A/N: OBSESSED with how this chapter turned out! Ahh, I'm getting happier and more excited to post my chapters. I won't lie, so far it's been pretty nerve wracking, but the positive feedback has been incredibly encouraging. I'm so glad to see that people actually are enjoying reading my stuff. Truly, it makes me so happy. Thank you so much for reading and I hope y'all have an amazing week~

"It's just really not like him, is all." Deku stared down at the bit of meat on his chopstick. "I really don't know what to make of his behavior lately."

"I agree." Todoroki slumped into the couch beside him. "I haven't tried confronting him about anything, but his actions indicate he's struggling with something major."

Across the coffee table, All Might sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Young Iida is a tightly wound person. It's possible all the stress of graduation and the gala have worn him down to this point. I know it's pretty out of character, but it's also not unfathomable."

"Yeah, our class rep's a real stick in the ass, we get it." Bakugo grouched from Deku's other side, his phone in front of his face. "Do you people have anything better to do than sit and worry about it? This has to be the third conversation I've heard about it in the span of a week! When's somebody gonna do something already?!"

All Might shifted a bit uncomfortably, clearing his throat.

"I did try talking to him yesterday." Deku explained a bit defensively. "That's when he blew me off and threatened to expose me to Aizawa. Which is…not terribly unlike him, I guess, just–"

"Hold on, expose you for what?" Todoroki's face grew concerned. "Is he blackmailing you in some way?"

Deku tensed, breaking a sweat along his hairline. Crap. Think of something, and think of it now, he urged himself.

"Young Midoriya, are you alright?" All Might, seeing his reaction, sat up worriedly. "If you're being threatened, we should know."

"No, it's not like that at all!" Deku frantically waved his hands, hoping they'd back off. "I just…I broke a rule that I shouldn't have and…Iida knows. Well, he figured it out. Not that it was hard for him to, I guess, but I didn't exactly tell him, although I think everybody kind of knows so–"

"Oh my GOD! SHUT UP!" Finally tearing his gaze from his phone, Bakugo whipped his head up and glared down at Deku. "Spit it out or quit yammering! At this rate, lunch will be over before we get to the goddamn point!"

Bakugo's outbursts used to affect Deku a lot more. It felt targeted, like he screamed and cursed as a means of belittling Deku specifically. And for a while, that's how it was. Now that they'd gotten older, and their friendship was more genuine than ever, he realized that's just how Bakugo communicated. Especially when he cared, which felt weird to acknowledge. Underneath all the brashness, a layer of concern flashed in his friend's bright red eyes.

"Well, what rule did you break?" All Might asked, figuring it couldn't have been anything major (this was Deku, after all.) "I can issue discipline as a staff member. Maybe we could figure out some reduced sentence or something so this isn't hanging over your head."

"I don't think it's that big a deal, just a little...fumble yesterday, is all." Deku, still anxious, did his best to refocus the conversation. "And this is way more about finding a way to confront Iida than it is about my record, anyway, I just–"

"Oh, I get it. He and Uraraka were late to class yesterday morning." Bakugo's eyes stayed on his phone.

Panic jolted through Deku's entire being.

"Oh, that's right." Todoroki looked up thoughtfully. "I'd forgotten about that."

"Late to class?" All Might chuckled. "Kiddo, that's nothing. You're worried Aizawa's going to expel you over that?"

"W-well, no, it's just–"

"They were together." Bakugo emphasized, still not looking up. "Didn't sound like nerd boy over here slept in his room, either."

Deku's face burned bright red. All Might's eyes widened, understanding Bakugo's implications.

"Young Midoriya, you–"

"Wait, where did you sleep then?" Todoroki tilted his head. "You weren't in the lounge that morning. Or did I just miss you?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Bakugo jumped to his feet, whirling on Todoroki. "The two of them fucked before school, Iida figured it out, and he threw it in Deku's face when he tried to talk about why the stick up Iida's ass lodged itself into his brain! Are you up to speed now, Icy Hot?"

Blood spewed from All Might's mouth in surprise. He snatched a tissue to clean his face off (though mostly, he needed to hide his shock from everything Bakugo just screamed.) Deku couldn't figure out where to direct all his nervous energy, opting instead to continue staring at the floor.

"...Yeah, I understand." Todoroki replied after a moment. "Um, are you alright, Midoriya?"

Todoroki didn't fully know what he was asking. His friend appeared distressed, therefore he felt the need to inquire. Other than that, he had no idea what kind of answer to expect.

"Young Midoriya, please tell me you were safe!" All Might finished wiping his face. "Do you…have everything you need? To do so?"

Oh, please do not go there.

"WHAT?!" Deku's entire body flushed crimson, his limbs suddenly feeling like jelly. "What do you mean, All Might?!"

The poor man felt frazzled to his core, torn between his duty as a staff member and his crippling concern for his mentee. No, he shouldn't be having this kind of conversation with a student, necessarily, but he was also the only truly responsible adult in the room.

