Izuku tugged the strap of his backpack a little tighter around his arm. He took a deep breath as he looked up into the night sky. A small amount of mist escaped his lips as he exhaled. Tonight had been a NIGHTMARE.

He stood outside of his best friend's house taking a few minutes to regain his sanity. Exams were coming up. Tensions were running high. Katsuki had swallowed his pride and had begged Izuku to help him cram as much information on math as he possibly could.

Izuku idly prodded at the bandage on his face. Katsuki had grown so irritated at one of the problems that he accidentally unleashed a small burst of his Quirk. The shrapnel from Katsuki's table had scratched Izuku's face, thankfully missing his eyes.

Unfortunately, the explosion had garnered the attention of Katsuki's mother. She was… not pleased. Katsuki and his mother started a giant argument about how careless he had been to slip up like that. About how Izuku could have been seriously hurt by the slip up. How Izuku was only at the house and risked injury because Katsuki had been neglecting his responsibilities.

It was an endless explosive argument. Katsuki being Katsuki, butted heads with his mother. They hurled insults after insults at one another. It was incredibly awkward for Izuku to sit there and listen to the two. The two hotheaded individuals had been so distracted with one another, that they didn't even notice Izuku slip away to the bathroom to bandage the cuts on his face.

Izuku didn't even want to imagine how much worse things would have been if Katsuki's dad was there as well. Katsuki's dad perfectly played the role of a disappointed parental figure whenever he wished to. The man knew how to make someone feel guilty.

Izuku reached into his hoodie pocket, pulling out his phone to check for any messages. There were no notifications. His finger hovered over the messaging option for his mother. He paused for a moment. She told him to text her when he was on the way home. It was late, late enough that his mother likely already had dinner.

"I can grab a bento box from a convenience store on the way back…" Izuku muttered to himself before he pocketed his phone. The All Might and Mirko keychains on his backpack jingled as he moved away from the front door of the house.

Izuku took a few steps away from the front door, only to pause as he heard rapid movement from behind the drape-covered window in front of the house. The drapes were swiftly pulled aside, Katsuki opening the window to his living room.

"Izuku! Wait!"

Izuku stepped towards the open window, with a sigh, as Katsuki casually leaned on the windowsill.

"Katsuki…" Izuku warily replied.

Izuku wanted the night to just be over at this point. It was getting late and the routine Bakugo household brawl had fiercely exhausted him.

Katsuki awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, hesitating to meet Izuku's gaze, before finally looking at him with a sigh.

"I fucked up. Sorry about your face and you know…" Katsuki subtly pointed his thumb behind himself where Izuku could hear the television loudly playing some type of drama.

"It's fine, it's fine. A few scratches won't keep me down. What type of future hero would I be if a splinter made me cry?" Izuku wryly grinned as he tried to brush off just how awkward the entire night had been.

Katsuki grinned, "One hell of a shit hero. Right, Deku?"

Deku…

It had been a while since Katsuki had brought up that particular nickname. The last time Izuku had heard him call him that was probably back in early middle school. They were in their final year of high school now.

Izuku's Quirk wasn't nearly as useful as his mom's ability to attract small objects or his deceased father's ability to breathe fire. Their union had resulted in Izuku manifesting the Quirk he simply labeled as Heat Attraction.

Izuku's Quirk allowed him to absorb a finite amount of heat from things he directly touched. At a glance, his Quirk might seem impressive, however it came with a massive downside. It turns out the human body is really bad at managing excess heat. His body temperature increases with the amount of heat he absorbs, effectively putting him on a clock.

Katsuki had thought Izuku's Quirk had been worthless years ago when they were much younger. That lasted until an angry Izuku made the discovery he could use his Quirk on people. It turns out Izuku's Quirk was an effective counter to Katsuki's own Quirk.

Katsuki needed to sweat to gain access to his nitroglycerin-like sweat from his Quirk to cause his explosions. All Izuku had to do was to touch Katsuki long enough to lower Katsuki's core body temperature below the average range of 97F (36.1C) so he could no longer sweat at all.

