It took most of the car ride for Tamaki to collect his thoughts and figure out not only what he wanted to say, but how he wanted to say it. Even when he had finally gotten his mental checklist in order, he found that mustering up the courage to say anything was nearly impossible. Mirio being all too happy to drive in total silence made the act of speaking up even more difficult. Tamaki made a small noise of irritation before he turned to look at his own reflection in the passenger side window. He could see the faintest image of his friend beside him, but he couldn't make out the other man's expression at all.

It would have to do.

"…Togata?"

Tamaki watched as Mirio's reflection turned its head for a moment to look over. Despite the gesture of acknowledgement, the hero in training said nothing in response.

"I'm beginning to think… we're our own worst enemies."

"Depends on what you mean," Mirio considered, all of the usual life and enthusiasm absent from his voice. "The three of us, for getting involved with these people?"

"…heroes," Tamaki clarified, letting the word linger in the air for a moment. "Heroes are doing more damage to each other than any villain, right now."

Mirio inhaled through his nose and shook his head as he coasted the vehicle around a gentle corner.

"Heroes didn't kill Sir Nighteye, Tamaki."

"But heroes did venture off on their own, without backup or even telling anyone else where they would be, and ended up getting ambushed. Too many people in the professional circuit are taking on too many things on their own. Many of them are doing it for entirely the wrong reasons."

"I'm doing it to make an actual difference," Mirio said defensively. "Keeping tabs on the Shie Hassaikai and even working with them to take out the Nue might prevent another situation like the one we're in now."

"Yes, but Mirko and Hawks… they're in it for personal glory. Pride," Tamaki reminded. "To prove the other professionals wrong. They're trying to contribute, but for all the wrong reasons… and those reasons are keeping others closed out."

"Are they?" Mirio asked. "Fat Gum managed to get them interested in bringing you into the group, one way or another."

"Yes, but the five of us are hardly an army," Tamaki replied, finally daring to look over at Mirio. "To stand against Tomura Shigaraki and All for One, it sounds like we're going to need one."

Mirio hesitated as he pulled up to the curb beside their destination and parked.

"Well… we can't tell the Shie Hassaikai…"

"…I was hoping that they would not be your first thought," Tamaki replied with a grimace. "But at least you acknowledge that they can't be trusted, especially right now. It's too risky, and they're too unreliable. They're essentially small-time villains."

"I'm still trying to figure out whether or not that's true," Mirio said as he shifted in his seat. "But… what would you suggest?"

It was Tamaki's turn to shift in his seat. It took him several attempts to find a position that was even remotely comfortable, and the weight of Mirio's eyes upon him only made it worse. The chassis of the car felt like it was closing in upon him, and he closed his eyes in a panic.

"All Might needs to know what we're doing."

"All Might would stop us," Mirio replied immediately. "He would say we're in too deep, it's too dangerous, a-"

"Maybe we are, and maybe it is," Tamaki interrupted. "But… we also have an avenue through which to get information on the Nue, and potentially, Shigaraki. We may have the best lead right now, and we're sitting on it without telling him. This is his fight, and Izuku Midoriya's. A total failure to communicate and trust each other is what led to Endeavor doing what he did yesterday. Next time, it may not just be an awkward situation that results. It may be something far worse with lasting effects."

"You're not wrong, but… how do we even go about this?" Mirio asked. "We can't just tell Mirko, Hawks, and Fat Gum about Sir Nighteye, All for One, Midoriya, and Shigaraki. And if we go to All Might and he shuts us down, w-"

A sudden slamming sound caught both of the teens off guard, causing them to jump and turn in the direction of the noise. Mirko had both of her hands against Mirio's window, and her voice was muffled through the glass.

"Hey! We going in or what?"

"Don't say anything," Mirio warned. "We'll figure this out later and make a move once we have an idea of how to handle this. Maybe get Nejire's opinion."

Tamaki gave his friend a quick nod before popping his door open. Hawks was waiting by the side of the car, his giant crimson wings stretching outward as he raised his arms up over his head and began to crack his shoulders.

"Hey there. We meet again."

Tamaki bit his lip and nodded once again before pulling his hood up.

"…yes."

"Pff, don't be shy," Mirko suggested as she slung her arm up and around Mirio's shoulder. The young man held firm, but grimaced and tensed at the gesture. "We're all in this together, especially now."

"For better or worse," Hawks added with a shrug as he walked around the vehicle with Tamaki in tow. "This the place? It seems… plain."

The Fat Gum Hero Agency was a two-story brick building halfway down a seemingly unremarkable street. F.G.H.A. was displayed in bold black letters upon a bright yellow oblong sign, but otherwise, the establishment was incredibly discreet. Tamaki was the first to walk forward toward the door, and he raised his voice so that the others could hear him.

"Mr. Toyomitsu prefers to keep things inconspicuous."

"Then I'm sure he'll love having us around," Mirko joked as she followed along. "We're loud and messy."

"But we get things done," Hawks added. "That's what should really matter when it comes to hero work."

"I agree," Mirio replied as he entered the building. "And we'll do whatever it takes, no matter how unorthodox it might seem…"

…but this is everything I can remember about him. His hair is white- not like it's bleached or anything like that, but ghost white. It looks dead, shaggy, and down to his eye level. His eyes are a menacing ruby, and full of hate. The skin around the corners of his eyes and mouth is peeling and flaky, as though he has some sort of sunburn, though the paleness of his skin suggests otherwise. It's unnatural, to the point where the peeling skin is raw underneath. He scratched his neck and upper chest every so often, so he may have a skin condition. Eczema? Psoriasis? It would have to be extremely severe if so.

