Tsuyu Asui dragged her feet slightly as she returned to the tables, carrying a plastic tray with a bowl of noodles atop it. Her brows were furrowed and she appeared lost in thought as she moved. Try as she might, Tsuyu couldn't stop the conversation from playing out over and over again in her head. Katsuki and Izuku had been so casual mere seconds before the call, and then, they were both overcome by suspicious looks and uncertain excuses. Something didn't add up.

"…Asui?" Tenya Iida asked, snapping her out of her reverie. The bespectacled boy was giving her a worried look from his seat, and soon afterward, everyone at the tables was looking her way with similar expressions. "Is something wrong? Where are Midoriya and Bakugo?"

"I…" Tsuyu began, looking over her classmates and noticing that Eijiro Kirishima had arrived and taken one of the vacant seats sometime during her departure. "I think… something is wrong. They both left. There was an emergency."

"What kind of emergency?" Ochaco Uraraka asked immediately as she leaned forward in her chair. "Are they okay? Do we need to go after them?"

"I don't know, and I don't know where they went, either," Tsuyu explained as she slipped back into her seat and set her tray down. "All I know is that they were acting strange, and apparently, All Might called Midoriya to tell him to go somewhere. Bakugo made an excuse about something to do with admissions and paperwork, but… then All Might asked for him to come along, too, and neither one of them was really selling it. They're hiding something, and they looked nervous about it. They were running by the time they were out of earshot…"

"All Might?" Neito Monoma asked in disbelief. Right afterward, his mouth twisted into a disbelieving grin and he let out a peal of laughter. "And you really believe that? That All Might would call two first-year students and say that there's been an emergency? Why would the number one hero in Japan be relying on those two for anything? They probably just ditched us."

"Bakugo wouldn't do that," Eijiro Kirishima said, giving Neito an icy glare. "He's… a lot of things, but he doesn't turn his back on people, no matter how annoyed he looks. If something's important or if one of his friends wants him there, Bakugo will stick around. Besides… Midoriya definitely wouldn't ditch us, from what I've seen of him."

"He wouldn't," Ochaco agreed. "Definitely not."

"Additionally, as an aside," Tenya began, "if something was wrong with Midoriya's paperwork, then Hagakure and I would know. We checked all of your applications ourselves and cleared them with Professor Aizawa. We saw no errors in our review. Something else is going on… and it's something that they want to keep from us."

Ochaco nodded along with Tenya's words, and then ran her hands through her hair.

"And with All Might involved, it sounds like something serious. It sounds like they might need our help. Most of us already came together to do something that sounded impossible during our auditions. We can't let them shoulder something huge alone and push us out. If they're biting off more than they can chew by getting involved in something serious, we should at least offer our support."

"Then… what do we do?" Hanta Sero asked, his smile fading. "I mean, I don't really know either of them yet, but if All Might is involved in some big emergency, it can't be anything good. Is there any way we could have a shot at finding out what's up?"

A low, ragged sigh sounding almost like a hiss echoed from the far end of the table, and everyone turned to look at the source.

"…there is… one way," Shoto Todoroki spat as he pulled out his phone. "I really, really don't want to have to call Endeavor, but if anyone would know what's going on, it would be him. I doubt a professor would tell us, and they would be suspicious that we knew anything at all to begin with."

"…we could call Kan instead," Tsuyu said hesitantly as the tension around her became overwhelming. "Vlad King's her father, and she wouldn't back down until he comes clean. She's kinda like a pit bull in a corset."

The tables descended into a brief moment of silence, before Tenya pushed his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose and cleared his throat.

"From a… purely practical standpoint… we want to raise as little suspicion as possible. We need to know what's going on first, and then decide whether or not to get involved. If Midoriya and Bakugo can indeed handle things, then it would be better to keep knowledge of whatever is going on between the seven of us and quietly offer our support later, as needed. Kan would likely get the job done for us, but depending on what sort of emergency this is, tipping off Vlad King that we're aware of the events may come off as suspicious. Todoroki is Midoriya's roommate, and therefore, would be the most plausible to know that something occurred to begin with. Combined with the fact that All Might and Endeavor work closely together and share intelligence…"

"…yeah," Shoto admitted with another heavy sigh. "Endeavor is our best bet… but let me do all of the talking. We need to relocate ourselves to somewhere quiet. I'm sorry for the inconvenience…"

"Not really an inconvenience when this could be something serious," Tsuyu reassured as she closed the plastic cover over her noodles and stood up. "Who lives closest to here? Could we all go there…?"