"I mean, you're…using protection, right?" He pressed. "You shouldn't make one move together without a safety net!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, that's a great idea." Todoroki turned to Deku, stoic as ever. "You should install a Ring alarm on your door to keep you and Uraraka safe. That way, no one can break in."

Bakugo cackled. "You're joking, right? Please tell me you aren't actually this stupid, half and half!"

Truly, honestly, if the ground just opened up and swallowed Deku whole this instant, that would be absolutely ideal.

"I just…if you need anything, you know you can talk to me, right?!" All Might began talking a mile a minute. "Seriously, don't keep quiet just because you're shy, you're almost eighteen now, and that means you're almost officially a man! Which reminds me, man to man, I hope you're treating young Uraraka with the utmost respect, she's a person, not a–"

"Oh, Jesus, if this is turning into a sex talk, I'm outta here!" In his haste to storm towards the door, Bakugo's phone slipped from his hand, clattering to the ground at Deku's feet. Needing a reason to keep his face hidden, Deku stooped to grab it from the floor.

"Here, Kacchan, you dropped–"

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. The screen lit up. A text notification popped up that Deku didn't mean to look at. However, his eyes were inherently drawn to the light, and his quick reading skills allowed him to at least skim some of the content.

C: I miss you so much, K, I hope–

That was all he got before the phone was snatched from his hand, the viciously angry face of Bakugo glaring nose to nose with him.

"What did you see, nerd?" He seethed.

"Nothing!" Deku yelped. That targeted feeling resurfaced. "I swear, I just saw that you…got a text, and I–"

"Who's C?" Todoroki asked candidly.

Bro clearly has a death wish, Deku thought defeatedly.

"My mom, you nosy bastard!" Bakugo's eyes widened ferociously. "She's…just got a lot going on lately. If I hear one word about this from anybody, I'll kill everyone in this room, you got that?!"

Even All Might gulped.

"Of course, Kacchan, we didn't mean to pry!" Deku insisted shakily.

"A PHONE CALL IS HERE! A PHONE CALL IS HERE! A PHONE–"

"Gah!" All Might jumped, tearing his phone from his pocket. Upon reading the caller ID, he jumped to his feet. "Excuse me, boys, let me step out for a moment."

The call literally could have been coming from a telemarketer and All Might still probably would have scrambled to leave this painful conversation behind. Despite the tension, the three of them blinked simultaneously, all thinking the same thing: why is that still his ringtone?

XxXxXxX

"Hey, Tsukauchi." The door to the classroom closed behind All Might.

"All Might, good to speak with you again." Tsukauchi greeted him from the other end of the line. "Gran Torino advised me to reach out and get you in the loop about something. Are you somewhere safe?"

All Might glanced around. He'd stepped into an empty classroom, unused for the whole of the school year. After peeking under the teacher's desk and behind the curtains, he deduced his surroundings to be secure.

"I am. Talk to me." He turned and leaned against the teacher's desk.

"I know you're on lunch break so I won't waste too much time." Tsukauchi took a deep breath. "What do you know about erythroglass?"

"Erythroglass?" All Might frowned. "Sounds…vaguely familiar. I think I've heard about it from Gran Torino. No idea what it is, though."

"I figured you wouldn't. There haven't been dealings with it in years, and we did our best to keep you out of it when it last resurfaced."

"Oh? Why's that?"

Tsukauchi chuckled. "You're a big name, All Might. If the number one hero even mentions it by name, it'd become the highest in demand among criminals everywhere. This stuff is too dangerous for that, we needed to keep it from the public eye."

"Yeesh." All Might raised his eyebrows. How did something so concerning manage to allude his attention? "Is this a drug of some sort? Why's it such a big deal?"

"If only it were that insignificant." Tsukauchi sighed. "So, as I'm sure you've heard, Watanabe's son went missing a few days ago."

Sorrow pricked All Might at that reminder. Back in the day, Thunderstrike was a friend of his. He remembered Ryo from the age of three onward; it devastated him to hear something like this happened to that sweet little kid.

"I'm aware." He managed to confirm.

"Keep that in mind as I explain this." In the background, All Might heard the shuffling of different papers. "Erythroglass, in essence, is some sort of glass material designed to evaporate upon contact with human blood. We don't have a clear idea how it's made or where it came from, and in fact, it took several years to determine that it even existed."

"Glass that evaporates in blood?" All Might clarified, trying to wrap his head around it. "What good is something like that to a criminal?"

"You'd be surprised. It ended up being used for a lot of different things. Most notably, murder."

All Might's blood ran cold, suddenly speculating on what Ryo Watanabe had to do with this.

"You're joking."

"A weapon that disappears into a victim's bloodstream? Come on, what killer wouldn't be all over that?" Tsukauchi continued fiddling with papers. All Might wondered if half of this conversation derived from Tsukauchi's notes from previous cases. After all, if Gran Torino barely remembered the existence of this erythroglass, Tsukauchi certainly wouldn't have been around when it first appeared.

