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Lani POV:

Running on two coffees and zero hours of sleep was surely no way to live, but I'm already dead inside. Let's just even out that last living fifty percent and kill me on the outside, too.

I sighed tiredly as I approached the familiar building in the center of town, feeling two invisible weights of fatigue locked around my ankles as I swayed back and forth like an little ancient peasant—actually, more like one of the old hags or witches, I guess. But, the point is, I didn't forget today, and I'm proud of myself for that. For being here on the most important day of my week...

It's Sunday. Sunday morning specifically, otherwise known as the time I've scheduled to see my brother Raiga consistently for the last two years. Of course, I try to come as often as I can, but if the days ever get away from me, I make it mandatory that, no matter what, I show up every Sunday morning.

Unfortunately, I'm not the only one who had that bright idea...

"Fuck..." I muttered under my breath, immediately self-conscious of my appearance.

I used my phone camera as a mirror to wipe the bags out of my under eyes. My stomach stirred with unease as I quickly removed my nose and lip rings, trying to fix the messy front strands of my hair and look as presentable as possible in case I ran into—Dun, Dun, Dun—my parents. Nothing ever really helps though. The look of disappointment is one I've come to recognize very well, because they wear it every time I see them.

Feeling acceptingly hopeless, I huffed another heavy breath and closed my phone camera, leaning the back of my head against the wall as I watched countless people walk in and out of the hospital.

While visiting days are usually pretty chill, I find myself dreading this particular one. The conversation with Raiga won't be easy today. I didn't just come here to visit my brother. There's some things I need to tell him. Rather—ask him. And, anytime the topic of the Mizuchi comes up, we always end up fighting.

But, I need to know. Especially, after my conversation with my ex—newly-turned-LOV member last night...

"I mean, you could always ask Raiga what he knows. Apparently, he was very well acquainted with one of the higher ups."

Look, I get it, alright. It's not necessarily wise to take the advice of my ex—especially not one who's a cheating, compulsive liar...

But, Raiga never talks to me about his involvement with the Mizuchi. And, while I always respected it because I assumed it was due to the trauma, I need to know what he's really gotten himself into here. I thought he was just supposed to be a little no-name dealer. I never considered the idea there might be more...

Nodding to myself and pushing my frame off the wall, I braved the battlefield and walked through the hospital doors, making the familiar trek to his floor. I fiddled with my thumbs as the elevator took me up in silence, walking out of it just a little slower once the room was only a few feet within my distance.

A group of resident doctors walked by me as I approached Raiga's room, with two of them staying behind and chatting in front of his closed door. It made me groan internally.

I'm sleep deprived as shit and not in any mood to converse with people right now...

Approaching the girls wearily, I tried to put on my best smile, "Hey. 'Scuse me, guys. I just need to get in that room real quick..." I said, catching the attention of the two young doctors.

My thoughts instantly trailed off as I was greeted with someone I recognized, blinking a bit in surprise at the silver haired woman in front of me.

Wait a minute. Is that...

"Ella?" I blurted out, feeling my memories flip back to that night.

The night that seemed ages ago, but was truly only weeks ago—when Shouto and I went to the bar. He was trying to make friends, and after a few failed attempts, he met Ella—rather, I suggested he go over to the bar and introduce himself to her. They exchanged numbers, and he said she texted him, but he never responded, I guess.

And I thought that was the end of it.

Honestly, I'd say I was surprised I remembered her face, but getting a better look at her in the natural light instead of the janky bar lights, I see why I couldn't possibly forget...

She was absolutely stunning.

Her silver hair was soft as pillows and silkier than satin, gliding down to her waist like a waterfall. She was an American and her skin had the golden glow of California sunshine. Her teeth were perfectly straight and white as she smiled at me in greeting...

But, the thing that really caught my attention the most were her eyes. They were a piercing blue, but deep in color. Almost the color of midnight navy with a blood red circle outlining the middle of her pupils. It made me a bit dizzy if I looked at them for too long.