The only problem was Izuku tended to put him nearly into moderate hypothermia range at 90F (32.2C) whenever he did absorb Katsuki's core body temperature. In doing so, he also put himself into heat stroke range at 104F (40C). Heat stroke was bad, very bad, but it was worth the delirium and potential vomiting to ruin Katsuki's day whenever he was being a jackass.

Izuku could roughly gauge when he was near that threshold thanks to some type of natural safety mechanism within his Quirk. It was just far too easy to reach the edge of that line. He had given himself a seizure when he had first discovered he could use his Quirk on another person. Izuku had to spend time recovering in the hospital under the watchful eye of a doctor with a medical Quirk. His mom had not been thrilled. Katsuki's mom had been livid.

His Quirk was technically combat capable. Enough so that he was going to at least attempt to get into heroics. He figured he could always become a sidekick or a rescue hero if things didn't work out. Katsuki could carry around his sorry ass when he inevitably puts himself into a coma or gives himself seizures by absorbing more heat than he should.

Izuku's mom wasn't happy with his decision. She didn't support his dream of becoming a hero, worried that he was going to live fast and die young with his Quirk. He didn't blame her for worrying, yet it still hurt him to not have her fully support his decision. His mom was terrified of losing him, especially since she already lost Izuku's father.

Izuku pulled himself out of his thoughts, "I don't think U.A. Academy would want a future hero who cries the second they get a splinter. That's for sure. Plus Ultra! You're supposed to push beyond your limits and all that."

Katsuki smirked, "Just think. If you did start crying about those cuts on your face, you could change the cheer. Ultra Pussy!" He mockingly cheered.

Izuku shook his head with a sigh, did his best friend really have to be that crude?

"Shut up. Make sure to set your alarm tonight or you'll sleep through the start of the exams."

Izuku did everything he could to give Katsuki a fair chance at doing well on the math portion of the exams. It would be up to his best friend to actually show up and test well.

Katsuki scoffed, "Way ahead of you. I've set two."

He hesitated for a few moments before calmly speaking, "Hey, are you sure you don't want to spend the night tonight? It's late. My mom won't mind. My dad's going to be home in an hour or so too. You know he's been wanting to watch that one movie with you…"

Was Katsuki worried about him? It wasn't that late. The moon was nice and bright. It was easy to see where he was going. Home was only twenty or so minutes away. He'd be fine. Besides, he didn't really want to spend the night at Katsuki's before an important test anyways.

"I'm sure. Thank you for asking though. Hey, Kacchan…"

"Deku," Katsuki nodded at him once, acknowledging the old nickname.

Izuku smiled at his best friend, "You'll pass. I know you will."

Katsuki shrugged, "Duh. Math is my only weakness and you just spent the last five hours melting my brain with it. If I fail after all of that, I might as well do a swan dive off a roof."

Izuku frowned, "Don't say that! If you don't get into U.A. this year, just try again. Keep practicing! If you keep failing, well… I'd be proud to have you as my sidekick!"

Katsuki's response was immediate.

Katsuki flipped him off, "Fuck off. Good night, stay safe. Don't forget your alarm either."

"Night."

Izuku turned away from the window as Katsuki closed it behind him. He hoped they would both pass their exams. Their grades would heavily influence their acceptance into U.A. Academy. The best hero school in the country did not let in irresponsible under performers. If an individual could not even bother with their academic grades, it spoke enough about their sense of responsibility.

Izuku mentally reviewed some of the math problems he studied as he walked towards the direction of his home. He was still going to stop to buy a bento box or two first before texting his mother. She'd probably appreciate it if he left her a bento box to take to work tomorrow.

Izuku silently walked down the well illuminated sidewalk, lost in his thoughts. He was nearly at the convenience store, at around the half-way point of his walk, when something broke him out of his stupor.

He thought he heard something…

Without warning, the street light he was next to immediately had its bulb partially shatter. His eyes widened, as he hurried to grab his phone from his hoodie pocket. His instincts were screaming at him that something was wrong.

