Again, Dabi awoke in pain and unsure where he was. Unlike the previous time, though, it all came back to him rather quickly as he blinked away the blurriness in his eyes. With each beep of his heart monitor, something major flitted through his mind.

He was in the hospital after a nearly fatal overdose.

Rizumu was furious with him, and rightly so.

Mirio, and likely his friends, knew his identity as a member of the Todoroki family.

Mirio was a double-agent.

Mirio was a complete asshole.

Mirio was a friend.

"Fuck," Dabi said hoarsely as he brought a hand up to rub at his forehead. While the beeping had at first served as a sort of metronome for his thoughts, it quickly instead became synched with the pounding in his head. "Babe? You here?"

"I'm here," came the reply from the heavily tattooed woman sitting in the chair at his bedside. Dabi looked over to see the familiar figure doing something on her phone, though her eyes met his almost immediately. "I'll always be here for you, even when you're a complete idiot."

"…so, pretty much all the time," Dabi pointed out as he slowly sat up in bed. "I'm feeling… better. Less like I'm gonna die, at least, though my head might explode…"

"You deserve it," Rizumu accused as she looked back down at her phone. "Let this be a painful reminder that you're not supposed to be fucking around with drugs, no matter how frustrated or in pain you are. We've been over this."

"It's not that simple," Dabi lamented as he scratched at his head. His hair felt greasy and matted, though the fact came as no surprise. "My skin… the burned sections, it's almost unbearable sometimes. I need something when the usual stuff fails…"

"And we'll find something else to help you along," Rizumu insisted as she let out a sigh. "I found your hidden stashes. Everything's gone, Dabi."

"What?" the man asked incredulously. "What the hell did you do with my supplies?"

"Well, the cocaine and heroin went straight to the local elementary school," Rizumu joked as she finally put her phone down on her leg. "The only thing I'm letting you keep is weed. Even that might be a stretch in the coming months, though. Sounds like we're about to be working in hero spaces behind the scenes, and a lot of them are tight asses about that kind of thing."

Dabi paused for a moment and slid his hand down and around to rub at the side of his face.

"…as long as the coke goes to the teachers, I guess. They could use it, dealing with those little shits all day. As far as working with heroes goes… it's not gonna be like that. We're working with Mirio, because he's proven that he actually gives a shit about us in spite of everything. We're not gonna be hanging out at U.A. or some shit."

"He does, yes," Rizumu confirmed. "So do his friends, Tamaki and Nejire. We'll be seeing them both around a lot more, too… and U.A. isn't completely off the table. It would give you a chance to feel out where Shoto stands…"

"Right, right. I do want to get eyes on him," Dabi agreed with a nod. "As far as Mirio's friends, that Tamaki kid is gonna try to join up with the Hassaikai, and if he succeeds, that'll be easy for us. Nejire, though… she asked to get in contact with you when she came around to bother me. I don't know why."

"I do," Rizumu replied as she pocketed her phone and stood up into a stretch. "She's been texting me from class and keeping me updated on Mirio's situation. She also wants to audition at the club. Do some work undercover as a stripper."

"Well, that's an automatic no," Dabi asserted. "Much as I'd like to see her tits, that would shit all over the neutrality you've kept going for so long and put us all in danger. We don't need a high-profile up-and-coming hero shaking her ass on stage."

"Funny. I thought it was my club. Not yours."

Dabi sniffed and narrowed his eyes, clearly unamused by the challenge.

"Yeah… but you've gotta be fucking kidding me, Riz. There's no way this can work. Two of the super-friends getting involved is enough."

"Maybe, but… they come as a package deal," Rizumu pointed out. "Besides- wigs and contacts exist, you know. I can pretty easily make her unrecognizable, and bringing in extra cash for the club is never a bad thing. What she sees while on stage and serving drinks is none of my business, so long as she plays by the rules. She won't be setting foot in the warehouse, and one false move gets her the boot. Trust me on this one. You're in no position to argue right now."

"Still, what do we even stand to gain?" Dabi asked. "Money's not an issue, even if more would be nice. Why do you want her there so bad?"

Rizumu let out a sigh and sat on the edge of the hospital bed before putting her hand atop Dabi's.

"…don't you get it? Connecting ourselves to heroes gives us the best legitimate shot at Endeavor, and having her in debt to us makes it more likely that all three of them will help. If she's left out once Mirio and Tamaki start seeing things from your perspective, there's a chance she could get in the way, and as close as they are… that could spell trouble for us and end up stopping us."

Dabi blinked in surprise and rubbed at his partner's hand, his own rough skin contrasting with hers.

"So… you're still in? Still up for backing me up against him, even after I made a huge mess of things again?"

"Always," Rizumu insisted before planting a kiss on Dabi's cheek. "That's not all, though- Mirio's in trouble, and I don't just mean with the Hassaikai. He's not great at opening up to us, but I think I could get to know Nejire and pull things from her more easily. She can help us help him."

"Such an angel," Dabi said with a roll of his eyes. "Ugh. I hate it."