"Where did this stuff come from? I mean, who manufactures it?" All Might took another glance around, ensuring no one could hear him.

"We don't know." Tsukauchi admitted dejectedly. "Like I said, we know next to nothing about it other than that it exists. A string of murders from the nineties made more sense once it got figured out, but other than that, we don't have a clue regarding its origins."

"So how did you take it off the market?" All Might wondered.

"We didn't." Tsukauchi sighed. "One day, it just stopped being used. Or, at least, we never saw another strange instance that might have connected us to it. Not until now."

The hand gripping his phone grew slick with sweat. "What's happened to Ryo Watanabe?"

"We don't know for sure." These non-answers frustrated All Might, but he continued to listen. "But a single shard of erythroglass was left at the crime scene, and so far, it's our only lead. They're running it through some tests down in forensics, so maybe we can finally break through this mystery. Hopefully, this will lead us to Ryo Watanabe before anything dangerous happens. I'd hate to think this was an attempt on the young man's life, but given the nature of this material, I can't decipher what else it might have been."

Tsukauchi kept his voice level. Having done this for many years, he knew how to prevent his emotions from getting the better of him. All Might sounded like he was wavering, on the verge of tears, and he didn't want to upset him further.

"We're doing everything we can, but you might be able to assist in some way." Tsukauchi continued. "If we can narrow down any enemies of any sort, anyone who might have wanted to harm Thunderstrike, Eclipsa, or Ryo, we need that information. Is there anyone you can think of who might have some sort of motivation for this attack?"

Villains, mainly, but nobody stuck out to All Might immediately. He tried to recall fights he'd been beside Thunderstrike on, wondering if maybe anybody they'd dealt with bore enough resentment to pull a stunt like this. As far as he knew, everyone they'd encountered had been a run of the mill criminal; nothing special enough to warrant this kind of attention. He wasn't privy to all the enemies Thunderstrike might have made, though.

"No idea." He concluded after a moment. "I'll do some digging and make some calls, though. I'm sure something's bound to come up."

"Sure, that'd be great." Tsukauchi clicked a pen. "I'll circle back in about a week and update you if anything else comes up. And if you find something, feel free to give me a call, okay?"

"You know I will." All Might assured him. "Thank you, Tsukauchi. And tell Gran Torino I said hello."

"You bet. Talk to you later, number one."

"Bye."

Nothing but dread filled him as he hung up. Erythroglass, huh? What did that have to do with all this? Why was it resurfacing now? And where the hell did it come from to begin with?

A thump against the wall cut off his thoughts. Funny, it sounded like it came from the lounge he'd been having lunch with the boys in–

Oh. Oh no.

Wrenching open the door revealed Bakugo and Deku somehow holding each other in headlocks. Todoroki pushed his way between them, attempting to break them up to obviously no avail.

"Why do you always have to act like this?!" Deku's strained voice screamed.

"All you had to do was shut the hell up, you damn nerd!" Bakugo shot back.

"You're both being too loud." Todoroki's monotone voice somehow cut through both of their struggling.

"What's going on here?!"

All three boys froze at the sound of All Might's voice. Instantly, they dropped their holds on one another, clasping their hands behind their backs and standing in a single file line.

"Sorry, All Might." Deku was the first to speak. "Things got a little…heated after you left."

"He started it!" Bakugo cried, his finger pointing to Deku. "He just had to go reminding half and half of my mom's name, and–"

"Todoroki asked the question! He wasn't trying to–"

"I still didn't get an answer." Todoroki, once again, somehow could be heard despite all the loudness around him.

"-Kacchan, you can't just lose it whenever–"

"-and if you'd just stayed out of my business, you–"

"Alright, that's enough!" All Might cut Bakugo off, silencing them. "Boys, what's gotten into you? This fighting and carrying on made sense when you were first years, but you're the Big Three of UA now! Tell me that means something to you guys!"

Expressions of shame washed over each of the boys' faces, all corresponding with their respective personalities, of course. Deku's shoulders slumped sadly, Todoroki looked stoic, and Bakugo's brows crumpled in embarrassed anger. All Might softened a bit; while technically legal adult age, they're still just high school boys, at their core.

"I know you just started your third year, and I get that old habits die hard." He spoke more gently this time. "All I'm saying is you have to take this year seriously, especially with the gala around the corner. If I can't leave you alone together for five minutes to take an important phone call then–"

"Wait, what was so important?" Deku already forgot they were being scolded. His curiosity outweighed his survival instincts, All Might thought amusedly.

"What? Oh, Tsukauchi called. He's working a case and just needed me to help." All Might explained half heartedly. "Now, the three of you–"

"Is it about the missing person case?" Todoroki chimed in. "Thunderstrike's son, right?"