Someone reached out from the alleyway he stopped by, seizing the hand he put into his pocket to grab his phone with. Izuku's assailant rapidly pulled him into the obscured ally, using Izuku's confusion to gain an advantage against him.

Izuku's assailant shoved him against the alleyway wall, hard. The attacker wore a balaclava underneath a black hood. He forced his arm against Izuku's chest as he pressed him against the wall. The attacker's free hand held a crowbar, angled for a swift strike towards Izuku's head if he presumably resisted.

"Wallet and phone, freak lover."

Words spoken without remorse, without hesitation. This clearly was not his mugger's first attack on someone. Was it in Izuku's best interests to comply? There was no telling what the mugger might do if he did or didn't comply. Not to mention the fact the attack seemed targeted given the insult.

Considering the mugger was currently physically touching him, he could use his Quirk on his attacker. Doing so came with several risks. Was his attacker even alone? Would he be able to fight off his attacker if he gives the man hypothermia while simultaneously plunging himself into potential heat stroke delirium?

The mugger was carrying a crowbar, which implied he had further criminal plans. Someone didn't just carry a crowbar for the fun of it. He was likely going to break-in somewhere. The heroic thing to do would be to damn the consequences and use his Quirk on the mugger to hopefully subdue him before he could begin a crime spree. Yet, that might put Izuku's health at risk to the point he wouldn't be able to do the test for U.A.

But it was the heroic thing to do.

The heroic thing.

Izuku took a sharp breath as he activated his Quirk. He was dealing with a genuine villain. One who was likely about to break into a house or somewhere else before he spotted Izuku. Izuku had to have looked like a weak enough target to the villain for him to take a chance on stealing from him first.

Within seconds, the man before him began to shiver as his core temperature rapidly dropped. Izuku began to sweat as a massive fever assaulted his senses with the rapid growth of his own core temperature.

"What… are you… doing?" The mugger slurred as he clumsily raised the crowbar.

Izuku's breathing grew rapid and shallow as the world around him began to spin. He launched himself forward, shoving his shoulder and elbow into the torso of the mugger. As the mugger stumbled backwards, Izuku thought he saw something blur near the entrance of the trash bag filled alleyway.

A blur of yellow.

Was it the heat stroke? Was he seeing things? Did his attacker have backup?

A person moved swiftly towards them.

Metal glinted under the illumination of the partially destroyed streetlight lighting the alleyway. As a girl rushed towards Izuku's assailant.

A girl dressed in a student's uniform charged forward, both her hands gripping a pocket knife as she launched herself into the side of Izuku's assailant. While the knife dug into the attacker's side, Izuku barely managed to pry the crowbar from the hypothermic man's grasp. He swung the crowbar without thinking, lost in the moment under the influence of his fever.

He heard the sickening sound of the man's skull crack as blood splattered all over the trash filled alleyway. The villain twitched as he fell backwards against the trash bags within the alley, stilling.

The mugger's blood from his head wound had splashed all over Izuku's clothing. The female student, in a uniform he did not recognize, seemed to have equally been covered in blood splatter from Izuku's swing.

The crowbar fell limply from Izuku's hand as he panted, trying to catch his breath in midst of his heat stroke symptoms. It took a few moments for Izuku to process what he had just done. His gaze fell upon the still form of the mugger lying against the pile of trash bags.

Izuku covered his mouth with his blood soaked hand, fighting the urge to vomit as the world spun around him. Did he… Did he just?

The female student moved over to the still form of the mugger, kicking him in the side.

He didn't move.

The girl happily turned towards him, the blood covered knife glinting under the dim light, as she smiled, "Good swing!~"

Blood splatter coated her face. The sleeves of her uniform were stained alongside her hands, coated in the blood of the criminal from when she had stabbed the man with her pocket knife.

She licked her lips, some of the blood splatter near her lips disappearing.

Her face contorted in disgust, "Ew."

"W-wha…" Izuku could hardly process what had just occurred.