"Then you're also going to hate this," Rizumu warned as she squeezed Dabi's hand hard enough to be painful. "I need you to talk to me when you're feeling like you can't take it anymore… and be honest. This wasn't about the pain."

"Not entirely…" Dabi admitted. "But I don't want to get into it right now. Right now, we've got to get back to base and figure out what the hell Mirio's gotten himself into. Even just getting him back in the door is going to be rough."

"He's in," Rizumu reassured. "Nejire's been feeding me information. He's back on Arowana's payroll, and even set up a meeting with All Might today. It's a historic moment, honestly…"

"…and a historic distraction," Dabi considered as he sat up a bit straighter. "Listen, when Mirio came clean… he asked me to look into something for him. Project Sunbeam. You got any info?"

"None that would be useful to him, no," Rizumu admitted. "But you're right- this meeting is the perfect distraction for looking into it."

"Yeah. So… we need to get me discharged and get to the warehouse before All Might," Dabi insisted. "If we get that information, Mirio and his crew will really be in our debt. More leverage for getting their help with Endeavor."

"Now, you're thinking clearly," Rizumu praised as she patted Dabi's hand. "About damned time."

Though Katsuki had expected difficulty in returning to class, he hadn't actually expected difficulty from the class itself. After entering the room to subdued fanfare and encouragement that had been slightly embarrassing, Daisuke had passed him a notebook with a list of everyone's chosen hero names. The list on the board had already been erased and replaced by a litany of instructions for the first written assignment, so Katsuki was incredibly grateful for the list.

He was also incredibly overwhelmed.

Daisuke Aki- Slipstream

Tsuyu Asui- Tsunami

Katsuki Bakugo- Atlas

Juzo Honenuki- Groundswell

Kyoka Jiro- Audacity

Amaya Kan- Stent

Eijiro Kirishima- Red Riot

Tenya Iida- Ingenium

Minoru Mineta- Grapeshot

Katsuki had always been horrible with names, though part of the issue was that he quite honestly didn't care to learn them for most people. Not only was he being faced with suddenly keeping all of his classmates straight after realizing that he did care, but Daisuke had informed him that in class and in the field, they were only to use their chosen monikers. It was a whole doubled list to memorize… and that didn't even account for Class 1-B and Hitsohi's name once it was chosen.

There was also the not-so-small matter of the first assignment, and Katsuki found that it was one that he loathed. On the board were instructions for accessing and filling out an electronic form, as well as a list of details that needed to be included. Upon taking out his laptop and opening it, Katsuki hesitated. Written across the top of the page was Personal Profile for Field Leader, and below it were several fields that needed completing.

"…what does it mean by Field Lead?" Katsuki asked in a low voice while leaning in closer to his friend. "Iida?"

"Not necessarily," Daisuke answered as he continued typing. "Actually… probably not, all things considered. He's our Class Representative along with whoever else gets elected. At some point soon, we're also competing for Field Leader. They'll be in charge of giving orders and making sure everyone's coordinated and safe when out on assignments as a class. Anything you write here is supposed to be confidential. It's information they need to know about you to make snap decisions and whatnot… or not-so-snap decisions when they check in on you off the field."

"So when I win that competition, you're telling me I'm gonna have to memorize all of this about everyone?" Katsuki asked half-jokingly. "As if there wasn't enough responsibility in commanding everyone alone."

"You can handle it," Daisuke flatly as he continued typing. "Whining isn't very fitting for a Field Leader."

Katsuki rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the form itself. There was more that was unsettling to him than just the prospect of having to memorize and care about the personal details of everyone in the class- in fact, that wasn't even his primary concern. Far more troubling was the idea that he might not get the position, and someone else would be memorizing information about him. Information that, according to the form, he had trouble admitting to. It all started rather simply, but then the questions took a turn that Katsuki hadn't expected… and hated.

4. List any known allergies, along with details and severity of reaction.

8. Describe your Quirk in detail, including mechanisms for how it works and any known limitations.

9. Are there any environments in which your Quirk is unusable or using it is inadvisable?

14. List anything that may cause sudden, unexpected stress for you on assignment that your Field Leader should be made aware of.

22. Describe any ongoing medical issues and how they may impact your performance in the field.

23. Describe any ongoing emotional struggles or situations that you are dealing with that may impact your performance in the field.

Katsuki took a deep breath and began to type. It seemed almost as though his body was on autopilot as he filled in the information to the point where he wasn't even sure what he was typing. All he knew was that it was the truth, and he didn't want to look at it at all. Reading it would make it real… and the only option was to fully trust whoever ended up reading it.

"Keep in mind that I will not be looking at any of this information," Professor Aizawa announced as he leaned back against his desk and folded his arms across his chest. "This is all between you and your Field Leader. Be honest. Be detailed. It's entirely possible that it could one day save your life."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes and let out an annoyed breath. There were still 35 questions to go. With a small growl, he continued typing, feeling worse by the second.

Author's Note:

What exactly this all entails will come to light soon enough…

-RD