All Might blinked. "Uh, well, yes. But anyway—"

"My dad worked with Thunderstrike not too long ago on a jewelry heist case." Todoroki went on, unbothered. "He said Watanabe was pretty helpful. He's got a powerful shockwave quirk that subdued a bank robbery once."

This caught All Might's attention. "Wait, your dad…knew them? Knows them?"

"More or less." Todoroki shrugged. "They aren't particularly close, but they worked together a year or two ago."

"Interesting." All Might pulled out his phone. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"

"Huh?" Todoroki pondered for a second. "Uh, not really. I didn't ask my dad too much about him. To be honest, I'd rather not engage with–"

"Ugh, we get it, you've got daddy issues!" Bakugo snapped, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Hmm." All Might elected to gloss over Bakugo's comment, far more interested in Todoroki's connection to Thunderstrike. "Young Todoroki, with your permission, I'd like us to reach out to Endeavor and discuss his relationship with Thunderstrike a little more thoroughly. Even if it was just a working one, it could still give us some kind of lead."

"That's no problem at all." Todoroki nodded. "I'll give Burnin' a call and see what she can set up."

"Thank you, that'd be much appreciated."

"What do they think happened?" Deku's voice wavered a bit with concern.

All Might locked eyes with his protege. Deku never inquired about these things simply to "get the goods" on a case; he wanted to help. Plain and simple. Typically, All Might didn't have a problem making him privy to classified information. Maybe he was wrong for that, but Deku had yet to betray his trust.

Still, this didn't feel like information he should have. Not yet, anyway.

"They…don't know." All Might finished defeatedly. "That's why we're getting in touch with former colleagues of Thunderstrike's to find out if someone had motivation to endanger Ryo."

"Thunderstrike was pretty well-liked." Deku stroked his chin. "It's hard to imagine someone having it out for him."

"Heroes make a lot of enemies." Todoroki explained, a slight bitterness to his tone. "And you never know what they're like behind closed doors."

"Exactly right, which is why I'm hunting for any information available." All Might looked at the boys sternly. "Which means whatever you can find is helpful, but not required. I know I can't stop you, so all I ask is that you keep your involvement to a minimum. Relay information to me and then step back. And don't tell anybody what you know about the investigation. Got it?"

"Sure thing, All Might!" Deku nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, yeah." Bakugo growled.

"We appreciate you trusting us." Todoroki bowed respectfully.

Bakugo's phone lit up again, drawing his attention towards it immediately. This time, however, he shielded his screen with his other hand, and All Might noticed that both Deku and Todoroki pointedly looked away.

'Midoriya doesn't appear to be the only one sneaking around.' All Might thought, a small smile tugging at his lips. They'd come a long way since their freshman year; now these kids had grown into young adults, ready to tackle bigger things in life.

Including embarking on their own romantic journeys. How time flies.

XxXxXxX

Todoroki took a deep breath. He didn't want to do this. And frankly, he didn't need to do this. All Might offered to initiate contact. No reason for Todoroki to even be in the mix.

But hiding behind All Might was a coward's move.

Like he'd said, Todoroki had grown up now. He wasn't a child. He needed to fight his own battles. That's what compelled him to step outside and hit the 'call' button.

"Shoto!" Endeavor answered on the first ring, sounding frazzled. "It's been too long since I've heard from you, how–"

"What do you know about Ryo Watanabe?"

A taken aback pause. "Watanabe? Shoto, I–"

"You worked with Thunderstrike a couple years back." Todoroki continued. "I must have been in first year or so. Not a long time ago."

"...Yes. That sounds correct." Endeavor cleared his throat. "Would you…like me to set up a meeting with him? Or something of the sort?"

"No." Even if that's what Todoroki did want, he'd never go through his father for that. "I want to know any intel you have on them. Enemies they've made, people they were close to, what kinds of criminals got away from fights with Thunderstrike in particular."

"Shoto, why all the questions about this?" Endeavor sounded like he was starting to get suspicious. Todoroki didn't care; he had no motivation for talking to his father other than gaining information. Whether or not his father knew had no bearing on his continuing this conversation.

"I'm doing All Might a favor. It's regarding Watanabe's disappearance case." He stated simply. "If you don't have anything helpful, then fine. I have homework to–"

"I only have one piece of information that might help."

Finally, Endeavor seemed to understand what he wanted and stopped beating around the bush.

"Alright, let's hear it, then."

"I know Watanabe had a girlfriend." Endeavor spoke slowly. "I think she somehow got involved with his agency, might have been a hero course student herself. I didn't ask him anything about her."

'Of course you didn't.' Todoroki rolled his eyes.

"But he seemed distressed about it. I don't know why." Endeavor sighed. "I'm sorry, Shoto, but that's all I really have. I wasn't close to Watanabe or his son, we simply did a few jobs together. I can't recall any significant enemies he might have made or criminals he let slip by."

"That's good enough." Todoroki confirmed. "Thanks for the help."

