"

"The police will handle the investigation for the most part." He elaborated, "I told you earlier that this all-hands status is a bit of a show for everyday peace of mind. But, in this case, in this city, with so many Heroes patrolling, the police will also have ample time to focus on it." He teetered his head. "I said that I would be assisting, but not so soon. Heroes get involved with police investigations when it involves a lot of… unknowns. Like an abandoned building that should be empty or a raid on a location with an unknown interior and occupants."

Tensei's hands found his hips. "Sure, they have guns and capture devices, but with Quirks, you can never know if the next criminal is going to be bulletproof or not. So, that's where we come in." He turned to Kaminari. "Though, maybe just me and Overwatch. No offense, you're still a little too green for that."

A sigh of relief followed, "Oh… cool."

Tensei laughed, "You'll get there. Maybe next semester."

Kaminari's face contorted, "Do you think other Heroes have that policy too?"

"With their interns?" clarified Tensei. Once Kaminari nodded, he said, "Well, I suppose it would depend on the intern." He examined the blond's face and asked, "Are you worried about one of your classmates?"

"A… a bit…"

"Well, as I can't speak to their ability or the Hero they're interning for, I know I can say this." Ingenium poked the cap atop of his intern's head. "Trust in Shiketsu, your teachers – those adults in your life. I have faith that they wouldn't let your classmate operate for someone untrustworthy or operate at all if they didn't think they couldn't handle it."

"Yeah, of course…" said Kaminari, nodding.

Tensei's eyes drifted to that familiar gauntlet before simply shaking his head. "It's a bit like a hike – a patrol," he said. He chuckled, joking, "If you get anything out of today, you'll at least get some cardio."

A chortle came from the intern as they continued down the street.

-XXX-

Chizome watched the street below from high above. "More people are going out shopping today… A distraction more than likely… Sako's… presentation will be felt for a long time…" His jaw tightened, "Propping up the body… A corpse on display…"

"Is that where you draw the line?" questioned Midoriya as his blood spilled over the roof's edge. "Murder is fine… Leaving them to rot in cold, lonely alleyways is fine… But, stringing them up on a door is too much…"

"He's too flippant to life…" thought Chizome. "What I do is a duty… Not entertainment…"

Midoriya picked up his thumb, fiddling with it between his fingers. "You seemed pretty entertained by me that day."

"That… was different…"

Midoriya rolled his eyes, flicking his thumb into the street below. "Oh, of course." A shrug followed, "And, it's not like you had any other plans that day… It's not like you maim certain Heroes so that they'll spread your name across news channels and Hero forums, right?"

"Sir!" was exclaimed as Iguchi ascended onto the rooftop.

"Don't shout," said Stain.

"S-Sorry, sir…"

"Sako's status?"

Iguchi cleared his throat. "The first place you suggested seemed to be under police investigation, so instead, Mr. Compress and Innsmouth are setting us up in a closed restaurant. It's tented up for fumigation, and it should be like that for the rest of the week since the company handling closes on Sunday."

"That will suffice," replied Stain. "Dabi?"

"Looking at his target. Too many eyes today. Almost every single Hero and sidekick are out on patrol. Mr. Compress really kicked the wasps' nest."

"Indeed."

"There was something else, sir."

"What?"

"Ingenium…" he said. "A few posts had him on a train and then a few of him walking the streets."

Stain's eyes narrowed, "He's following us…"

"Trying to, at least."

"Does he view Mr. Compress' work as my own…? Is he desperate…? Looking for leads of me wherever he can…?" Stain shook his head as he stood. "Let him chase. He'll find nothing useful." He started to walk away, to descend into the alley below, before stopping. "Right?"

"Of course, sir." Iguchi listed away. "The places we've stayed at; the roads we've taken didn't have cameras or… not a lot of them. I've even got a new plate on the van." His shoulders tensed, "I'm just… uh… I've never actually run away from a Hero before… Especially one that's so fast…"

"You'll…" Stain hesitantly reached out, placing a hand on Iguchi's shoulder. "You'll be fine."

Midoriya stepped around Iguchi and into view. "Killing him won't benefit you in any way, you know that, right? Even if caught."

Iguchi turned, smiling, "Thank you, sir."

"Come." said Chizome before descending with Iguchi in tow. "Let's see about Dabi's progress."

-XXX-

Mina skipped a few steps as she descended the stairs. Though, she had to quickly skid to a stop as she nearly ran into Mount-Lady. "Whoa!" cried the Heroine. She blinked at the girl before a smile graced her face. "Hey, Pinky…"

Mina grinned, "Mount-Lady!" She held out her arms. "You're okay!"