He just killed a man.

He killed a man.

The girl took a step towards him, muttering to herself, "I need to get that disgusting taste out of my mouth…"

"Hey! Help me!~"

Without warning, the girl grabbed him by his shoulders before reaching up. She pulled his head down, her lips approaching his.

Izuku was too overwhelmed to resist, to question.

Without any hesitation, the girl bit into Izuku's lips. Her sharp teeth pierced deeply into the soft flesh of his lips. A mix of blood and saliva filled both their mouths. Izuku could feel her tongue probe against his wounded lip.

She pulled away after a few moments, a trail of saliva separating from their lips.

She smiled at him, licking her lips, breaking the trail of saliva.

"Much, much, better! You're super warm!"

Izuku stumbled back, leaning against the alleyway wall unsteadily.

"We should do this again sometime. Being an accomplice is fun!"

An accomplice. That's right… She was his accomplice. He murdered someone.

He murdered someone…

"What do I do?" He was panicking.

The world was spinning. He was sweating. He was hot, far too hot.

The girl ignored his plight, turning her attention back towards the corpse. She crouched down, digging through the pockets of the mugger. After some searching, she pulled out a wallet, keys, and what looked to be four small disposable auto-injectors of some sort.

She cheerfully hummed as she pocketed the wallet and keys.

"W-we have to call the police… It was self-defense…" Izuku muttered.

His "accomplice" tapped her chin, "That would be a whooooole big mess. Why do you want to call the police? Don't tell me… Do you want to be a hero?"

She giggled into her blood covered sleeves, "Don't be silly!~ People like us can't be heroes. We're all alone. All alone!~"

Izuku was on the verge of a breakdown, as he did his best to keep himself from vomiting, "Y-you're wrong!"

She shook her head, "Heroes don't kill people. We killed someone, together. If you want to be a hero, you can never be known to be a killer, right? I'll help you deal with the body. He wasn't a good person anyway. I've been following him around. Sorry I wasn't faster!~"

She stood up, skipping over to Izuku. She held one of the small auto-injectors, wiggling it in his face to show him the device, "See this? Right here, near the top!"

It was hard for him to focus, but he was able to see what she was pointing to. Near the top of the injector was the symbol of a skull. He vaguely recognized the icon.

"CRC?" He muttered.

"Yeah! Those anti-mutant people! They don't just give these babies to anybody. He was connected to them somehow!" She wiggled the injector again.

"Do you even know what that is?" Izuku mumbled.

"I do!~ This isn't my first time taking down one of these idiots. They're total larpers. I bet this guy has his black robes and edgy mask at home."

Izuku listlessly looked down at the injector in her hand, his thoughts too much of a jumbled mess to come to an immediate conclusion on what it was.

"Someone needs a pick-me-up!~"

Without any warning she lifted the auto-injector, stabbing it into the side of his neck. In a fluid motion, she lifted another one of the injectors towards her own neck.

"Trigger!~"

Izuku's heart felt as if it were trying to escape the confines of his chest. His head began to throb in pain, causing him to reach for his temples as he collapsed against the wall he was leaning on. He felt as if he was on the verge of a seizure, the safety mechanism of his Quirk screaming at him.

Then all of a sudden, without warning, a serene calm enshrouded Izuku. He could feel his Quirk reacting strangely to the environment around him. Instead of remaining within the realm of heat stroke, Izuku's core body temperature began to lower as he ambiently absorbed the cold evening air within close proximity to him.

He could no longer feel the natural safety mechanism of his Quirk. It felt as if he could absorb as much thermal energy as he wished. He felt giddy, excited, as each beat of his heart spread more Trigger into his bloodstream. He felt powerful, unstoppable.

His gaze fell upon the girl near him. He knew without a doubt that if he touched her, he could completely drain the heat out of her body until she died. Izuku had to fight off the sudden mania that gripped him. Trigger's high was dangerous.

