"Man… My stomach nearly shot out of my throat…"

That was what Midoriya groaned as he, alongside Shinso and Mina, made the trek to the nearby train station. She held a sympathetic smile, patting his shoulder. Though, it was clear she was holding back some form of laughter. Shinso tossed out snark to break the thin barrier. "Yeah, but you accepted your fate halfway through." His eyes widened. "It started with shock." His face turned flat. "But then, you were like, 'Aw, well'…"

It was super effective. "Bwahahahahaha!" She shook her head, giggling. "I can totally see it!"

"That was you," jabbed Midoriya.

Shinso shook his head. "Nope. I was screaming the whole way down. The whole way."

"Yeah… Midoriya was too busy straddling a table to hear that," said Mina.

Shinso coughed, "Do what to a huh?"

Midoriya spun. "Hey! I was not… s-straddling anything. I was on a table."

Mina put her hands up in surrender.

"Did the table enjoy it?" asked Shinso.

"E-Enjoy i-it!?" stammered out Midoriya as his face turned bright red.

She reached over and smacked Shinso's shoulder. "HEY! Stop it! We're not there yet! You can't say that!"

"Aw, shit, sorry."

Midoriya covered his face with his hands, shaking his head.

Mina crossed her arms. "Look at you did!"

"Turned a broccoli into a tomato." Shinso shrugged, "You know, they called that alchemy back in the day."

Midoriya's voice was muffled by his hands. "Alchemy's about altering base metals and states of matter, you idiot…"

She nudged him. "You would know."

As they neared the steps of the station, they heard the tell-tale screech of the arriving train. "Oh, crap, that's our train!" cried Shinso.

"Go, go, go!" shouted Mina as the trio broke into a sprint.

Smiles were painted on their faces as they leapt through the doors, chuckling between pants.

"Phew… That would've been annoying," said Shinso.

Mina giggled, "Yeah…"

After a moment of silence, Midoriya added, "This is the right train, though? Right?"

Shinso and Mina's faces contorted, "Uh…"

"What train are we on?" questioned Midoriya as, almost on queue, the station's automated PA told everyone to stand out of the way of the closing doors.

The pair of them started to spin around, looking for some sign. "Uh! Um… Uh…"

Shinso cried, "We're good!" He pointed to a sign on the wall as the doors closed. "That's the right train number."

"Don't scare us like that!" said Mina, punching Midoriya's shoulder.

"S-Sorry. We didn't exactly check on the way up."

"How many stops are you guys anyway?" asked Shinso.

Midoriya's face contorted, "Three, pretty sure?"

"Yeppers," said Mina.

"You?" offered Midoriya to Shinso.

"Second."

"It's really nice being so close to home for these internships," said Mina. "I'd hate having to travel all the way back to Shiketsu everyday."

"Speaking of home, how is the… week-long sleepover going?" asked Shinso with a slight smirk.

That went undetected as Midoriya answered, "Uh… well, I guess." He smiled as a twinkle entered his eyes. "I got to experiment with Ashido's acid!"

"H-Had a feeling with those cryo-gauntlets," said Shinso.

A coo escaped Midoriya's lips. "That's a good name." He rubbed his chin. "But… maybe more like… cryo-climbers? CCs?"

"Closed captions?" raised Shinso.

Midoriya sucked his teeth. "Well… now I don't like it."

"Cryo-grabbers?" offered Mina, flexing her hands in a 'grabbing' fashion.

Midoriya and Shinso's faces contorted, "Eh…"

"Cryo-grippers?"

Midoriya shook his head. "No."

"Absolutely not," said Shinso. "Sounds like a feet thing really."

Mina tilted her head. "Cryo-Scalers?"

Shinso and Midoriya shared a look, humming, "Hm…" before breaking into a series of nods. "Yeah, yeah, yeah…"

"That's not bad," said Shinso.

Midoriya nodded, "I like it – I dig it." They looked at him. He conceded, "I'm sorry. I won't say that again."

The train slowed to a stop, opening its doors for a time, before they slid shut and began moving once again.

"It is a bit weird…" said Mina. "The week-long sleepover." She chuckled, scratching her cheek. "It's almost like I've moved in…"

"You technically have," said Midoriya. "My Mom loves the company. She's happy with it; I'm happy with it."

"Mama's boy…" jabbed Shinso.

Midoriya turned, "Well, I can't exactly be the alternative, can I?"