She said goodbye to the friend she'd been speaking to with a dainty, parting touch to their shoulder, continuing to hold her medical clipboard in one hand as she gave me her attention now.

"Oh? Have we met before? You don't look familiar to me." She said, her voice velvety smooth and almost sultry.

Damn. This is the girl I had Shouto introduce himself to? I honestly didn't realize she was so gorgeous. She had her back turned to me most of the time at the bar. And I...well....I....

I don't know if I would have introduced them if I had known she looked like this...

Sure, that probably sounds insecure and sus as fuck—but, that's only because I'm insecure and sus as fuck.

Blinking away the stupid thoughts, I gave her a smile, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed about how I just randomly approached her.

Wow, I'm a fucking idiot. No, we haven't met before. Duh. Now I have to explain myself so I don't look like a psycho...

With a chuckle, I rubbed the back of my neck a bit sheepishly, "Ah—well, actually, no. But, you know my friend, and I kinda silently introduced you guys that night. That's how I recognized you."

That really doesn't make it any less weirder.

Still, her shoulders relaxed a bit and she nodded, pursing her lips as she tried to jog her memory, "Mm, I see. What was your friend's name?"

"Shouto." I said, feeling thoughts of the dual colored guy starting to float back into my mind.

God, he was still in his bratty phase at that time—not that much has changed. But, now he's an obedient brat instead of a defiant one. And.....he looked really good that night. He just came from work, and I could smell the shampoo from the shower he took in the locker room. It was raining as we walked to the bar, and you could see the changing colors of the storm in his eyes, somehow colder, but warm enough to pull me in deeper.

He ordered cold soba because it was his favorite. It was also the first time I ever showed him my quirk, and he...he liked it, or so he said. Then, we came up with our little handshake, and our fingers touched. His skin....was so soft, and I saw him really smile for the first time, and...

And—you're telling me this absolutely gorgeous girl texted Shouto later that night, and he just....blew her off with no problem?! He didn't even seem attracted to her during the first night they met, I was watching his body language the whole time. Meanwhile, I'm about to bust a load just looking at her.

...yeah, sorry, tmi. But, like, you get my point....

Ella's face flashed with recognition for the half and half guy's name, only now appearing more interested in my presence as she took in my features with narrowed, cutthroat eyes.

Psh, yeah right. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's giving me 'the look.' You know, the catty look girls give when they're sizing someone up. Look, I'm not gonna pretend I'm a saint. I've given that look before. I can be a jealous bitch when I wanna be. But...

There's absolutely no competition here. I already accept to defeat to her beauty, and...she's gotta know that. There's no way someone like her would look at me like that. I've gotta be overthinking it. After all...

"You're so ugly, Lani."

"Your teeth are so sharp on the sides! It's so gross!"

"Hah! You have the body of a boy!-"

"Ahhh, Shouto was your friend? My, my..." Ella murmured, appearing so calm, she almost seemed elegantly monotone. "I was wondering what happened to him. He approached me at the bar, and we exchanged numbers, but he never returned any of my messages."

Wait a minute...

'Messages,' plural? Has she sent him more than one message? Shouto didn't tell me that—not that he's obligated to. Whatever...

I cringed a bit in apology for Shouto's usual antics, feeling a little awkward at the situation I just put myself in, "Eh, yeah, don't take it personal. Shouto's like that with everyone. I've learned that he's not really a big texter unless you say something totally crazy to catch his interest."

Ella's brows barely raised, yet the rest of her face seemed relaxed, tilting her head and taking in my words with more interest than I expected for my insignificant comment. I was just trying to lighten the mood and make her feel better. Perhaps...my words were a mistake.

"Is that so?" She asked, yet her tone came out more certain than asking. "So, he's just shy? Perhaps, I should give it another try then and take your advice."

Well, that fucking backfired, didn't it. I didn't mean I wanted her to text him again...

My chest began to stir with a mixture of unease and something else I couldn't put my finger on, suddenly regretting ever saying anything to this chick in the first place. Because...

