"Yanagi is just going to tag along on a few missions, it's not a big deal!" Izuku was in full on insistent mode, throwing his arms up at Katsuki like convincing him was the most important thing in the world. Like most interactions with UAs most passionate blond, things were getting a little heated. And the more heated they became, the more Izuku felt like he needed to win.

"The ONE THING Auntie Inko said not to do was get more people involved in this shit! We've been at school for THREE DAYS, Deku! THREE DAYS!" Katsuki was livid, and for once it was actually justified. The rule of keeping everything a secret was there for a reason – the protection of humanity. Which seemed like a pretty damn good reason.

That twinge of jealousy he felt about his cool secret life becoming slightly less cool and secret had nothing to do with it, honest.

Katsuki turned to Tsuyu, who was idly sitting on a tree branch reading a shojo manga, "Frog girl! Back me up here!"

"I don't know what side I'm on, ribbit." She shrugged nonchalantly.

Izuku put his hands together and bowed to her. "Thank you, Tsu. See, Kacchan, you don't have to worry abou– wh-wait what do you mean you don't know what side you're on?"

"Well you never told me about the monsters, I already knew about them, ribbit. So I didn't count. Bakugo saw them for himself because he was following you, so that wasn't your fault either. Yanagi is the first person you've actually told and I don't know if that's one strike, or three." Tsuyu recounted, holding a finger up to her chin.

"It's three!" Katsuki yelled in either triumph or rage, it was difficult to tell sometimes. "In your face!"

"But you told the old woman at the tool shop we were there for the tsukumogami! That's one strike for you too!"

"She already knew about them, asshole!"

"So did Tsu!"

They were getting nowhere fast. Katsuki gritted his teeth "That's not the same thing! You don't get to just spill everything to every weird girl who bats her eyelashes at you!"

Izuku flinched at the implication, but didn't back down. Instead, he squared his shoulders and took a step forward. "I wasn't spilling anything! I explained it to you already, her quirk could sense supernatural residue on me! Her headaches wouldn't go away until I explained everything to her!"

It wasn't the greatest cover in the history of covers, it's only saving grace being how difficult it would be to disprove. The lie would have to suffice, however, since Izuku had promised not to tell anyone else about Emily, or Yanagis quirklessness. That was one secret that wasn't his to tell.

"How the fuck does telekinesis do that?!" Katsuki fired back in disbelief.

"How the hell do I know?! Yanagis quirk just works that way, I guess." Izuku paused and tried to calm himself, rubbing his temples. "Can you say least meet her first, before you shoot this idea down? She could actually help us, you know."

"Yeah, help us get killed!" Katsuki's voice spiked. "You think your folks are just gonna let this slide when they find out you're dragging half the damn school into this?"

"She isn't fighting, she's just coming along." Izuku forced his voice to stay calm, but it was a struggle. "All she wants to do is see what we're doing, and if it's too much for her she'll back off. No harm, no foul."

Katsuki jabbed a finger in his face, "You can't promise that, Deku. If something happens to her, if she gets into danger, that's on you."

Izuku opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again, unable to find the words. The irritating thing was that Kacchan was right, at least a little. He really didn't want to drag anyone else into this, but the more he tried to keep people out, the more tangled everything seemed to get.

Tsuyu, still perched on the branch, looked between the two of them and raised her voice. "Have either of you thought that maybe Yanagi can handle herself, ribbit?" She pointedly said. "She isn't a child, she's a hero student just like us. If she wants to get involved then that's her decision, not any of ours."

His scowl deepening, Katsuki plunged his hands into his pockets, "I don't like this. You both know there's a full moon this week, and there's all that bullshit going on between the vampires and werewolves in the city…"

"How did you know about the problems with the council?" Izuku shook his head in surprise.

"Your mom tells me shit, alright?!"

Izuku ran a hand through his hair and sighed, "we'll be careful, okay Kacchan?" he said, his voice more controlled now. "I'll make sure she knows exactly what she's getting into, and if it seems like too much, she can walk away. I promise."

"You better mean that, because if things go sideways I'm not gonna be there to pull you out of the fire."

The argument seemed to be calming down now, but Izuku recognised he needed to steer the conversation in a different direction before things got heated again. "Listen, there was something else I wanted to bring up."

"Tch, what now?" Katsuki scoffed, "Is the school haunted?"

"N-no! What would make you think that?!" Izuku said, like a normal person. "I was thinking, actually, that we need a better place to meet up – like a secret hideout. You know, somewhere we can plan and regroup, without worrying about anyone hearing us."

Katsuki stopped mid-movement, his initial annoyance about the situation giving way to something else entirely. For the first time in his life, he looked excited about something that didn't involve blasting someone. "A secret hideout?! Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about! Why didn't you lead with that you stupid asshole?!"

"Wait, you… Like the idea?" Izuku blinked, completely taken aback by the shift in attitude. "I thought you were going to say it's dumb, or a waste of time!"

"A waste of time?! When has a hideout ever been a waste of time?!" Katsuki was practically bouncing with excitement, "We could set it up with training gear! Combat dummies!"

"A huge whiteboard!" Izuku added, clenching his fists.

"A wall covered in swords!"

"A library!"

"Surveillance systems!"

"A reading nook!"

Tsuyu, still sitting calmly on the branch of the tree, tilted her head and frowned at them both. "What would be the point? Ribbit. We can just meet at school, or one of our houses if we need to talk."

The two of them slowly turned towards her, their eyes widened in shock and confusion. Katsuki looked at her like she was completely insane, "What do you MEAN what's the point?! It's a secret hideout! Who doesn't want a secret hideout?!"