Mina exploded, "Ha-ha-ha!"

Turning away, Shinso buried his laughter underneath his hand.

"You know, I didn't realize I could win conversations, but hanging out with you guys, it feels real easy," muttered Izuku. Much like their laughter, the train came to an eventual stop. Shinso bid his farewells and left a duo to ride off into the night. Mina found a seat while Midoriya leaned against a wall beside her. "Ashido, can I ask you a question?"

"Uh, yeah?" she replied. "So, serious…"

"Why are you staying over?" asked Midoriya. "You wanted to figure out what was going on between Kaminari and me, and… I'm not telling. So…"

"Why am I sticking around?" she finished.

He pushed off the wall and found one of the poles in the aisle. "If you don't mind me asking, of course…"

"I…" Her head fell a bit. "I don't mind. It's, uh… kinda… dumb." She sighed, "But… when you disappeared… that day—the Sports Festival, we didn't know what happened to you…"

Midoriya's head drooped, "I'm sorry about that…"

"Woah! No, no, no, no," exclaimed Mina, waving her hands and shaking her head. "That wasn't your fault. You don't have to apologize for that." A small smile drew across her face. "It made me realize how little I know you… And, you're my friend… I should know more… At least, that's what I thought." She forced a chuckle. "Must seem pretty weird…"

Midoriya took beside her. "It's… new… Definitely a first." He shrugged, "But, it goes both ways… I don't know a lot about you either – not really."

"Y-Yeah… it does, doesn't it?"

"Well, you know what my hobbies are—"

Mina smirked, "Acting like a little kid in a candy shop when someone let's you analyze their Quirk?"

"In fewer words, yes," he laughed awkwardly. "But, uh, what about you?"

Mina smiled, almost wistfully. "Dancing. I love dancing. Break-dancing in particular, I love the energy – how it feels." She asked, "You dance Midoriya?"

"No. Never," he replied flatly.

"What?" she gasped. "No way! Not even DDR or something?"

Midoriya's eyes shifted away, almost off to the side. He came back, answering, "Arcades aren't good for me."

"What was—" She cut off her own thought process. "I could teach you."

"Uh… sure, if you want… I guess," he said.

Her hand fell onto his arm, shaking him. "I could teach you."

"I feel like… I may not have completely considered what I signed up for…"

Mina looked him in the eyes, smiling, "I could teach you." She pointed at him. "No take-backs."

"Definitely didn't," said Midoriya, which earned a chuckle from her.

-XXX-

Midoriya Inko pushed open the door, struggling with bags of groceries in her hands. "Need a hand?" asked Izuku from the living room. She stepped deeper to see her son trying to escape his friend. "Let me lend you two!"

Ashido frowned, aiming a finger at his back. "Midoriya!" Her other hand fell on her hip as she walked after him. "This is only a reprieve!"

"Give me a break~," he groaned.

"Hi, Ms. Inko!" she greeted with a smile.

Inko smiled as the two took the weight out of her hands. "Hello, Ashido. Thank you both." She looked between the two. "Um, what's going on?"

Izuku deflated as Ashido coughed, "I'm, uh, teaching Midoriya how to dance."

They all walked towards the kitchen. "Oh!" Inko asked, "Is it going well?"

"No," said Izuku.

"Yes," said Ashido.

They shared a look.

Izuku said, "Yes."

Ashido said, "No."

"It…" Izuku sucked in a breath. "-is going."

Inko giggled, doing her best to frown. "Oh, no."

"It's fine." Ashido lifted her chin high. "It's just… Well, I like challenge."

"Didn't realize challenge was synonymous to torture," murmured Izuku as they dropped off the bags.

Ashido rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be a baby."

"No. Me calling it torture means something," countered Izuku.

Inko shot a look between both of them. "Izuku, Mina!"

"S-Sorry, Mom."

"Sorry, Ms. Inko…"

Inko shook her head. "You should both take a break. A student isn't going to learn much when they're frustrated." She wagged her finger "And Izuku, she's helping you learn something. Don't be rude." Her hands found her hips. "Now, apologize to each other."

"Sorry, Midoriya."

"I'm sorry, Ashido."

Inko nodded, "Good."

"So, um, what's for dinner tonight, Ms. Inko?" asked Ashido as they began to open the bags.

"Well, I was thinking we could have salmon tonight!" beamed Inko as she held up a set of packaged fillets.

Ashido cooed, "Ooh~."