"Of course, Shoto!" His tone picked up in enthusiasm. "Anytime. And while I have you, the sidekick awards are coming up and–"

CLICK

Maybe hanging up was rude. And unnecessary, considering Endeavor did just help them. But frankly, his intel didn't sound incredibly useful, and Todoroki was not about to stay on the line to chitchat about anything with this man. He had to swallow enough bile just to stomach calling him in the first place.

"Whoa, you okay, Roki?"

The smell of cologne hit Todoroki's nose when Sero stepped outside, shutting the door to Heights Alliance behind him. Todoroki turned, giving his friend a small nod of acknowledgement.

"Oh, hey." He kept his expression deadpan. "I just got off the phone with my dad."

"Oh…yikes." Sero didn't like to pry into Todoroki's issues regarding his father, but he knew enough to be concerned. "How'd that go?"

"It was fine." Todoroki half shrugged. "Mostly doing it as a favor for All Might. He's working a case right now."

Sero frowned. "All Might still does that? I thought after he retired, he just kinda…resigned himself to teaching, I guess. Never expected him to keep up with police work."

"To be honest, I'm not sure what his role is in all this." Todoroki looked down at his phone, seeing more texts from Endeavor pop up. Internally, he groaned.

"Well, it sounds like you've done your part." Sero patted his shoulder. "And hey, that's a big move for you, to call your dad like that. I'm impressed."

Somehow, Todoroki needed to hear that. Shoulders relaxing, he let his face ease into a small smile.

"Thank you, Sero." He needed to shift the subject before this got emotional. "What brings you out here, anyway?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm heading out for a…study session." Sero explained brightly.

Todoroki noted that no one had followed Sero out. "With who?"

"Hey, Sero!"

From the end of the pathway, a girl in a blue sundress waved at him, a huge smile on her face. She looked familiar, but from this far away, Todoroki couldn't quite place her. Sero waved back, his demeanor growing a bit nervous. Quickly, he turned to Todoroki, urgency in his tone.

"If anyone asks, I'm uh, studying by myself. Okay?"

"Uh, sure." Puzzled, Todoroki nodded.

"Thanks. I'll catch you later." Sero slid Todoroki's hand in a quick high five to fist bump (a universal handshake between all boys, or so Todoroki had been taught) and jogged down the path.

Todoroki watched Sero and this girl greet each other, hesitate, then exchange a quick hug before making their way down the path together. Though typically a bit slow with these things, Todoroki developed some social skills over his time at UA that helped him decipher exactly what was going on here.

Sero was on a date.

XxXxXxX

"Ugh, janky glove."

The offending piece dangled from Deku's wrist, a mess of metal and wires. According to Aizawa, an accidental gust of too much power imploded his left glove practically to pieces at the end of training. Apparently, Deku stayed behind to run a few things by All Might before returning to the locker room. Uraraka heard the commotion and pounced, racing down to the clearing to find Deku mostly unharmed save for some strains in his hand. Still, she now refused to let him out of her sight, accompanying him all the way to Hatsume's lab to get his broken items fixed.

"Here, I can hold it." She offered, reaching for his hand.

Rather than let her take the glove, he pulled it off himself and carried it in his right hand. With his left, he swept her palm against his, intertwining their fingers together.

"Actually, would you mind holding this, instead?" He gave her a shy smile.

Giggling, she nuzzled her forehead into his shoulder, squeezing his hand even tighter.

"That's fine with me."

These moments. Uraraka lived for these dorky, adorable little exchanges between the two of them. Times like these reminded her just how much she cared for Deku. Liking him for years beforehand built up to sheer and utter glee that finally, she'd been given the freedom to express her feelings for him. And when he looked at her, with his eyelids half closed and that sweet, content smile, she almost couldn't keep herself grounded.

BOOM

The ground rocked beneath them, jumbling them back and forth for a second. A moment later, they spotted the smoke emanating from the opening where the door to the support lab once stood. Deku immediately pulled Uraraka behind him, both of their eyes roaming wildly for signs of a threat. It only took a second before the cause of said explosion was located.

By tackling Deku to the ground.

"Ahh, Midoriya!" Hatsume's shrill voice cut through the sound of the smoke alarms. "Long time, no see! I trust you've been taking good care of my babies?"

Uraraka begrudgingly resisted the urge to float Hatsume into the stratosphere. Seriously, did she have to land on top of Deku every single time? Thankfully, Deku had acquired much better navigation skills since their first year and immediately rolled out from under the pink-haired inventor.

"Hey, Hatsume." He rose to his feet and dusted himself off. "What's all that about?"

"HATSUME!" Power Loader bellowed from inside the lab. "Ugh, somebody call Cementoss!"

"Oh, just a little hiccup on my latest test drive." She waved her hand as if to say 'it's nothing.' Well, to her, it probably was. "Wanna see it? Come on in!"

Deku exchanged a glance with Uraraka. "Um, is that…safe–"

"Right this way!" Hatsume snatched both of their wrists before a single sentence was finished. "You're just in time to see Ingenium suited up in my latest little babies!"