Izuku quietly stared at the girl in front of him as she hugged herself tightly. She was muttering nonsense under her breath rapidly as her shoulders shook. After a few moments of shaking in place, she released a quiet whine.

She panted, "T-that stuff is dangerous... But look at this!"

She rapidly started to change in front of him, her body and outfit reshaping into that of a familiar sight. The female student coated in blood, changed into the mirror image of the R-Rated Hero: Midnight.

Midnight's white costume tightly hugged her curves, the mirror image speaking exactly with her voice, "My… My… What a naughty hero!~"

A part of him freaked out at the sight of Midnight standing in front of him, even though she was a fake. She had managed to perfectly copy Midnight's dangerously sultry voice.

She stuck her tongue out at him as she spoke, "I can use her Quirk too, but it's way weaker. As much fun as it would be to play more as Midnight… I think I should try something more useful."

A moment passed before the form of Midnight began to contort. Within a few seconds, Endeavor stood before him in the blood soaked alleyway.

The number two hero struck a goofy pose, holding his left hand up to cover his masked left eye, "I'll burn this world to ash! Hellflame!"

She casually tossed a small ball of fire at the corpse. The body began to burn alongside the trash bags.

Izuku began to panic, afraid that someone would notice the smoke. He moved closer to the burning corpse, doing his best to control the heat without letting the flame grow out of control.

The false Endeavor cupped his own face with both of his hands as he wiggled in place, "This is the best!~"

The corpse slowly burnt to ash and fragmented bone as the false Endeavor stood at Izuku's side.

The false Endeavor tapped his shoulder, a maniacal grin on his face, "Take your hoodie off, we're going to burn it. You'll need to check the rest of your clothes for blood later. Don't toss them at home if they are stained."

It only took a blink for Izuku to realize why his hoodie needed to be burned. It was coated in blood. Coated in evidence of his crime. The girl before him seemed far too experienced in this sort of thing.

He hastily pulled it off, taking a second to free his phone from his hoodie to place it into his pocket. He tossed the hoodie towards the feet of the false hero. His hoodie was soon covered in flame.

The fake hero looked around his surroundings once more before his form shifted. A new person, one Izuku was far too familiar with, stood facing him. It was a mirror image of himself.

"I wonder what your Quirk can-"

The mirror image of himself froze in place. A heartbeat passed before the clone raised its hands up to cover its mouth. It looked like his clone was just about to vomit.

His clone's form shifted back into the female student.

She collapsed against the wall by his side, breathing heavily as she started to sweat, "I think I almost passed out. Too much heat. Way too much. I couldn't stop it."

It looked like her Quirk had a weakness based on her words. Her control over whatever form's powers she copied was basic at best. It seemed like she didn't have the boost he received for his Quirk through Trigger either, considering she didn't just cool her core body temperature.

Izuku tapped her side, cooling her body temperature by absorbing some of her core heat.

She scooted closer to him, leaning shoulder to shoulder against him as they sat together, "Thank you. Hey, we're partners now, right? We're in this together. I helped you clean up this mess so you can pretend to be a hero. There's still a tiny bit more to clean up, but I can take care of the rest. This can stay our little secret!~"

Izuku took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he leaned against the alleyway wall. He didn't know how to feel anymore. The high from Trigger was joyous, yet the rational and logical part of him knew he shouldn't be feeling as happy as he was at the moment. His feelings were artificial, altered by the drug flowing through his veins.

Izuku looked down at the alleyway floor as he muttered, "I guess we are…"

She looked tired, but happy, "Ah, here. You might need this later. Let me see your phone!~"

With those words she casually handed him one of the two remaining auto-injector syringes filled with Trigger.

Izuku warily pocketed the narcotic as he reached into his pants pocket to pull out his phone. The girl pulled her own phone out, happily pressing her phone against his. The physical contact of the two phones initiated a transfer of contact information.

She stared down at her phone, a wide fanged smile bloomed on her face, "It's nice to meet you, Izuku Midoriya. I'm Himiko Toga. We're going to be the best of friends!~"


An: It's back with some changes.