Katsuki's hair had almost completely sagged downward by the time he and Nejire reached Kaoruko's apartment. As they ascended the small flight of steps to the entrance of the building, Katsuki reached up and swept his hair back to unify the errant strands.

"…that's not a bad look for you," Nejire teased as she held open the door for the younger hero-in-training. "It's kinda cute."

"Bite me," Katsuki growled as he instead shifted his hair over to one side, sweeping it across his forehead. "I'm not cute."

"…oh, the temptation…" Nejire said, not looking back at Katsuki as she drew out the last syllable. "I want to ask so badly, but I also don't want you to storm out…"

"I'm not going to storm out," Katsuki replied with a roll of his eyes as the pair began to ascend the steps. "We're here for Bubble Girl. That doesn't change no matter how annoying you decide to be on the way there."

"In that case… do you have a girlfriend?" Nejire asked, her inflection rising with the word. "Or… a boyfriend?"

Katsuki stopped halfway up one of the steps, glaring daggers into Nejire's back. The friendly smile she gave him as she looked over her shoulder only stoked the growing anger within him all the more.

"No, and I don't care what that says about me," Katsuki said, trying to keep his voice even. "I've been totally focused on school and training. I don't have time for a girlfriend, and I don't want one, either. Leave it at that, and don't give me a bunch of reasons why I should think about it."

Nejire paused for a moment before giving him a nod, her smile unwavering.

"Well… other than me, now, do you have any girl friends?"

"I just told you…" Katsuki began, only to catch her meaning afterward. "…one. Maybe… working toward a second one, both from U.A. and fairly recent. I'm not a shut-in, alright? I'm just not interested in all that baggage and shit. Can we get moving again already?"

"Mm-hmm," Nejire answered as she turned her attention back to the stairs and began to ascend once again. "Well, if you ever need some advice in the event that decide to get interested… I promise I won't judge. Just keep it in the back of your mind. I know it's probably very far off, but do you think you want kids, eventually?"

"Yeah."

Nejire's stop was so sudden that Katsuki nearly ran into her.

"You do?"

"Yeah," Katsuki repeated, unhappy that he was held up and staring at Nejire's grin once again. "My parents fucked up my childhood bad enough that I… I guess I want to prove to myself that I could do better."

"…be there for a kid in the way they weren't there for you," Nejire added for him.

"…don't put it like that," Katsuki said quietly as he broke the eye contact. "That makes it sound so… eugh, I don't know."

"Heroic?" Nejire tried. "Because that's what it sounds like to me. You want to be the hero a kid needs. The hero you needed at home."

Katsuki didn't say a word, nor did he look at Nejire again.

"I get it," Nejire said as she began to walk again with Katsuki in tow. "God, do I get it. I expected you to be the type to hate kids… or at least, maybe act like you do while secretly wanting one."

"…that's closer to the truth," Katsuki admitted. "And don't spread this shit around. I don't even know why I told you in the first place."

"Secret's safe with me," Nejire reassured as the pair reached the correct floor and began to walk down the hallway. "For what it's worth… I've got a lot of respect for you already, Bakugo, and it keeps increasing over time. I'm glad you came with me."

"To be your entertainment, apparently," Katsuki mumbled.

"No, because we might be more similar than you thought," Nejire replied as she stood before an unimpressive apartment door. "Brace yourself. Kaoruko isn't exactly… how she used to be, these days. She's getting better, but she's also angry."

"Good. So am I," Katsuki replied. "That Shigaraki asshole has no idea what's coming for him."

"No, he doesn't," Nejire agreed as she jabbed at the intercom button outside the door. "Kaoruko? It's me. I brought Bakugo from U.A. with me. Just checking in on you."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes at the door while he and Nejire waited what he considered to be an inordinate amount of time. Eventually, the door did open, revealing a semi-pro hero that he barely recognized.

Kaoruko Awata had bags under her eyes, darkening the pale blue skin of her face. Most of her exhausted features were hidden by unkempt hair that reached down to her cheek bones. She wore only a sports bra and bike shorts without shoes. Her remaining hand was protected by a fingerless black glove, while the stump of her other arm, cut off just above the elbow, was fitted with a polished black steel cap. When she spoke, her voice was devoid of all the joy that it had once contained in her public appearances alongside Sir Nighteye.

"Hey, Hado," Kaoruko said before turning her tired eyes toward Katsuki. "You're that Midoriya kid's friend. I thought your name was familiar…"

"I'm Katsuki Bakugo," he corrected. "Nothing else."

"Oh, bullshit," Kaoruko said, catching the boy by surprise. "You're in the loop on One for All. From what I can tell of your dynamic with Midoriya, you're practically his bodyguard. Don't downplay your role in all this. Shigaraki's going to pay for what he did, and you're going to be involved in his downfall."

"Okay, so, how are you feeling today?" Nejire interrupted, putting a hand on Kaoruko's shoulder to catch her attention. "Let's not get all worked up right away…"

"I am always worked up these days," Kaoruko replied with a bitter hiss. "C'mon. Let's go inside, we shouldn't talk out in the hallway."

"Yeah, that much I can agree with," Katsuki acknowledged.

"But we won't be talking about much to do with that situation," Nejire ordered. "We're here to take care of you, and that kind of talk should wait until everyone involved is present. Not just so we're all on the same page- for your mental health, too. I'm not letting this turn into you just stewing in anger, Kaoruko. If we're discussing anything to do with what happened, it should be focused on Sir Nighteye. I think that's what we all need today."

Kaoruko grimaced and rolled her eyes as the others stepped inside of her apartment. With a sigh, she locked the door behind them and shook her head.