Calling her handiwork "babies" would never not ring as weird to Uraraka.

"Wait, Iida's here?" Deku tilted his head as Hatsume dragged them around the corner.

Sure enough, there he stood on the modeling platform, decked out in a bronzer, bulkier version of his original costume. As soon as he came into sight, Hatsume abandoned Deku and Uraraka, scurrying up to him.

"Hold still! This one's falling off track." Quickly, she plopped to her knees and began screwing something into his leg.

"Ahh!" Iida shrieked. "Hatsume, this isn't optimal for–"

"Ooh, these babies are working overtime!" Hatsume jumped back to her feet to stroke the contraption on Iida's wrist, practically foaming at the mouth. "Try not to overdo it on this run, okay? They're still so delicate!"

Grumbling, Iida adjusted the wrist armor. Neither he nor Deku made eye contact; obviously, words from the previous day still held some weight for both of them. Uraraka glanced between them, unsure how to approach the situation. Right now, it didn't feel like anything would get resolved, so she instead focused on the upgrades.

"Oh, wow, that looks incredible, Hatsume!" Uraraka exclaimed. The new armpiece resembled the contraptions on his legs, mostly identical to his original armor just adorned with bronze engines."What do they do–"

"I'm so glad you asked!" With a wicked grin, the pink haired girl snatched Iida's hand, extending his arm to model her invention (and ignoring his grunt of pain.) "Ingenium over here wanted to increase his overall body's speed to match his legs so I remodeled his armor after the engines on his legs! Now his punching and upper body combat matches the level on his legs almost identically! Oh, oh, and look at this!"

Darting behind Iida, she grabbed his hips and spun him around, once again not acknowledging his yelps of protest.

"On his waist, I've engineered custom motors that sync to the output of his legs! They're button activated so he won't go haywire at the drop of a hat, but this is a forward propellent that'll make him unstoppable in battle!"

All of these upgrades looked and sounded phenomenal, but left Deku questioning their necessity. After all, Iida's quirk set him up to be off the charts in speed; what use did he have for extra engines?

"Hatsume's done a superb job, as expected." Iida turned to face them somewhat stiffly. "Today's going to be the first test drive of the arm pieces, but I have faith that nothing should go wrong."

Squealing, Hatsume squeezed his metal-clad arm. "That's the spirit, twinkle toes! You know, you're the biggest supporter of my babies in the whole hero course. You've claimed so many of them, it's like you're their unofficial dad!"

Iida's face burned bright red. Deku and Uraraka exchanged a horrified glance, subtly ensuring that they'd heard her correctly. Hatsume, of course, didn't bat an eye, gleefully tinkering with the armpiece for probably the fiftieth time.

"So, what are all these upgrades for, Iida?" Uraraka asked casually.

Iida gave her a slightly tense smile. "Well, with the gala and our graduation coming up, I'd say it's time I kicked it into high gear as much as possible. With these support items, I can enhance my performance to a whole new level, which I've deemed necessary for my effectiveness as a hero!"

Uraraka raised her eyebrows. "Wow, that's a lot to upgrade at once, though. You sure all these drastic changes are such a good idea?"

"Of course!" Iida stood straighter, which neither one of them thought possible until now. "What better time to push your own limits than now?"

"...Maybe a time that doesn't involve a showcase in less than a month?" Uraraka supplied carefully.

Hatsume scoffed. "You guys worry too much! If anyone's got this, Ingenium over here does. After all, I wouldn't trust my babies with some random shmuck out in the field!"

That statement didn't feel entirely true. Hatsume took on just about every commission thrown her way as far as Deku knew. Even if nobody came to her with requests, she'd dream up something to work on of her own volition before passing it off to the first person who asked for it. Her babies, both functional and discarded, littered the halls of UA High School, used and abused by one and all.

Out of all of them, however, Iida definitely took the best care of his equipment. His costume always gleamed from fresh polish, he cleaned his vents practically daily, and the second something malfunctioned, he reported to Hatsume's lab within the hour. Someone paying such close attention to detail deserved the extra trust, Deku concluded with a smile.

After a moment, Hatsume wiped the sweat from her brow with a small huff. "So, what brings you in here today, Midoriya?"

"Oh, right!" He held out the combusted remains of his glove that hung barely strung together with a series of wires. "Sorry to spring this on you, but I put a little too much power behind a move and–"

"No problem!" Eagerly, Hatsume snatched the fragments up and zeroed in on them. A hungry smile broke across her face the closer she examined the glove, making Deku gradually more uneasy. He definitely understood passion, but did Hatsume need to lick her lips during her assessment of his equipment?

"I was hoping you could reinforce it while we're here." He haltingly continued when she turned and placed the glove on her work station. "After all, we can't have a repeat of this–"

"Oh, don't you worry, Midoriya!" Hatsume didn't look up from her repairs. "By the time I'm through, this baby will be indestructible!"