"Uh, yeah." She then wrapped Mount-Lady in a hug. "Oh! Okay… I didn't think we were… here yet."

As Midoriya came into view, Mina blinked, looking him up and down. "What are you wearing?"

The Heroine's hand patted her back. "Uh, look… I appreciate the hug and all, but…"

"O-Oh, sorry…"

Warmth radiated from her smile this time as she patted Mina's shoulder. "Thanks."

Woods descended the stairs next with Shinso trailing behind. "Mount-Lady, Agent Midoriya." He looked over the two of them. "I'm glad to see that both of you are okay."

She shrugged, "Doing better than you, Mr. Popular."

"I've far underestimated the skill it takes to handle all those cameras." Woods chuckled, "I don't know how you do it." His gaze shifted over to Midoriya. "Ah, right, your helmet was damaged." There was a beat. "Have we met before?"

"Uh, no… I don't think so." Midoriya waved his hand. "I just have that kind of face."

"Oh… Uh… my condolences."

Mount-Lady bit back a laugh. "Alright… Come on. We're lucky enough to get our patrol shortened." She beckoned forward with a wave of her hand. "Let's get walking before we lose daylight."

"Of course," said Woods.

As the two Heroes walked ahead of their interns, Mina stepped over, whispering. "Would he recognize your face?"

He whispered back. "He was one of the Heroes who kinda… yelled at me after the slime thing."

"After you were attacked or the burning plaza?" asked the approaching Shinso, matching their pitch.

"Plaza."

"Oh, that makes sense."

Midoriya nodded, "Oh, yeah." He rubbed his chin. "Though, Death-Arms didn't seem to recognize me."

"Maybe it was the boy-band look?" He then asked, "What is with that, by the way?"

A shrug followed, "I didn't have a spare costume. And Jirou's having trouble with Orpheus."

"Oh, so you offered to take him for the weekend?" Shinso nudged his friend. "You two are so good at co-parenting."

"Please don't bring up co-parenting to me," Midoriya muttered as they started after their mentors.

Mina's hand clasped over her mouth as she held back a laugh.

Shinso let out a puff that turned into a chortle.

Midoriya came to a quick stop once a buzz reverberated from his pocket. "Oh, uh…" He fished out his phone – his eyes widened at the ID. "One sec." Everyone came to a brief stop before continuing on the patrol as Midoriya purposefully lagged a bit behind.

Mina slightly tilted her head, letting her ear get a good stretch. "Hey, Mom. Everything okay?" His voice stumbled as he feigned surprise. "O-Oh, you did?" He thought for a moment. "Uh… yeah… um, I didn't get his name but he went to the hospital to get everything checked." He forced a laugh. "Me? Oh, I'm just following Mount-Lady around right now." Then, he lied, "I just… got lucky, I guess… I was in the restroom the whole time, so…" His voice lowered, calmer – warmer. "Yeah, I'm fine. No serious bumps or scrapes."

"What about you? Are you okay?" he asked.

And, at that point, Mina redirected her attention forward. The conversation was clearly shifting into a more personal one, and she had enough to think about from what she already heard. "She was probably asking about what happened with Mount-Lady today… And… he didn't tell her…" She questioned, "What am I supposed to do if she asks me about it…? I… I don't want to lie to her…"

Midoriya's pace quickened to match hers and Shinso's. "Sorry about that…"

"Everything okay?" asked Shinso.

He blinked for a moment. "…" He then cleared his throat, shaking his head. "Y-Yeah, yeah…" He shrugged, "Um, my Mom was just worried…"

Shinso nodded, looking ahead.

Midoriya stared down at the phone in his hands, fidgeting with the device. Before she could get an idea of what he was thinking by his features, he turned to her and they both flinched at the sudden eye-contact. Though, to her surprise, Midoriya was the first to break it, looking down again at his phone. After meddling with the device between his hands, he tucked it back into his pocket while seemingly trying to avoid looking at her again.

"Oh boy…" Mina rubbed her arm. "Now, I'm feeling anxious…"

-XXX-

Izuku flexed his hands, wiggling his fingers, as static bubbled underneath his skin. It was hard to say where it started or ended. It radiated across his arms and over his chest. "I saw in the news that Mount-Lady was attacked… There was a gentleman in green who was injured…? Is he okay…?" The bubbling spread across his torso before crawling up his neck. His jaw tightened as he steadily breathed in and out. The air passing through his nostrils seemed to be the only thing he could hear.