I don't want her to get Shouto's attention.

It's stupid to think, and it doesn't even make sense considering the platonic nature of Shouto and I's relationship. A few weeks ago, I don't know if I would have cared that much if she decided she wanted to message him again. I'd probably internally laugh at her and wish her a snide little "good luck."

But, now.....now.......

Agh, stop that. It would be weird to say no, especially given the work relationship that Shouto and I are supposed to have.

"Hm? Oh—I mean, yeahhh, if you wanna...." My voice unintentionally came out a little dry, trying to beat around the bush and make the idea sound less appealing for her. "I just—I don't want you to feel bad if he doesn't respond, you know."

Gross, I almost felt like I was being a mean girl about it, or something. I'm not usually like this, and I know, I'm kinda, like, gatekeeping, right? That's never been my thing, but Shouto? Well....he deserves to be gatekept, I guess. He deserves to be protected. If he didn't want to message this girl back the first time she reached out to him, he clearly had his reasons for doing so. I just want to respect them. Yeah...

Ella looked at me closely with her weird ass eyes, quirking a blank smile at the corner of her pretty lips, "Don't worry. I won't feel bad." She said completely unbothered, suddenly making me feel a little smaller than before.

Huh. Usually, I'm pretty good at reading people right away, but I gotta admit, I don't totally understand this girl's personality. She seemed way nicer to Shouto when it was just the two of them at the bar—and also way nicer to the doctor friend she was just talking to. Now she seems...

I dunno, cold? But, also just...aloof? Damn. She's a little intimidating, which makes no sense considering how calm and polite she is...

Honestly, it's probably due to how pretty she is. I told you I can get jealous, but it's a little more than that right now. It's almost triggering because she...she even looks a little like...like...

Memories of the very distant past slowly started to creep into my conscience, causing me to blink a little more rapidly at the nostalgic voice that seemed to haunt me all these years later.

"You're so ugly, Lani."

"You're pathetic."

"A retard like you should just kill herse-"

"Cool." I quickly forced the past away, matching Ella's cunning look with a curt reply.

She didn't speak again and neither did I, both of us staring at each other in awkward silence before she broke it.

"What did you say your name was? It seems like I already forgot it." She asked with more interest now, gliding her eyes down my frame like there was something to see.

"Never said my name. But, it's Lani." I said a little colder before she looked at the visitor name tag on my collar.

"And your last name's Hidaka? You mean..." She asked, looking down at her medical clipboard for confirmation. "Raiga's relative?"

"His sister, to be exact." I clarified, causing her to hum with subtle irony.

"I see. What a small, small world that is. Raiga's my new patient for the time being. I heard about his case of mysterious illness during medical school and found it interesting. With his permission and my professor's permission, I've decided to use him for my senior thesis. So, it looks like you and I will be seeing a lot more of each other around here." She said, keeping her expressions neutral as she lowered her clipboard.

What? That's fucking awful-

"How nice." I smiled emptily, watching her smooth out her white doctor's coat.

"Hm. That's one way to put it." She alluded, before awkward silence consumed us again.

You ever meet someone for the first time and instantly realize you two aren't compatible? Yeah, that's what I'm starting to think this is...

After a few painful seconds, I looked back at the door she was still blocking with her perfect frame, walking forward and subtly crowding her space so she'd get out of my way.

"Alright. Well, I'm gonna head in to see my brother now if you don't mind." I got my hand around the doorknob passive aggressively, watching her slowly—slowly move out of the door frame now. "It was nice meeting you, Ella."

She moved at a sloth's pace, but also with the fluidity of a snake, turning towards me with another smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Sure was. I'll see you around, Lani."

I simply nodded, about to open the door before she spoke again, "Oh. And thanks for your advice about Shouto. I'll be sure to take it."

With that, she was off, and my heart buzzed with a fester of annoyance, pushing the door open with a final, bitter thought...

Ella. I'm not a fan.

