In truth, Todoroki was not okay with Bakugo staying to help, but he'd bit back his objections for Midoriya's sake. Right or wrong, whether he agreed or not… Ultimately, it didn't matter. Midoriya cared deeply about Bakugo and truly believed that there was a good man beneath the bastard exterior. He was determined to help the blonde and Todoroki couldn't find it within him to argue.

However, that didn't mean he would be completely docile regarding the new arrangements. Midoriya might believe that Bakugo could be rehabilitated and redeemed, but Todoroki wasn't so sure. He had every intention of pushing the blonde's buttons, testing just how strong his resolve was to change for the better.

"So, that's basically Mei's Security System in a nutshell… You and I are the first line of defense, and if a villain gets by us, then the system activates to protect Mei, Izuku, and the store while we continue engaging with the enemy." Todoroki concluded.

"If Deku and Hatsume think this Tartarus-level shit is necessary, then it must mean they're concerned that a full-on assault could happen." Bakugo discerned, not liking the odds even with powerhouses like him and Todoroki as guards. "We can't just wait for a coordinated attack; you and I should both reach out to our old agencies and see if they'd be willing to keep their eyes and ears open."

Despite agreeing that they'd need outside help to effectively protect everyone in the long run, Todoroki wasn't convinced this was the right way to go. "They might assist us, but I believe we'd have better luck requesting favors from our old classmates. Once the media gets wind that both of us have basically left hero work and stopped patrols to guard a single store, our reputations will be trashed…"

"And our bigshot agencies won't want to directly associate with us, even if it is to protect Deku's go-to support gear inventor," Bakugo concluded with an understandably annoyed huff. "Alright then. Our best bet out of our ex-classmates is Ears. I heard from Sparky that she's been doing intel gathering with Gang Orca."

"Ears? Sparky?" Todoroki mimicked, side-eyeing the blonde with disdain. "Do you even know their names, or are they so far beneath you that you never bothered to learn them?"

The blonde immediately tensed, fingers curling into tightly bound fists. His teeth ground together, and his furrowed brow twitched in irritation, but his quirk didn't activate. "I do. EarphoneJack and Chargebolt. Believe it or not, we occasionally hung out in the past."

"So, I've heard," Todoroki replied smoothly, making it clear that he'd heard about the incredibly awkward and depressing dinner he'd taken Midoriya to. "Are you on friendly enough terms to ask yourself, or should I call them?"

He could hear Bakugo desperately attempting what he assumed must be deep breathing exercises through his nose, the sound roaring as his face contorted with rage. So far, he'd managed not to lose his temper, but Todoroki wasn't impressed yet. It had only been half an hour, and he'd been fairly tame in his provocations.

"You call them," Bakugo eventually seethed, voice trembling with repressed hatred. "And tell me where you want me today; it's almost opening time."

"The roof. Hatsume's system was only cleared to reach so far past her store, so a potential threat could get very close before we're alerted." Todoroki replied with continued observation. "I'll let you know if I need assistance inside. Otherwise, stay at your post."

Bakugo stomped off without a word or glance, merely nodding that he understood his assignment. One slip-up was all it would take and Todoroki would throw him out, he'd made that abundantly clear the night before. The dual user wondered how long it would take… or if it would happen at all. He couldn't say for sure.

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Hatsume's Support Technologies

All Basic Support Gear Is Sold Out Until Next Week

For Deku Advice on Specialized Gear: Submit Request on Kiosk

For Private Consultations with Mei Hatsume: Request an Appointment at the Front Counter

Todoroki had put Bakugo on the roof for two reasons. Firstly, whoever was in the store was closer to Midoriya, and he selfishly wanted that position for himself. Secondly, they would have to put up with customers, which wasn't something he felt Bakugo was capable of right then—maybe ever.

Now, though, he was wondering if he'd been too arrogant in his assumption that he was better qualified to deal with these so-called heroes. They were behaving downright nastily, relentlessly harassing Midoriya no matter how hard he attempted to appease them.

As Hatsume was stuck in her office for her first full day of consultations, Midoriya was the only real worker in the rest of the store—a store that had been essentially emptied of products the day before.

It would be at least a week before the back ordered gear arrived to be restocked, so all he was really capable of doing was scheduling private consultations with Hatsume or reminding customers that if they wanted 'Deku Advice' on support gear, they had to use the damn kiosks.

All these things were written on a big sign they'd put in the front window the night before, but it seemed that Todoroki's so-called colleagues were either illiterate or simply obstinate. What's worse, many recognized Midoriya from his time as a well-known nuisance at villain fights, and they were not pleased to see him again, especially not at such a 'prestigious' store.

"I promise you'll hear back from Deku soon if you submit a request at the kiosk," Midoriya repeated for the umpteenth time.

"Look around, Quirkless. This is the second day since the Analysis Hero endorsed this place, and the line for those kiosks is still all the way out the door. Deku must have hundreds if not thousands of requests at this point." A Pro hissed condescendingly. "I need my gear upgraded now, not next year when Deku finally gets around to seeing whatever bullshit form you want me to fill out."