Izuku nodded enthusiastically, the excitement of the idea rekindled by how well-received it was by Kacchan. "It's every young hero's dream, Tsu! Not just for the cool factor, but a safe space where we can keep everything hidden and organised. We won't have to worry about anyone walking in on us, or overhearing something they shouldn't. A place all of our own… Where we can be free… And potentially play video games."

Blinking slowly, Tsuyu looked at them both like they'd grown an extra limb. "I've never really wanted a hideout, ribbit. It's easier to find a quiet spot to just sit and talk. I guess I don't see the appeal."

"God…" Katsuki narrowed his eyes at her, "It's like you never had a childhood."

Izuku laughed awkwardly, "Well, either way, we should at least find somewhere safe. If nothing else, it'll give us a place to work without distractions. It could be good for school assignments, too!"

"There's an old warehouse near the docks we could rig up! Or maybe an old abandoned subway station! There might even be a cave system under the park that nobody is using!" Katsuki said eagerly, before quietly adding, "The Bakucave…" picturing a sprawling network of tunnels, a huge indoor waterfall, extensive walkways and an enormous computer in the centre of the room.

Tsuyu shrugged, "Well, if it makes you both happy, I'll help. But I still think you're both being really dramatic about this, ribbit."

Izuku beamed, "Thanks Tsu. It'll be great, I promise! In fact, I already have a great location picked out."

—

"Well, here it is!" Izuku announced proudly, spreading his arms wide and leading Tsuyu, Kacchan and Reiko into the new hideout.

It was an eventful journey to the spot, taking his friends down a winding, dimly lit alley near his apartment, stopping at an intriguing and, some might say, evocative, maintenance corridor. The paint peeled off the walls, like it was a mystical tomb filled with secrets, and the scent of damp in the air only made the trip that much more exciting! Now all that stood between them and their future… was a single door and a rusty padlock.

Katsuki eyed the entrance with disdain. "Deku, I swear to god, if this doesn't lead to some kind of underground fortress, the only hideout you'll be spending any time in will be your burial plot."

"I'll be happy if there's even enough space to sit, ribbit," Tsuyu said with a slight smile, trying to be positive despite the grim surroundings. Reiko followed behind quietly, feeling a small sense of triumph just for being included in the group's escapade.

"It's better than it looks, I swear! Just keep an open mind," Izuku assured them, fishing a bent hairpin from his pocket. He knelt down and fiddled with the lock, his eyes focused in determined concentration. A few seconds later, there was a click. "See? Easy."

Izuku pushed the door open, revealing a set of narrow stairs that creaked ominously with every step. The group descended cautiously until they reached the bottom, where he flicked on a light, and a dim bulb sputtered to life.

The room was... well, calling it a "basement" was generous. The low ceiling was slick with condensation, drips forming tiny puddles on the uneven concrete floor. Rusted metal shelves lined one wall, cluttered with dusty tools and broken equipment that looked like they'd been abandoned decades ago. A single lightbulb dangled from above, flickering as though it might give up at any second.

"Well? What do you think?!" Izuku asked eagerly, beaming with pride just as a ceiling tile crashed to the floor beside him.

Katsuki narrowed his eyes at the room. "Deku," he said, his voice unsettlingly calm, "I'm going to kill you."

"Okay, listen!" Izuku put his hands up defensively and backed into the room, "I know it's a little bit of a fixer-upper, but no one ever comes down here! They lost the key years ago, and the building manager doesn't even bother maintaining it anymore. It's perfect for privacy, it just needs a little love and care!"

Reiko pointed to a corner of the room, and asked, "Where does that door lead?"

"Oh uh, don't open that door. It's load bearing."

Katsuki let out an incredulous laugh, "A little love and care?! We'd need a bulldozer and a miracle to fix this shithole!"

"There are spider webs everywhere," Tsuyu said, sniffing the air, "And it smells funny."

Izuku's shoulders slumped slightly as he struggled to find a way to sell the idea. He turned to Yanagi, hoping for some support. "What do you think, Yanagi? I know it's not much,"

Reiko, still looking around with a thoughtful expression, nodded slowly. "I think it's… nice," she said softly, her tone sincere. "It feels… secret, like something only we know about. That's kind of special, don't you think?"

Katsuki's eyebrow twitched. "Nice? Are you blind, or just insane?"

"I've never had a secret base before, so I don't really know what they're supposed to look like." She replied.

Grateful for any level of optimism, no matter how minor, Izuku's excitement was renewed. "Yeah, exactly! We can clean it up, put in some lights, bring in some chairs and tables! If we keep working at it, it could be something really amazing."

"Um, well…" Tsuyu nodded slowly, seeming to come around – at least partially. "I guess we could at least sweep, ribbit."

The three looked at Katsuki , Tsuyu raising her eyebrows in a "come on, get involved" gesture, while he stood there scowling. Eventually, he relented. "...Fuckin fine! But if you idiots are dead set on this, then we're doing it my way! Starting with getting rid of every nasty-ass thing in here."

As the four of them set about planning how to transform the basement, the room still looked a far cry from the grand hideout they had envisioned. Diligently they all got to work, wiping down walls, moving the old rusty furniture out the way and dusting away the cobwebs.

Despite all the mess, Izuku could already picture it fully realised: Lights strung across the ceiling, a grand table in the middle of the room for planning their adventures, some cool artwork on the walls to give the space some character. He looked at his friends, all pitching in, and felt a swell in his chest.

"Hey, guys," he said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Since we're making this place our own, we should have a name for the team! Something cool, you know? Like… like 'The Spooky Squad' or something!"

"I like it, ribbit."

"Absolutely not!" Katsuki snapped, "There is no way I am being part of a group called The Spooky Squad!"

Reiko put her hand out and nodded, "The Spooky Squad."

With a grin, Izuku and Tsuyu put their hands on top of hers, "The Spooky Squad!"

"God damn it." Katsuki huffed.