Trying to shake off the encounter, I walked into my brother's room—mentally thanking the universe that my parents weren't here yet. I'll definitely try to make this quick and duck out before they get here. It was just my brother alone, watching him flip through the television channels with flushed cheeks, though I don't know why they'd be flushed. Maybe his fever came back.

But, still he seemed to be in good spirits, looking over at me upon my arrival, smiling happily now that he had some company.

My heart twinged for him. I know being locked away in this hospital room 24/7 must be lonely. Especially given how extroverted he used to be. Now the only company he gets is his black sheep of a sister he didn't even used to talk to unless he had to. Must be tough.

I hid my pity behind a grin, lazily tossing my bag on one of the visitor's chairs, "'Sup, loser." I smirked, greeting him like an actual sibling.

Look, no one calls each other 'sis' and 'bro,' okay? If I ever do, it means someone possessed my dead corpse and is doing a very bad job of pretending to be me.

Raiga wasn't surprised by my insulting greeting, throwing one back at me as he poked at his congee.

"You look like shit." He uttered smugly, causing me to snort and approach him.

I lightly flicked his forehead, watching him barely wince and groan. "Says the one who probably hasn't showered in days."

"Please." He sneered, taking another peck of his food. "Sponge baths exist for a reason, you know."

"Mm, that poor nurse." I rolled my eyes lightly, holding up a little bag in his vision. "Got your 'meds.'"

'Meds,' aka - his magic pill given to me by the Mizuchi. His literal lifeline for the last two years.

He took it gratefully and quickly tore the bag open, muttering a small "Thanks," as he desperately choked it down with some water.

My eyes fell slightly. Usually, he only takes it with that much desperation when he's been in a lot of pain. The magic pill isn't working as well as it used to. He really needs more than one dose per week lately. But...

How do I get it? Surely, the only way is to stick my neck out so far, it's resting on the guillotine at this point.

My head began to ache from the stress and fatigue, giving his shoulder a distracted pat before traveling to the big window on the other side of the room and instantly opening the curtains. It was the only time Raiga got to see the outside world now, so he kept it open all the time. Even at night, until the nurses would finally close it.

The sky was pretty right now at dawn, the sun was barely coming up. It painted the city below and his hospital room a soft orange with the promise of false peace. Peace I'd have to squash right now.

Ugh. Here it goes.

"Saw Eiichi yesterday." I cut right to the chase, keeping my gaze out the window.

Raiga hummed with interest and pushed his barely touched food to the side, gesturing humorously to the old mascara starting to crumble under my lashes, "Oh yeah? Is that why you still have last night's makeup on your face?" He teased.

"Please. As if I'd tap that dipshit again." I sneered lightly, trying to approach the topic as cautiously as possible. "Nah. Um...so, he's, like.....in on this whole thing now, apparently."

It's always good to keep talk of the Mizuchi vague whenever we can. You never know who's listening.

Raiga nodded and I watched him closely, noticing that as much as he pretended to be surprised, he wasn't. I saw right through him.

Fucking little brothers, man. They really think they're slick or something. Dumbasses.

"What?" He asked a little too quickly, looking away from me and running a nervous hand through his hair. "Woah, that's seriously crazy, dude..."

Knowing I had bigger fish to fry with this conversation, I let the lie slip by. The only reason it interested me is how Raiga would know Eiichi joined the Mizuchi. After I got fucked over, Raiga cut off contact with him. Maybe not? Or...

Maybe he learned it from someone else. Someone else in the gang, perhaps.

"Mhm. He said some things about you." I finally tore my gaze from the open window, crossing my arms and looking at Raiga.

Once again, he gave himself away, eyes widening barely in panic before he quickly cleared his throat with a nervous chuckle, "Doesn't he always? That dick loves to run his mouth. You know that obviously."

"Yeah, well...he said some...interesting things about you." I urged further, eyeing him suspiciously. "Things I was previously unaware of, regarding this whole thing, you know..."