"I understand your frustration, but that's the only way to contact Deku. However, Hatsume would be happy to provide a free consultation if you're concerned about turnaround time on—"

"Great. You're not only quirkless but stupid too!" The hero interrupted angrily. "I already told you I don't want a consultation until I get gear advice from Deku. What part of that don't you understand?"

Todoroki had enough and jumped down from his perch, landing deftly behind Midoriya with a dark, warning glare on his face. "Kiosk or leave. Those are your options. Pick one."

The small-time pro was quick to back up nervously, apologizing under his breath as he scurried away like the rodent he was. Todoroki stared down the next hero in line, daring him to kick up a fuss as he placed an 'out to lunch' sign next to the computer Midoriya had been working at.

"Come on," he whispered, covertly tugging on Midoriya's sleeve. "Let's go to the back for a bit."

Midoriya's face was blotchy red with stress and humiliation as he struggled to keep his breathing steady, tears already brimming in his bloodshot eyes. "It's n-not lunchtime yet…" he whispered. "I'm okay; I just need to keep working…"

"These customers entered the store well aware that they'd have significant wait times for whatever they came here to get." Todoroki hummed soothingly. He turned his attention to the nervous shoppers with thinly veiled coercion. "You don't mind if he takes a short break, right?"

The heroes within hearing range all rapidly agreed, none wanting to piss off Todoroki more than he clearly already was. "See?" he cooed smugly. "They'll be fine out here for a few minutes. Come on..."

Though he nodded and trailed after, Todoroki could tell that Midoriya wasn't comforted. All morning, he'd endured variations of the same conversation, each chipping away at his confidence and breaking his spirit.

Todoroki slowly pulled Midoriya into his arms and held him close the moment they were behind closed doors. He petted his back and kissed the top of his head lovingly, wishing he could do more to protect him from such unnecessary cruelty. "I'm sorry, Izuku. The way they're treating you isn't right… Please know that all of the awful things they've said to you aren't true."

"Some of it is, though, Shoto… I am quirkless…" Midoriya argued despite leaning into the touch anyway. He pressed his face into Todoroki's strong chest, breathing in the sweet scent that brought him so much comfort and strength when he was at his weakest.

The dual user hummed at the statement. "Being quirkless is nothing to be ashamed of, Izuku. You're absolutely perfect, just the way you are. Those fools don't know what they're talking about, and you shouldn't listen to them."

And Todoroki meant that with all his heart. Ultimately, though, no matter what he or anyone else thought, the truth was that there was a significant stigma about quirklessness. It was deeply ingrained in society and ostracized beautiful people like Midoriya for no good reason. Humans simply couldn't see one another as equals; they didn't want to. Race, religion, gender, sexuality, quirks—there was always something.

"I love you," Todoroki continued, gently kissing the young man's forehead. "More than anything."

Midoriya sniffled roughly but raised his head and peered up. He pressed up to his tiptoes and returned the affection, rubbing their noses and foreheads together when they finally pulled back for air. "You really are the best thing that's ever happened to me, Shoto. I love you too, so much."

Todoroki cupped Midoriya's cheeks and kissed him more deeply, all prior irritation gone, at least for the moment. There were still several more hours before the store closed for the day. "Things will get better, Izuku, I promise."

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"So, I think it's fair to say that we need more help much sooner than we'd originally thought." Hatsume huffed as she shoveled food into her mouth. "We need at least a few people working phones and scheduling consultations. Another couple for working the registers once we get my babies restocked… Probably one or two for dealing with specialty item pick-ups as well."

"I'll say," Bakugo grumbled. "I could hear those so-called heroes bitching at Deku from the roof. They all think they're vital to Japan and act like if they don't get their tech upgraded immediately, the whole damn system will fall apart. Fucking idiots."

"Well, until we get a full staff, Izuku can't do much analyzing. There's no time for him to look at request forms during store hours." Todoroki added, turning to Midoriya before he could argue. "And no, continuing to stay up for most of the night as you did last night will not work. You can't be thorough if you're exhausted."

Midoriya puffed his cheeks out in a pout but didn't disagree. It had taken everything in him just to make it to the end of the workday, and he'd had the fairly mindless task of adding names to the schedule maker and reminding people about what the bold-printed sign on the front window said. "We can't just hire anyone, though…" He eventually responded. "Even for scheduling appointments, there's a lot of sensitive information that heroes wouldn't want getting out."

"Don't they have agencies we can hire from or something?" Bakugo questioned. "Or at least somewhere that can vet people?"

Todoroki nodded hesitantly. "There are, but whoever works here could be targeted by villains wanting information on Deku. We can't provide twenty-four-hour protection, and people who don't know about Izuku's alter ego can't stay here, even if we had the space."

"Alright, what about internships for hero, support, or business course students from UA." Bakugo offered instead. "It's not like we couldn't trust Nezu with the details of our situation. They put in dorms recently, so we'd just have to get the runts to and from campus; can't get much safer than that."

The group perked up despite their exhaustion, considering that even if they couldn't get clearance to take on interns, Nezu would likely have valuable connections or at least ideas that would be extremely helpful. Maybe Todoroki's promise would come true after all, and things would turn out alright.