Though, not for long. "You okay?" asked Mount-Lady.

Izuku turned and smiled, "Yeah, I'm fine."

She chuckled, shaking her head. "Right… Look who I'm talking to." She was holding the door to her agency, letting her intern leave first for the night. "We'll see you tomorrow morning."

"You might not…" He nodded, "Of course!" He waved as he departed for the train station. "Have a good night!"

"Night!" she said, disappearing back inside.

"Night…" he echoed.

The commute from the agency to his house was all a bit of a blur. He did remove the bandages from his forehead and chest, tossing them away. Once he was on the train, he found himself sitting for a few moments then standing. He rubbed his thumb into his palm. He clenched his toes in his socks. He found his headphones and started listening to music or to some video on his phone. His leg bounced on the ball of his heel as he leaned against a wall. Eventually, the train came to a stop and he made his way from the station to the lot of his apartment building.

Izuku froze at its front gate, staring at the lit-up window of the apartment above. He wasn't conscious of his breath quickening or how tightly he held his bag's strap. In the end, he was distracted by a deepening pit in his stomach. Then, when a shadow passed in front of the window, his body moved on its own.

He wasn't sure where he was walking to. He desperately clung to the shafts of light from the street lamps above. He forced the top of his jacket open as he tripped and slipped. His bag fell from his shoulder, and he barely caught in his fist as he stumbled to a stop.

Izuku stood at the back of a park bench which laid in front of an old playground – a familiar playground. He slowly stepped around it before falling into it – letting his bag fall to the ground. His hand pulled his cap from his head, falling into his lap.

Bubbling had turned to boiling. "Does she know…?" The pit rumbled and growled as it swallowed his gut whole. "Could she know…?" His arms crossed; his palms rubbed his biceps. "I can't ask Ashido to lie for me…"

"You never had the guts to follow anything through…," was murmured. "Picking a fight, but curling into a little ball when we wailed on you… Saying you'll try and become a Hero, but finally give up when the right person says, 'No'… That you'll apply for the U.A. but chicken out just because you don't want to see your Hero's face anymore…"

"Ashido," he muttered. "If she gets to the apartment before I do, they'll worry…" He sifted for his phone. "I should… text her. Tell them…" He shrugged, "I swung by the convenience store or something…"

Izuku's thumbs stopped over his contacts list. "Fuck…" He leaned back, sinking into the bench, as his hands smacked against his face. "What am I doing?"

In silence, he just sat like that before he heard… a ringing? His hands shifted and he noticed that his phone's screen had changed. He sat forward with wide eyes, but just before he had a chance to hit the bright red button on his screen, the call was answered. "H-Hello?"

Izuku blinked for a moment before slowly bringing his phone to his ear. "Um… Hey, Kaminari…"

"Hey!" It was awkward – of course it was. "Uh, everything okay…?"

"Sure." Izuku sat back up on the bench. "What's going on with you?"

"Oh, I just got off the train. Now, I'm heading back to the dorms."

"I'll stay on the line until you get there, then."

"Oh, uh, thanks!"

"No problem…" He asked, "How's your internship going?"

"Well… Today's actually the first time I've been out on patrol with the Hero I applied for. It's, um… Ingenium."

Izuku chuckled, "Nice."

Kaminari let out a chuckle himself. "Yeah, he took me into Hosu City where…"

"Native…" he finished. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah, we didn't do anything crazy. Just walked around. Ingenium's still there to help the cops, and I'll meet him back over there tomorrow afternoon with one of his sidekicks," said Kaminari. He then offered, "Uh, what about you?"

Izuku fell back into his seat, chuckling, "Honestly… It's been a real roller-coaster…" He shook his head. "So much so that… I think I might actually have no idea what I'm doing…"

A chortle from Kaminari followed, "Kinda late in the game for that, don't ya think?"

"No kidding," laughed Izuku. "It's… way too late, huh?" His smile weakened yet remained as he stared at the sky. "Hey… Kaminari?"

"Yeah, man?"

"I'm—"

"Deku?"

Izuku's phone fell from his hand, clattering through the bench and thumping against the ground. His head turned and he saw a familiar red-eyed blond stepping out from the dark – Bakugo Katsuki stepping forward with a plastic bag in tow. He pushed himself onto his feet with an ajar jaw, blinking for a moment or two.

"Midoriya?" echoed from his phone.

"S-Shit," said Izuku. "H-Hang on, Kaminari!"