I continued to push and I know he was starting to feel it. Slowly becoming agitated the way I knew he would. I didn't want to provoke a fight between us, but this needed to be said. I needed to know for my own good about what he really knows. For his, too.

"Okay, and?" He retorted, raising his IV filled arms in annoyed question. "You're gonna believe a twenty-something-year-old guy who screwed some fresh-out-of-high-school girl and cheated on you over your own brother? Nice."

"I dunno. Should I?" I pressed, causing Raiga to scoff in disbelief.

"Wow."

A heavy sigh escaped my lips at the rising tension between us, pushing myself off the wall and walking over to him, "Raiga, listen. If you know something about this Thing that I don't-"

"Lani, stop." He shook his head immediately, pinching the bridge of his nose with a headache.

I raised my hands in surrender and gave him a moment to compose himself, not wanting to stress him out and make him sicker.

"I know, okay. I know you probably don't talk about that night 'cause it's traumatic for you, and I've tried to respect that." I hesitated on my next words. "But, sooner or later, you're gonna have to tell me what really happened that night-"

"I said stop-"

"You can tell me, Raiga-"

"No, it's too dangerous!" He blurted out, making me to jump at the unexpected way his voice raised.

Both of our pink eyes widened simultaneously as he just accidentally admitted something he didn't mean to, causing him to grit his teeth in frustration and bury his face in his hands.

"Shit..." He breathed out as I slowly put the pieces together.

"So you do know something." I said in slight surprise that Eiichi was correct, scoffing a little from Raiga's betrayal. "And all this time, I thought you were just some dumb low level dealer like me."

Sensing the betrayal in my voice, he immediately lifted his head and tried to explain, "No. I was. It....ugh...it had nothing to do with me moving up in the ranks..."

What? Now I'm even more confused...

"Then what was it? Eiichi said you were close with someone in the higher ups. Is that true? Who was it? How does a shitty little dealer like you get to meet someone important?" I rattled off my questions, feeling the cortisol rising in my veins as I searched for answers.

But, Raiga's eyes fell closed knowingly, grimacing and preparing for the fireworks that were to come with his next response.

"I can't tell you that."

My jaw dropped in shock at his fucking audacity, looking at him like he was the biggest asshole of the year. "You're fucking kidding me." I spat, turning on my heel to grab my bag and leave in a tizzy.

"Lani, wait." He groaned, causing me to abruptly turn back around and realize I wasn't actually done bitching him out yet.

"No! That is bullshit, Raiga! How can you still keep secrets from me after everything that's happened? After everything I've done for you! It's my ass on the line out there if I don't know what's going on!" I yelled before he sat up straighter in the bed and matched my tone.

"I never wanted you to sell the drugs for me!"

"Yeah, and if I didn't, you'd be dead in the ground by now!"

"If I tell you who it is, you'll be dead in the ground by tomorrow." He blurted out again, clenching his jaw in self annoyance with more spilled secrets.

But, this time, he caved a little, sighing stressfully and looking down at his bed sheets. "They promised they'd come after my family if I told what I know. Not only that, but....they know about you taking my place. They know all about you. It'd be all too easy for them to kill you. They threaten me about it all the time." He admitted, grimacing in unease.

My blood froze slightly at the realization that someone was essentially watching me without my knowledge, before another part of Raiga's words caught my attention.

'They threaten me about it all the time.'

"Wait. You're....you're still talking to them?" I asked blankly, feeling the dread weigh on my dropping heart.

I thought taking Raiga's place would get him out of this mess. But, now I'm learning he's still involved anyways?

"You don't understand-" He tried before I felt my anger rising the more it sunk in.

"Someone's out to kill me, and you haven't told me?!-"

"It's a really complicated situation!-"

"You can't keep hiding your secrets forever, Raiga!" I grit through my teeth. "You think you're doing me some kinda favor by staying quiet when, really, your silence is what's gonna get us all killed."

He said nothing, but his face was covered in guilt, knowing he was way in over his head about this whole thing. God, he's just a stupid eighteen year old. He doesn't know what he's doing. I can't be putting my life in his nasty little jizz hands....