Inko nodded as she emptied out her bag. She didn't need to look up to know. "We can't have pork every night, Izuku."

He coughed, "I-I… I… uh, didn't say anything."

Ashido chuckled at that. "Do you cook every night, Ms. Inko?" She joked, "Or am I just that special?"

"Well, I try to keep my skills sharp," was her answer. "But, you know, nowadays, takeout's cheaper… The only shame for us is that the only thing nearby are convenience stores. Which, is still good tasting, but not as nice as a restaurant and certainly not like something you cook yourself."

"The hard work makes it tastier," said Ashido.

Inko nodded vehemently, "Yes! It does!"

"You cook a lot, Ashido?" asked Izuku.

Ashido blinked for a moment before nodding, "Y-Yeah, for my little brother and me… Ever since I could reach the stove." She returned, "You?"

"She doesn't let me help her now," teased Izuku. "She doesn't want me to know anything."

"Now, that isn't true," said Inko, smacking his shoulder. "I just… I get so worried. Just seeing him holding a knife stresses me out." She turned to place some items in the fridge. "Oh! That reminds me. I saw an article with Mount-Lady and Kamui Woods." She turned back around and she noticed that Ashido's face seemed a bit… stressed? "I saw you and Shinso, and… Izuku… was the one in green you?"

"Yeah…" he admitted. "That was a crazy day… Luckily, I was able to stay out of it."

Inko took a deep breath, patting his shoulder. "Good. That's good to hear." She looked to Ashido. "What about you? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"No, I didn't," she said. "It was pretty scary."

"Did you get a chance to call your parents?"

Ashido blinked, "About what?"

"About that… day… I mean…"

She shrugged, "I mean I wasn't hurt or anything. So, it doesn't really deserve a call." Her head dropped a bit, hiding her features behind her bangs. "Not to mention, they're working all day – only days off are usually on the weekends, so they couldn't pick up even if I did."

"Oh…"

Ashido looked up, shaking her head. "S-Sorry, that was… T-M-I."

Inko's face contorted, turning to her son. "T…"

"Too much information," he whispered.

"Oh, no! It's fine," defended Inko. "I'm honestly very happy you're comfortable sharing with us. Means we've been good hosts."

Izuku nodded, "I would hope so – I've been sleeping on the floor."

At that moment, Inko thought that was a jab at Ashido, but when she started giggling, Inko held back her scolding.

"Right." Ashido was smiling again. "How's your neck?"

He rubbed his neck, rolling his shoulders. "Stiff, honestly." He recalled, "Woke up with my face on my phone – thankfully, I wasn't drooling."

"Oh, no! That would've been such a pain!" she laughed.

"I know. The pit in my stomach was deep before I realized I hadn't."

Ashido giggled at that.

Inko clapped her hands. "Okay, well, that's everything!" She looked between them. "Thank you both. You two can wait in the living room. I'll get these fillets marinating before I get changed."

"No problem, Ms. Inko."

"If you need a hand, just call," offered Izuku.

Inko nodded, "Of course." She took a breath, watching them plop themselves down in the living room. "She's so sweet… And they seem to be good friends…" Seeing them sit next to each other on the couch brought a sense of ease to Inko. Her head rose a little higher that night as if a weight had left her shoulders.

-XXX-

A train rumbled overhead as it left the station. He had grown so accustomed to it these past few nights that couldn't imagine one without them. Hosu City was so different from his hometown. A part of him wished he could return to it, but he knew better. He couldn't go home – not until he made up for it. He refers to it as the 'incident' in his head. In a way, it was a reduction, but he wouldn't be able to cope otherwise.

The Incident was about two months ago. He was a young, up-and-coming, rookie Hero: Native. His true name was Setsuno Ken and he became a Hero to hopefully find his cousin who had gone missing. His Quirk was Tracking: by touching the target, any object thrown from that hand will follow the target, maintaining momentum until making contact. The longer the touch; the firmer the tracking. Through, had grown accustomed to utilizing leather baseballs, handcuffs… throwing daggers… and… tomahawks to fit his look.

It was a thief he had caught, stopping him outside of a convenience store. However, the villain had a Quirk, made his hands hot – like an oven. Burned Native harsh enough to make his escape, but the Hero managed to catch the thief's leg. His Tracking had a firm lock or… maybe his mind was so hazed by the burns on his chest, he only thought so. He threw his axe and it followed the target until the villain took a sharp turn down an alleyway. The momentum didn't drop off enough – not in time.