Outside of his appearance, what matters most is his Quirks- he has at least two. One is some sort of stone breath, capable of freezing over a person in seconds. It appears to work on both organic and inorganic material, as the statues I ran into on the way to his den had petrified clothing. The other Quirk is some sort of decaying touch. I saw it in action when he used it against Sir Nighteye. The second all of his fingers touched Sir Nighteye's cheek, the skin began to melt away. It was like watching someone pour water over packing peanuts. Everything just began to break down immediately. He told me while he was torturing me that one of his Quirks was a gift from his master, All for One, but I can't remember which it was.

All for One has even more Quirks to pass on to Shigaraki. I don't know how. I don't know why. But it seems like Tomura Shigaraki has been chosen as All for One's successor.

Katsuki finished his second reading of the packet of papers in his hand. His fingertips felt numb. His heart was hammering in his chest. He could feel sweat beginning to bead at the base of his hairline, and yet, he couldn't look away from the report. Without making a conscious decision to do so, he found his eyes moving back up to the top of the page to reread the account of Bubble Girl's journey through the hidden wall of the museum. The details were sickening and written out in explicit detail, describing every corpse she found, Sir Nighteye's death, and what exactly he had done to her in the aftermath. Katsuki knew he didn't literally need to read the gory details, and yet, he felt as though he did.

"…K-Kacchan?"

Katsuki looked up across Izuku's bedroom to find his friend in a pitiful state. Izuku's face was pale, and he appeared as though he was going to be sick. His hands trembled as he held the pages of the report, and his breathing was irregular. Izuku's hair was drenched, and a ring of sweat had formed around the collar of his t-shirt. Katsuki half expected the boy to pass out in his computer chair.

"What?" Katsuki asked. "You alright over there?"

"No," Izuku answered quickly as he closed the packet and practically threw it onto the desk. "No, I'm… I'm not okay. I feel sick…"

"…you look sick," Katsuki agreed as he set his own packet down and stood up from the bed. "Sit still and keep your eyes closed."

Izuku did as he was told. He jumped slightly as he felt a cold hand touch lightly against his forehead.

"…you're running hot as hell," Katsuki said in a low growl. "Don't move."

"Kacchan?" Izuku asked as he opened his eyes, only to find his friend already gone. He leaned back and let his head sag over the back of his chair as he slowly rotated back and forth, feeling oddly heavy. The sound of a running sink one room over caught his attention, and the following footsteps caused him to jerk upward in his seat to watch Katsuki march back into the room. "Ka-"

"Shut up," Katsuki ordered as he thrust a fuzzy pink cloth toward his friend. "Put this on your forehead, and just… keep your eyes closed. Stop thinking about it."

Izuku blinked in surprise before taking the damp washcloth and placing it onto his forehead. He leaned back once again, trusting in his computer chair as he closed his eyes. The cooling sensation did help begin to chase away the throbbing in his forehead, and he let out a grateful sigh.

"Thanks. I'm just… it's everything. The details, the fact that I've got One for All and a target on my back, seeing All Might… like that…"

"I get it," Katsuki snapped as he leaned against the doorframe of the bedroom and folded his arms.

"You do?" Izuku asked, keeping his eyes closed.

"Yeah," Katsuki emphasized. "I'm not… it's obvious that it's all taking a toll on you, alright? That's why I offered to go through the report together. I wanted to make sure you'd be alright… and you're clearly not."

Izuku said nothing for a while, simply focusing instead on the wet cloth upon his forehead.

"I can't think straight right now. I don't even know what to say, other than… thanks, Kacchan. I appreciate it."

"If you don't know what to say, then just answer one question," Katsuki suggested.

"I'll try," Izuku reassured.

Katsuki stared at the other boy for a long while. Even with Izuku's eyes closed, he found that he couldn't bring himself to ask without looking away first.

"Do I…" Katsuki started, before making a frustrated noise and beginning again. "When Endeavor came in making demands and being a total asshole… do I come off like that to you?"

At that, Izuku finally opened his eyes and leaned forward in his chair, looking surprised.

"What? No!" Izuku answered immediately. "You don't… you can be a little abrasive sometimes, but…"

"I give you shit all the time," Katsuki grumbled. "It's not a mystery. I just want to know if I'm that bad. I thought All Might and Endeavor got along, at least in public. What we saw back there…"

"No, we're not like that at all!" Izuku replied. "It's… you're different. You wouldn't do something like that."

"…yeah," Katsuki agreed, not sounding nearly as certain. "I… know you've got a lot on your mind right now. I give a shit, alright? I just don't like saying it. I don't think I need to."

"I know, and that's okay," Izuku said as comfortingly as possible. "You do a lot for me. I know you care, even if other people don't. If you feel like other people are judging you or looking at you that way… then that's their problem. They should get to know you before they act like they do."

Katsuki sighed, though the noise came out more angry than relieved.

"If you say so. Now keep your ass in that seat. I'll go get you some water, and then shred the reports. Don't do anything stupid."

Izuku opened his mouth to reply, but Katsuki had already disappeared through the bedroom door.

"…I'll try not to," Izuku said quietly to himself. "I'm counting on you to not let me…"

Author's Note:

Next time: The move in to U.A. finally begins! 60 chapters deep!

-RD