"No." I said with finality, walking back over to the chair to grab my things. "Your lies are what got us into this in the first place. I'm not taking my chances with you."

He lifted his head in a bit of dread, remembering the stubborn bitch his sister was, "W-What?-"

"This person's clearly fucking with you, and apparently, they're stalking me. I'm not gonna be a sitting duck and just wait for them to pick my head off with a sniper rifle. If you won't tell me who they are, I'll just find out myself—the same way I do everything else around here." I said bitterly, grabbing my bag and jacket as Raiga's face paled anxiously.

"No, no, no. Lani, stop. Can you just stop being you for one second?! Don't go searching-"

"Oh, I'm going searching-"

"You'll just make them mad!" He protested as I prepared to leave, throwing his head back against his pillows in exasperation.

I stood in the doorway of Raiga's room, shooting him a mocking smile, "Good. Let them come to me then. I'll be waiting—with flowers and a fucking shotgun."

I slammed the door on his next plea, thankful to hear his voice die down once he thought I was gone. But, I didn't leave. Instead, I sighed heavily and slid down the door in dreadful stress, hugging my knees into my chest and burying my face in my hands as the worst case scenarios played in my head like distorted nightmares.

If only this was just one bad dream...

*

Shouto POV:

I've never been the type to daydream.

But, then again, I guess it's because I never really had anything to 'dream' about in the first place. I usually just zone out, and sure, sometimes I'll catch myself thinking about what I'd like to have for dinner, or if Midoriya ever went to the doctor for that rash. But, I've never....ever....felt like....this...

I kept the side of my head resting atop the desk, feeling the cool wood of it soak into my skin. It soothed my flushed cheeks, and I wasn't sure why they were flushed in the first place. Summer was on the brink of ending, after all. The air wasn't necessarily brisk yet, but also not hot enough to make my face this hot. Now I wonder if maybe I have a fever. I wonder if I picked up something from the party last night, maybe I'm even contagious.

That's what you get for going out and socializing with strangers—diseases.

The Sunday morning sun was coming in through the windows of the HPSC Headquarters building, and in that moment, I wondered if Lani was looking at the same sky. Or if she was even awake for that matter. We spent a lot of time texting last night, I even feel bad about it because what if I kept her up too late and she lost sleep? Did she dream? What was it about? What did she end up wearing to bed? I had a few ideas last night that I still can't seem to shake.

I wondered a lot of things, and they all had to do with her. And, even after we said goodnight through text last night, I remained on my phone the way I never do, scrolling back up our history of messages absentmindedly and reading through them again. I wasn't sure why, I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything. I wanted to relive the conversation and feel that same warmth in my chest for a second time.

The specks of dust in the meeting room danced in the soft window light and my eyes followed them distractedly, thinking about the empty notification message on my phone that I woke up to, the same message I refresh every few minutes to see if there was anything new.

I just wonder if she'll text me today...

Because yesterday, she said she'd message me tomorrow—which is now today—but, then again, she technically messaged me early this morning instead of yesterday because it was after midnight. So, maybe by tomorrow, she didn't mean today, but....tomorrow? It's too early in the morning to be thinking the way Midoriya does. I need to think like Bakugo instead and keep my head empty. Is that rude?

If I knew any better, I'd say it feels like things are getting more complicated...

But, I can't really say for sure because these types of things are always complicated to me, and I wish they weren't.

I.....well, I don't......experience things the same way other people do, and because of that, it becomes harder for me to connect. Because of that, I find myself alone a lot of the time. Not necessarily physically, because I have friends. But...just...in my head, I guess. So...mentally, that would be. I tend to feel a lot of things under the surface—to think a lot of things, too, but I can't ever express them—not out loud, or even to myself sometimes. It's always just one big ball of something up there—in my brain, I mean. All of it tangles together like a pair of old headphones, with no way to loosen the knots.