"It was an accident," he claimed. "Why hadn't she run away earlier?" he questioned. He rationalized, "It wasn't my fault." Though, such a statement felt like bile on his tongue. In the end, it was kept quiet – swept under the rug. In exchange, he'd pay reparations to her family and her medical bills. Though, he planned to do that anyway.

After that, he gave up the daytime patrols in exchange for late nights: less people; less collateral. While he didn't see as much as action as he had in the past, he still felt useful. Like the lives and property he was protecting balanced the scales against his misdeed. Confidence and contentment were slowly finding a place in his heart.

"Oh, my!" he heard. "Are you… Well, you must be!" It was a handsome man about as old as him, crossing the lifeless street. "The Hero: Native!" The man was well-dressed: slacks, dress-shoes, a white button-up with a black tie, and a blazer draped over his arm – more than likely an office worker who had enjoying a late night.

"Yes, I am." Native chuckled, "You haven't drunk too much tonight, have you?"

The man sighed, "No… I lost the draw tonight. Had to play the babysitter."

"Managed to get everyone home?"

"Just barely," the man chuckled. "But, uh, I was really hoping – ah well… my girlfriend is a big fan. I was hoping to get a video for her?"

Native smiled, considering it. "Oh, well…" He eventually nodded, "Sure, it's been a slow night."

The man bowed his head. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!" He pulled out his phone in hand and opened his jacket-covered arm to the Hero. "Come on in." Native stepped forward as a light and the screen lit up, showing his and the man's faces. "Okay, her name is Izumi."

"Izumi… that's the same name as…" He shook away the thought. "Um, hello, Izumi! It's Native and I'm here with your boyfriend."

"You're right, sweetie! He does look handsome up close," laughed the man.

Native chuckled awkwardly.

The man whispered, "Hey." He nudged the Hero. "You should apologize while you're at it."

"F-For what?" asked Native.

His smile disappeared, "For what you did."

Native's eyes shot open when a sudden pang of pain shot up from his thigh. His gaze dropped to see the man's blazer on the ground and a syringe buried into his leg. Before the Hero could react, the man cracked the phone against his face. The needle burned as a sense of grogginess began to wash over his head.

"W-What're you…?"

The man raised a finger to his own lips, shushing him.

Native stumbled back, knocking against a window pane of the closed shop behind him. His hand drew back, finding a dagger in his waistband. "S-Stay back…"

The man stood up straight, tucking his hands behind his back. "Hm?" He took a step forward. "Why?" Another step. "Or what?"

The Hero gritted his teeth before flinging the dagger at his attacker. However, the man only raised his hand, opening his palm to the projectile. In an instant, the dagger suddenly became a blue marble that he took hold of between his finger and thumb. Native reached his other hand back, grasping his other dagger. However, the man squeezed the marble between his finger and thumb before shooting it back at the Hero.

Suddenly, his own dagger was embedded in his stomach, sending shearing, raging pain up his body. Native tried to fight back but the man took advantage of his shock and pain to close the distance. A hand was clasped over his mouth while the other took hold of his shoulder. The Hero was pushed away before being yanked forward and into the man's rising knee.

The dagger burrowed deep into his body, causing a scream to claw at the man's hand. The other dagger clattered against the ground. The man gripped Native by his hair, forcing the Hero to look at him.

"Don't scream now," he teased. "We're far from done," he claimed as his other hand clasped over his eyes.

Where Native once stood, a blue marble bounced across the ground. Atsuhiro Sako reached down to pluck it from the concrete, pocketing it. He was swift with his clean up, turning the second dagger into a marble. Upon the drops of blood, he laid down his blazer, letting it absorb it. Once done, he turned it into a marble, recovering it.

Mr. Compress fixed his tie and his hair before wandering down the street, whistling away.

-\ XXX /-

AN: Hello! I am back from my break and we return to this! Our Heroes are growing and our villains are conniving. I hope you enjoyed our most recent chapter. Apologies for its shortness; it's taking me a moment to swing back into it. The tone of the chapter is a hefty switch partway through. I'm hoping it gives similar vibes to Chapter 18. In the end, it gets the point across. The violence in this story is on the uptick with a, hopefully, intentional grounded-ness and visceral feel.

With that, thank you for reading and criticize away!

Update Window: February 20th - March 2nd

Intended Due Date: February 20th - 25th