"Yeah. Thanks, I guess. There isn't really much to be done, just general upkeep and maintenance. I'll walk you through it and help where I can."

"So will we," Katsuki offered as he began to look around the apartment. "No one is expecting this to be fun."

"You're the heteromorph hero we needed all along," the suited official proclaimed to the gathered crowd of civilians in the town square. The man made a show of lifting a ribboned medal up and over the aforementioned hero's neck. "They were wrong about you. We were wrong about you."

The honored hero stood proudly as the politician moved to the side. She was an incredibly attractive young heteromorph, her malformed physical traits limited to pointed ears and a pair of small, curved horns that arched back over her hair. With a dazzling smile, she waved to the crowd to a universal chorus of cheers, her ample cleavage bouncing for all to see within her deeply v-necked hero suit.

"Oh my fucking god, I cannot believe we just wasted hours on this," Amaya said with a facial expression of absolute disgust. "I feel like I need a shower. Holy shit."

"Yeah, this is… not great," Daisuke agreed, his discomfort with what he was seeing clear in his tone. "This is not how that would've gone down at all…"

"And she was lucky enough to be born with attractive heteromorphic traits," Tsuyu said with a nervous shift on the other end of the couch. "Most people would've loved her to begin with, except for the really racist ones. There's no swaying them, and they wouldn't be cheering no matter how many people she saved. This is just so… fake."

Daisuke grabbed the remote and paused the show with a disappointed sigh as Amaya leaned up to look at Tsuyu with a frown.

"Do you get a lot of shit for your looks?"

"…yeah," Tsuyu said simply, pulling her knees into her chest. "I get told… uh…"

"It's not important what they say," Daisuke reassured as he shifted under Amaya's weight and leaned to offer Tsuyu a hand. "I get it a lot, too. People are awful to our kind. Not so much here at U.A. thus far, but out on the streets? It's not exactly pleasant…"

Tsuyu hesitantly accepted the hand and let Daisuke give her a gentle squeeze.

"I don't care what anyone else says, Tsu- you're cute as hell," Amaya said, sounding somewhat angry for giving a compliment. "If people can't see that, they can fuck off. Stick with us, and whichever classmates don't turn out to be assholes. You'll have a crew that has your back here."

"Thanks, guys…" Tsuyu replied with a sad smile. "I honestly haven't really thought about it since I got here, up until now. It was kind of nice to just be accepted by everyone, for once."

"Sorry about that. My fault," Daisuke admitted as he let go of Tsuyu's hand. "Wouldn't have picked this stupid series if I knew it got this bad and just glossed over all this like it's no big deal."

"Not your fault," Tsuyu said as she stood up into a stretch. "Besides… I shouldn't really complain to you. Girls generally have it easier. Some pervert out there will always go for our traits, no matter what they are. I'm sure a lot of the guys here, you included, have had it a lot worse than me."

"Don't downplay what you've dealt with like that. Your experiences are just as valid, no matter who's had it worse or more often," Daisuke denied. "Alright, Kan, both of my legs are now asleep and I've had to pee since episode four. You need to get up."

"Fine, fine," Amaya relented as she rose from the couch and spread her wings to their fullest extent, letting them give off a satisfying pop. "Aki's right. Doesn't matter who's got it 'worse'… though that probably doesn't sound great coming from me, who has it the easiest around here. I'm not stupid, and I know how people feel about wings compared to other traits. But the point is, we all need to prop each other up. Stand together against the kind of assholes who think we're freaks. You can always come and talk to me if people are giving you crap, Tsu. I like rearranging the faces of bigots."

"Me, too," Daisuke offered as he exited the dorm with some speed in his step. "Be right back."

"Thanks, guys…"

Amaya watched the boy go before turning her attention back to Tsuyu, who had a finger pressed to her lower lip in thought.

"…you want to ask me something. I can feel it."

"Hm? Oh, I… probably shouldn't," Tsuyu said with a sheepish smile as she let her hand drop.

"But it would be so much more interesting if you did," Amaya teased with a smirk. "I like pushing boundaries, Tsu. That's how you discover your real limits. What's the harm? I won't bite your head off no matter what's on your mind… especially after declaring solidarity a few minutes ago. Hit me."

Tsuyu really did try to resist the temptation, but Amaya's insistence was enough to wear down what little fortitude she could muster in the moment. After all, there was only one thing Tsuyu loved more than a good conspiracy- good gossip.

"So… there's nothing going on between you two?" Tsuyu asked, barely able to contain her enthusiasm. "You're sure?"

"Even I don't move that fast," Amaya replied as she folded her arms across her chest. "We've talked one-on-one over the summer a little bit in random texts, sure, but even if we were headed in that direction… he made it pretty clear he's not looking right now. I'd have considered him an option if he was, but… oh well. Plenty of other interesting people around, and plenty of time for him to change his mind. If it's something juicy you're after… I can tell you I've got my eyes on someone else at the moment."

"You do?" Tsuyu said, her interest piqued as she leaned in slightly. "Who…?"

Amaya's smirk only widened.

"I can't just give you everything, Tsu. Let's make it into a game. See if you can figure it out before I make my move. Think you've got the sleuthing skills?"

"Analyzing social dynamics and gathering relevant information is one of the things I do best," Tsuyu said proudly. "I also like pushing boundaries. Well… some of them, anyway. Others can stay in place."

"Then let's make this more interesting…" Amaya said as she approached and offered a hand. "Want to make a wager of it?"

Suddenly, Tsuyu got the feeling she was being backed into a corner. It wasn't an entirely unfamiliar sensation, and despite the danger, it wasn't exactly unwelcome, either.

"…that depends. What are you thinking…?"

Author's Note:

You know what happens when a frog gets struck by lightening the mood?

-RD