With Lani though, things are different. I....I think that's part of the reason she intrigues me so much. She knows how to...'loosen the knots,' I suppose. She has this way of speaking to me, and suddenly the words become easy to say, the thoughts are no longer trapped in my head, and my brain and body feel alive with the ability to be...to have......what's the world I'm looking for? It starts with an 'e' if I remember correctly. Oh, right....

Empathy.

It's something I've always struggled with. Something I always wanted to have more of. Like Midoriya or the others. Like All Might, or the heroes I look up to, the heroes who I always felt were better than me for that exact reason.

Lani makes me feel more of that. Empathy. She guides my emotions to the surface so I'm no longer drowning under them, and I feel less lost because of it. More like everyone else.

So, I guess with Lani in my life, things have actually become...less complicated in that way—but, that also makes them more complicated, because I'm not used to it. Does that make sense? I don't know. My thoughts aren't usually running this fast. Sometimes, I can't keep up with them anymore, and I get exhausted.

So, what I was saying—or, thinking before, is that I never daydream, but suddenly I do now. Suddenly, I'm in touch with my imagination and creativity, and there's only one person fueling both of these things...

Lani's the source of my dreams, both day and night lately. And I didn't mind it, because my brain enjoys looking at her face, and my dreams allow me to think about her more, and notice new things. Like how she has a lot of piercings in her ears, too, and how her incisors are just a tad sharper than the rest of her teeth. I think my dentist would say that's an imperfection, but personally, I don't think it is. Not on her, anyways. It suits her. Just like all her other features. It boggles my mind, how someone's attributes can fit so perfectly on their face. Maybe she really is a witch, or something.

And the more glazed over my eyes become as I stare out the window, the more her face slowly started to find movement in the dancing specks of dust. I could practically hear her voice in my ear, feeling goosebumps crawl up my neck from her hot breath. And....and she was smiling at me—one of her real smiles—and she wasn't covering it like she always does. I got to see it, and I'm glad because on Instagram, she always covers her smile. So, the only time I get to see her smile is when she's right in front of my face—or, in my dreams like right now, I suppose—if it was really a dream in the first place...

Fuzzy sounds echoed in my eardrums as I continued to stare towards the window in a daze, seeing Lani's mouth slowly hovering closer before a head of curly green hair popped into my vision, replacing her face with his own.

"Helloooo. Shouto, I said are you listening?" Midoriya asked, taking his seat next to me in the meeting room.

Blinking a few times to clear away my daydreams, I kept my head on the desk, not bothering to move my hair as it spilled into my eyes, "No." I uttered bluntly, still distracted by my thoughts.

I actually wish he didn't interrupt me. I wish Mr. Aizawa didn't interrupt me either by calling an emergency meeting this morning. It's weird. I spent the last five years hyper-fixating on hero work, but for the second day in a row—and in less than twenty-four hours, I'm doing hero work and I don't want to be. Because of the same reason last night. Because 'other things' sound more appealing to me.

It's almost like...I'm starting to hyper-fixate on something new.

Midoriya chuckled and meticulously laid out all of his note taking materials in preparation for the meeting, "Ah, I didn't think so. I saiddd I feel like I'm talking to a celebrity now." He beamed, gesturing towards me like I was supposed to know something.

My eyes felt heavier at his words, and my hair shifted on its own, giving me a slight view of his face now. "Me?" I asked, still keeping my head resting on the desk.

His jaw dropped before he swiped his phone off the table and messed around with it, practically bouncing in his seat as he turned the screen around to show me.

"Yeah, you didn't see?! Your Instagram gained over 150,000 followers over night! People liked you at the party!" He exclaimed, causing me to finally lift my head from the desk as I grabbed his phone.

Shouto Todoroki
584k Followers

"Oh." I uttered plainly, more confused than anything else. "But....I didn't really say anything last night."

The only people I really talked to were him and Bakugo, plus Lani. And...I guess Lani's friend if you count those two minutes, but I don't really count them. I don't mean that in a rude way.