"…probably me…" Ochaco said hesitantly as she fiddled with her hair again. "It's about a five minute walk and nobody's home, but… my place is a mess. You're all welcome, but… um…"

"Hey, it's cool," Hanta said as he placed a hand upon Ochaco's shoulder. "Nobody's gonna complain or judge you. We're not like that… I hope."

As if on cue, Neito stood from the table and rolled his eyes before closing the box on his own takeout.

"…look, while I'm sure this will be enthralling to watch… color me not interested. I still suspect that if this isn't a lie, it's a misunderstanding getting blown way out of proportion. In the unlikely event that it isn't… then I don't want to be among those angering the pro heroes and sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. Have fun with your manufactured drama. I have no stake in this, and I'm not getting involved. See you at U.A., if you're not all expelled for meddling before we even move in."

The remaining students watched as Neito walked away without another word, leaving the six of them standing around their tables.

"…asshole," Kirishima swore under his breath.

"…please don't," Ochaco said quietly. "I'm sure he's… not that bad. I hope?"

"If he is that bad… we'll bring it up to Vlad King," Shoto threatened as he put his phone back into his pocket. "Let's head out. Uraraka, if you would?"

"Right," Ochaco said with a nervous grin as she began to walk. "This way. I'm… sorry in advance…"

Ochaco's warning was extremely warranted, and yet, not enough to prepare any of her classmates for what they were walking into. The apartment building was rather small and located in a section of the city that could really only be referred to as 'the slums.' What had once been white paint on the outside of the complex was peeling and more of a sickly beige, while the fire escape was rusted over and the water tower atop the building was oddly tilted and looked as though it could collapse at any second. All in all, the building certainly looked like it should have been condemned long ago, and the total lack of any signs of life in the windows suggested that it might have been.

As the group entered the building, however, things got measurably worse, and it became very clear that people were indeed still living within it. The carpet in the lobby smelled faintly of cat piss and cigarette smoke, and several of the likely culprits had seemingly made the lowest floor of the building into their territory. Several felines were lazing about atop various surfaces and pieces of furniture, and yet another was curled up on the bottom step of the first staircase as the U.A. first years made their way into the stairwell.

"Sorry, kitty," Ochaco apologized as she stepped over the snoozing calico and began to climb. She hesitated before looking back over her shoulder and giving her friends a sullen look. "And… sorry, guys. It's only going to get worse…"

"…it's okay," Tsuyu insisted as she carefully stepped over the cat. "We're not here to judge. Everyone's circumstances are different, and I'm sure we all have some kind of baggage at home…"

"On the bright side, at least you'll be living with all of us, soon?" Eijiro tried, unsure whether or not the suggestion was offensive. "I mean, U.A. is pretty nice…"

"Yeah, it is," Ochaco agreed as she led the group into the third floor hallway. "I'm looking forward to moving in… and I promise I'm not this messy. I just can't really keep up with the cleaning for the rest of my family, and they don't care enough to help out. They're just… hoarders, and the rest of the tenants here just keep messing up the building itself, which doesn't help. I guess it's obvious by now that I don't really come from a family of pros or anything…"

"Even so," Tenya replied as he pulled at his collar uncomfortably, "your place on our team is valued. You earned your way into U.A., and you can't ever forget that."

"Thanks, guys," Ochaco said as she stopped before a door with 337 in knockoff gold lettering on the front. "But… you all really don't have to try so hard to make me feel better. I've kinda gotten used to living like this and accepted that it's just… what it is. Let's just get this over with…"

Shoto was the first to follow Ochaco into the apartment. He stopped momentarily in the entranceway, blocking everyone else from entering as he took it all in. 'Hoarders' was indeed the best description Ochaco could have given, though there was something else that immediately caught Shoto's attention. Piles upon piles of goods and boxes made the central room difficult to navigate, and the majority of the mess was made up of dusty cardboard boxes. It looked like Ochaco's family was either getting ready to move or had never bothered to unpack in the first place. Atop the cardboard boxes were several cases of cheap, prepackaged ramen, along with boxes of cereal that had been purchased in bulk. The rest of the items ranged from birdcages to toolboxes, with no rhyme or reason as to their placement.

After making a mental path through the mess, Shoto slowly made his way into the apartment and tried to follow Ochaco's movements. To leave the main room and proceed to the bedrooms, he had to leap a small barrier made up of soda cases. After carefully stepping over yet another sleeping cat, he followed Ochaco into a small room with a bunk bed. While the enclosed space was a bit cleaner, there were still stacks of boxes and oddly placed furniture that were covered in a thin layer of dust lined up along the walls.