"I…believe that." Deku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

While Hatsume got to work, an uncomfortable silence fell over the three friends. Iida kept himself focused on his gear, observing it closely. More closely than necessary. Deku awkwardly stared down at his shoes, contemplating making small talk with Uraraka. It felt rude to have a side conversation right in front of Iida, though. Even if things were tense, Deku didn't want to outright exclude him, or at least make it seem that way. Both boys kept their gaze to the floor, not making eye contact.

"That's it!" Uraraka could take it no more. With one hand, she grabbed Deku's chin, the other she used to grab the back of Iida's head, jerking both of their faces upwards.

"Ochako, why–"

"Both of you, talk!"

Iida recoiled, nudging his hair out of her grasp. "Uraraka, this is ridiculous. You're a third year, conduct yourself with more dignity."

"Dignity?!" She whirled on him. "You're the one who's avoiding your best friends because you want to be a jerkwad!"

He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Ochako, I don't think this is necessary." Deku put a hand on her shoulder.

"What do you mean?" She turned to him, a somewhat sad look on her face. "Clearly, there's something wrong. Why can't we just–"

"Iida will talk to us when he's ready." Deku directed his words toward Iida. "And when he's ready, we'll be right here. No matter what's been said or threatened."

The slightest glimmer of emotion flickered through Iida's eyes. Quickly, he cleared his throat and focused on adjusting his helmet in his hands. Otherwise, he didn't acknowledge his words, which Deku expected. He didn't care. As mad as he was, he meant what he'd said. And he knew Iida knew that.

"Ohp, one more thing!" Hatsume jumped toward the shelf above her work station, snatching a tool before returning to her work.

Uraraka looped her arm through Deku's. "How long do you think it'll–"

"Okay, done!" Hatsume whirled around, panting and slightly sweatier than before, triumphantly presenting the perfectly intact glove.

Once again, both Deku and Uraraka exchanged an awestruck glance.

"I reconstructed the fabric with kevlar this time." Hatsume's fingertips grazed the back of the glove. "That should reinforce the inner workings of everything. Here, give her a spin!"

"Whoa!" Deku nearly fumbled the tossed glove. "You guys don't mess around in here, do you?"

Hatsume let out a hearty cackle. "Mess around? In this economy?! HAH!"

Whatever that meant, sure. Brushing it off, Deku strapped on his new equipment. The upgraded version immediately felt different; sturdier, but not flexible like before. Presumably a hindrance, but possibly an advantage.

"If I use this glove for speed and agile attacks." He extended his right hand, flexing it as he talked. "Then I can use my left for offense!"

"How would that work, though?" Uraraka tilted her head. "By your hands doing two different things at once?"

Deku looked from his left glove to his right, mildly perplexed. "Yeah, I suppose that would take some getting used to, wouldn't it?"

"It's best to train yourself with both." Iida stepped in, stiff but intrigued. "You'll never know which hand will need to do what. You need to get used to using speed and agility even with a glove that weighs more."

"Good point." Deku smiled. "Thanks, Iida!"

Iida faltered, jerking his gaze away. "Just doing my job as class rep."

"Helpful, as always!" Hatsume didn't seem to sense the tension, thankfully making her the perfect person to break it. "Both of you are gonna do amazing work with these babies equipped, I just know it! Now, if you don't mind, Midoriya, run along and test those out. I've gotta whip my babies with Iida into tip top shape!"

Seriously, this analogy started to have horrific implications.

"Sounds…good." Deku stole a glance at Iida, whose face burned brighter than Hagakure's warp refraction. "Thanks again, Hatsume."

"Yeah. And we'll see you later, Iida!" Uraraka waved at both of them.

Iida mustered a small wave back. She took one last backward glance at him before following Deku. Something must really be getting to him, she worried. And she could tell from a mile away it had nothing to do with her or Deku.

XxXxXxX

BZZT. BZZT.

No.

He called one stupid time, and now Endeavor takes it as an open invitation to bombard him even more than before. No, this does not mean they're on speaking terms. He just needed some (frankly, probably useless) information.

Todoroki closed his eyes. If giving his father the silent treatment hadn't worked by now, maybe it would be better to send him a direct, perfectly clear message stating he didn't wish to have contact. That would hopefully get the point across. He didn't want to. God, he really didn't. He never pinpointed why exactly he'd never told his father off, nor why he didn't just block him, but somehow, neither of those felt like an option.

He could still put a stop to these calls, though.

Sighing, he opened all seventy-three unread texts from his dad, ready to put a "stop calling me" message in their thread when something caught his eye.

Endeavor: Shoto, I got more information on Watanabe's girlfriend. Call me back.

That rested in between a slew of other texts about the gala or the sidekick awards or something, but none of that interested him. Quickly, Todoroki moved to press the call button, only to find his father already calling him. Rolling his eyes, he answered.