"What the hell are you doing here?" spat Bakugo as he came closer.

"I'm…" He spoke into his phone. "S-Sorry, Kaminari, give me a second."

Bakugo flicked at Izuku's lapel. "What the hell are you wearing?" His eyes drifted to the cap that laid on the bench's surface. "Hang the fuck on… You applied to Shiketsu…" He laughed, shaking his head. "You pathetic little nerd… I tell you to get your eyes off of U.A. and this prestigious-ass place. Are you still trying to compete with me?"

"C-Compete with you?"echoed Izuku. He shook his head. "It has nothing to do with you!"

Bakugo's grin tightened, "That right?"

"J-Just leave me alone."

Bakugo stepped over and snatched the Shiketsu cap from the bench. "When are you going to get it through your thick skull?"

Izuku followed after him, reaching out his hand. "Hey! Give that back!"

"You're out of your league!" Bakugo's hand burst with fiery light. "You got no place at U.A. Not at Shiketsu. Or whatever other backwater school you end up in." He then tossed the cap into the dirt as specs of its flung off its surface as ash and smoke.

"Hey!" Izuku winced as he crouched to pick at the cap, wincing as the metal 'S' singed his fingertips. "Why did you do that?"

Bakugo's sole slammed against Izuku's chest, sucking the air from his lungs and sending him falling back. "You haven't changed a bit, have you, Deku?" His eyes drifted to the fallen phone before kicking it away. "Find someone else's coattails to hang onto?"

Izuku wheezed as he tried to sit up. "Bakugo… just enough…" He shook his head. "Why does it even matter to you?"

"You're still trying…" growled Bakugo. "How many times does it have to be said, Deku?" A smirk grew across his face. "Do your little extra friends even think a Quirkless loser like you can manage anything?" His head tilted, "Does your Mom? Did your Dad?"

Izuku growled as he stood. "Shut up… Just shut up." He scowled, "Don't talk about them! Don't talk about my M—"

His voice died in his throat as he saw someone else stomp out of the dark.

Midoriya Inko's hand clapped against Bakugo's face, sending him stumbling back. "What are you doing!?"

Another voice called from the dark. "Katsuki! What the hell is taking—" An older woman with matching eyes to one Katsuki slowed to a stop, Bakugo Mitsuki. "Inko? Izuku?" She looked between those two and then her own son. As he averted his gaze, she stomped towards her son, yanking him over to her by his ear. "What the hell did you do!?"

He swung his arm to knock her hand away. "Get off of me!" This only earned a smack to the back of his head before she pulled on his collar to keep him in place.

Inko scowled, "He—"

Izuku snatched up his phone before stepping over to her. "M-Mom!"

Tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes as she turned to him. "Izuku! H-He—"

The pain, the anger, the fear in her eyes caused him to pause. He tightened his jaw. "I know, Mom. I… I know." He smiled, "I'm fine." He held her arm, whispering, "Please."

His mother remained quiet for a moment.

"I'm so sorry, Inko," said Mitsuki with genuine sincerity. She scowled at her son. "I'll get it out of this one's mouth." Her eyes softened at the two of them. "You two should go home."

Inko's jaw shifted, "Fine…" She took her son's hand. "Let's go."

He took a moment to retrieve his cap before bringing his phone to his ear. "I have to go, Kaminari."

"Midoriya, are you—" His twitching thumb ended the call.

The boiling static underneath his skin had taken root, causing his digits and brow to twitch. Heat burned away at him from the inside, singeing his ears and face. His mother held his hand tight as she led him back down the street to their home. However, he couldn't feel her – he couldn't hear her. All he could hear was the blood pumping through his ears and a single, recent, burning brand of a memory.

"Somehow… in spite of everything…" thought Deku. "You haven't changed a bit, have you…?"

-\ XXX /-

AN: Hello! This one was rough to write, but in the end, its complete. I do hope I've captured the anxiety of trying to maintain a lie - one of omission, and the discomfort of running into an old 'schoolmate'.

Now, I probably need to explain Bakugo's characterization. I'll keep it simple and if anyone wants a more detailed breakdown of my thought process, I can provide. As is, without Midoriya Izuku attending U.A. as All-Might's successor, Quirk and all, Bakugo does not develop into the character we know and appreciate. He is the same person he was when he graduated Aldera Junior High. And he will continue to be so until the core tenet of his personal beliefs are shattered.

I'll leave it at that.

Thank you for reading and criticize away!

Update Window: June 20th - June 31st

Intended Due Date: June 20th - 25th