"Do you… need help with all of this?" Shoto asked uncertainly. "I'm sure that several of us would be willing to just make a day of it…"

"Oh, no," Ochaco denied with an embarrassed blush. "It's… I don't know if it's something you guys could help with. I've had friends over to try to clean more than once, but things always just end up… like this. I don't want to waste your time."

"…I'd be willing, if you change your mind," Eijiro offered. "Just think about it, okay?"

"…maybe," Ochaco considered as she wrinkled her nose. "Everybody inside?"

"Seems like it," Hanta said as he looked around and closed the door behind himself. "Time for an unpleasant call…"

"About that," Tenya interjected as he looked around the room, his expression unreadable. "I-I've been thinking… should we? If we do this incorrectly…"

"We're taking a risk by getting involved," Tsuyu pointed out. "But… we're doing it for our classmates, and given the way things are now in Japan, I don't want to be left out, or leave Midoriya and Bakugo on their own if they're involved in something bigger than they can handle. Eraserhead and Vlad King already let us off the hook once for going off the beaten path. Maybe we can get away with it again, if it all goes wrong?"

"…do you think it'll go wrong?" Eijiro asked, suddenly looking nervous. "Oh man, I was hoping things would just work out for the best…"

"Are we really second guessing this now?" Hanta asked in disbelief. "How about this- if we get in trouble, we say it was all Monoma's idea."

"We cannot do that," Tenya said with a stern look, only to earn a laugh from Hanta as he put his hands up.

"I know, I know. But seriously- if it all falls apart, we can tell them it was my idea. Asui, Uraraka, and Kirishima are already under a microscope after the Zero Point situation, and you two are class reps. I'll take the fall, and we'll all be on even ground," Hanta offered with a shrug before folding his arms over his chest. "Really, though, I don't think it'll come to that. Make the call."

Shoto gave Hanta an unreadable look before he began to navigate through his contacts.

"…hey, one more thing?" Tsuyu asked. "It's not really a big deal right now, but can you guys just call me Tsu? I meant to bring it up earlier, but there hasn't been a good time. I don't really use my family name…"

"Tsu it is," Eijiro reassured. "Here we go…"

Everyone found a place in the room to stand, lean, or sit as Shoto put his device on speakerphone and held it facing upward in his palm. Several rings echoed throughout the room before the line connected. Faded club music came through the speaker before a rough voice answered.

"…Shoto? Make it quick."

Shoto arched a brow as more music came through his phone. The boy cleared his throat and leaned a bit closer, raising his voice to be heard over the noise.

"…I have a question. My roommate, Izuku Midoriya, just got a call from All Might. We were sorting out some things before we start to move in to U.A., and he told me that it was some kind of emergency situation before he left. Do you have any idea what's going on? It sounded like hero work, but he wouldn't tell me."

There was a pause as more music came through the line. The sound became muffled for a moment as Endeavor addressed someone else, and then, the background noise returned. Gradually, the beat became fuzzier, until a loud creak and a slamming door replaced the sounds of music with that of wind.

"…you said that All Might was speaking to a student about some sort of emergency? You're certain?"

Shoto gave Tsuyu a glance over his phone. The girl swallowed and nodded.

"I'm sure. Katsuki Bakugo, another student, is also involved. Have you heard anything through the usual channels?"

"Nothing," Endeavor replied, sounding annoyed. "That could be about anything, though it is suspicious that All Might would be working alongside first year amateurs."

"I'm… worried," Shoto tried. "Those two were among the group that took on the Zero Point Villain during the entrance exam. They were the ringleaders. If they're involved in something like that again… I think I should know."

"If this turns out to be a waste of time, you're going to make things very uncomfortable among the top-ranked heroes," Endeavor warned.

"As uncomfortable as it would be if All Might was hiding something from you?" Shoto taunted. "He used the word emergency. If he needed help from anyone, you and Sir Nighteye should be the first people he asks. Not my classmates."

There was another pause, the sounds of rushing wind seemingly coming to a stop.

"…true. The last time All Might tried to handle something on his own… I'm heading to Sir Nighteye's office. I'll handle it and get back to you."

"…thanks," Shoto said, the word seeming to cause him physical pain as he disconnected the call. "Well… it's something."

"Sounds to me like we got the ball rolling," Hanta said with a wide smile. "Now, we just wait. While we're all here anyway… Uraraka, I really don't mind helping to clean this place out…"

"We do likely have time to at least get this room started," Tenya agreed.

"Come on," Tsuyu added. "Please let us help you?"

Ochaco pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"…alright, fine. We can try. I just… hope we don't inadvertently make a bigger mess of things…"

Author's Note:

Something something the road to hell…

-RD