"What do you have?" No point in starting with pleasantries.

"Shoto." Endeavor sounded less enthusiastic this time. "I managed to talk with Burnin' about the situation, and she gave me some more intel. The girl's name was Megumi Nagase. She'd been a student at Shiketsu High School and did her third year internship under Watanabe's agency. After she graduated, she became one of their interns, and I'm assuming that's when she and Ryo Watanabe started dating."

"Nagase." Todoroki repeated. "Good to know. Anything else?"

"Not much. Just the two seemed to be in a bit of a strained relationship. According to Burnin', there was some sort of ongoing fight between the two of them. No idea what it could be about, though."

"Is that everything?" Todoroki really wanted to get off this phone call. Talking to his dad twice in one day seriously weighed on his psyche.

"For now, yes. I'll let you know if Burnin' comes to me with anything else."

"Great." Todoroki pulled the phone from his ear. "Thanks."

"Shoto, if I may?"

"No."

CLICK

You may not anything. Stop.

Shoto tossed his phone onto his bed for good measure. Absolutely no more conversations for the rest of the day.

BZZT. BZZT.

Really? A double call? Sighing, Todoroki moved to reject the call, only stopping when he saw Yaoyorozu's name lighting up his screen.

"Uh, hello?" His voice cracked when he answered.

"Hello!" She replied, bright as ever. "I'm, uh, putting together a last minute study session for tonight. I know it's short notice, so if you're busy that's perfectly fine, but I was wondering if you'd like to join?"

"Sure, of course!" He cleared his throat, his voice threatening to break again. "What time were you, uh, thinking?"

"Probably in about an hour." She sounded apprehensive. "I know that's pretty soon, I just–"

"I'll be there." He jumped to his feet. "Are you hosting in the lounge? I can come help you set up, if you'd like."

"Really? Um, sure, that'd be great!" Her voice jumped up a pitch. "Yeah, we're in the lounge, just swing by whenever you're ready."

"Sounds good. Thank you, Yaoyorozu."

"Thank you, I'm excited to see you! I mean, you know, all of you, everyone who agreed to come, it's…it'll be fun. See you in a bit!"

"Later."

That hopeful feeling in his chest returned. He did his best to suppress it; somehow, the hope was always followed by a surge of unconcentrated anxiety. The way his heart pounded at the feeling didn't seem healthy, but try as he might, he never got it to stop.

XxXxXxX

"Mistress!" Chaotic stumbled into the room, twitching and hissing. "We have a…a problem!"

Mirror set her nail file on the coffee table. "Whatever do you mean?"

"T-they know! About the glass! It's the police, and they–"

"Really?" Mirror cocked an eyebrow. "Interesting. Took them much longer to figure it out than I anticipated."

Electra, who lounged on the opposite couch, turned towards Mirror in surprise. "You sound as if you wanted them to figure it out."

"Well, of course I don't want them to." Mirror clarified, examining her nails. "I'm just surprised they took this long. Usually, they're more on top of things. I suppose their money sources are drying up."

At that, Chaotic perked up. "Ooh, does that mean we're winning?"

Mirror scoffed. "Not by a long shot, dearie. This does mean we're sending the correct message, though. Won't be long until this little piece of intel makes its way through the grapevine."

"And…then what?" Electra hadn't been briefed on Mirror's entire plan, something that was beginning to irritate her.

"Patience. That's what." Okay, Mirror hadn't quite forgiven her for the broken glass. Message received. "Anything else you picked up on, Chaotic?"

"T-they know about…the girlfriend!" The snake skinned girl spat out the last word, cringing. "They might ask her questions!"

"Oh, glorious." Mirror grinned. "They're even framing someone for us. I thought we'd certainly have to intervene on that one. Doesn't this just get better and better?"

"B-but don't you remember who she is?" Chaotic's eyes widened. "Mistress, didn't you say–"

"I know everything already." Mirror cut her off sharply, nodding briefly at Electra. "Keep it to yourself. Let's watch and see how this plays out before we make our next move. Understood?"

Electra diverted her attention from their conversation, uninterested in watching Chaotic struggle to comprehend Mirror's obvious signals. Honestly, she'd never understand what compelled Mirror to keep this henchwoman of hers around. All she'd proven herself to be capable of was listening to the speakers for the phone lines that Electra had tapped into and relaying everything she heard to Mirror, a job that even an injured baboon could pull off. But Mirror had her reasons for everything, and Electra hadn't become enough of a somebody on this operation to question her.

Instead, she scrolled through her phone, opening up one of her secret gallery folders. For the first time in a while, his blonde hair lit up her screen again. His hand at her back, her favorite polka dot two-piece, the hot sun reflecting off the sand in the background. One of the first photos they'd taken together, she recalled sadly.

It didn't matter what they kept from her, she reminded herself. Promises were made and while nobody in this room fully trusted anybody else, Electra knew she'd get what she wanted as long as she played along. She needed to see this through. For him.