Midoriya opened his mouth like he was going to refute that, before realizing it was true. "Oh—well—yeah, you actually didn't, huh." He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to be uplifting. "I guess it's justttt...your face!"

My....face?

I hummed in disinterested question before there was a harsh kick to the back of my chair, already knowing who it was without need to turn around.

"Hah! Loser thinks a few new followers is something to jar about." Bakugo sneered, dropping his hero briefcase onto the wood with a sloppy, loud thud that rattled the whole table.

He slid into the seat next to Midoriya, and I found the annoyance returning to my chest, realizing it was the same annoyance I felt for him last night.

When he insulted Lani...

Wait a minute....

Am I still....

Upset about that?

I usually tend to forget the arguments that Bakugo and I get into a few seconds after we part ways. Mostly because I tune out yelling and moments of conflict, and he does a lot of those with me. But, I guess I didn't forget this particular one, and....I actually think I wish he wasn't here right now so I don't have to speak with him. I should tell him that and see how he takes it-

"And here's a little something to piss you off even more." He continued a few moments later, shoving his open phone in my face for proof of something. "My Instagram gained 170,000 new followers last night. So, hah!"

Katsuki Bakugo
929k Followers

I stared at the screen boredly, really not caring about the Instagram stuff. I've never been interested in social media, and I only logged onto it for the second time in my life last night—and that was just to look at Lani's page.

"Congratulations."  I uttered dryly, looking away from the screen carelessly. "It seems really important to you."

His ears blew steam like a train and he shot out of his chair instantly, causing Midoriya to grimace and sulk in his seat. "Huh!? I-It's not important to me, you half and half shit! I don't give a fuck about social media!" He growled, face starting to burn red. "I just want you to see that I can beat you without even trying!"

"I think you're trying." I said plainly, watching him starting to shake in my peripheral vision. "It's not even seven in the morning and you already checked your page. That must mean something. Right, Midoriya?"

Midoriya's eyes widened at unintentionally being dragged into the fight, looking between me and Bakugo as we both stared at him.

"Uh—what!? Oh, well I-"

"I'm not...trying." Bakugo seethed, matching my half lidded eyes with wild ones.

"That's interesting. Because I think you're trying really hard." I pointed out in blunt confusion, not seeing what the issue is.

I don't know what the big deal is about 'trying,' or why it's something that makes him mad. I'm just pointing out the obvious. Is 'trying' considered offensive now or something? With Bakugo, you never know.

Bakugo slammed his hand on the table now and the furniture rattled again loudly as he walked over to me now. "Ya want me to try for real!?" He threatened, holding up his smoking hand with some sort of threat.

"Sure—if it matters that much to you." I simply repeated, causing him to scream like a donkey.

"I just said it doesn't matter to me you half and half piece of shit!! Ya damn-"

But, like I said, I always tend to tune out the yelling and conflict with him once it starts. And, right now, I still find myself more focused on our argument from last night than whatever this was about, feeling the words stuck in my throat again. I wanted to say something about last night. Did he even remember it? Did he even understand he shouldn't have said it about her? That it wasn't true?

I never got the chance to find out as the door swung open again, revealing our teacher who was still in last night's pajamas. The three of us looked towards him, and Mr. Aizawa sighed heavily as he trudged to the front of the room, sipping his steaming hot coffee as he spoke to us in annoyance.

"Alright, you three. Settle down. I don't want to waste my Sunday on this longer than I have to." He grumbled, setting his coffee mug down on the podium.

Bakugo growled at me one last time like a chihuahua before doing the hemorrhoid walk and retreating back to his seat, plopping down in it and crossing his arms like a child. Mr. Aizawa let out a small 'Hmph' and gave us a side glance—or as Denki Kaminari would call it—a 'criminally offensive side eye,' whatever that means—looking down at his notes and sipping his coffee.

"Well, guess I have to give props to you guys. Congratulations for not being your usual stupid selves and taking the Mizuchi drug last night like a bunch of other kids your age did. It was circulating like crazy at the party you three went to, apparently." He explained, causing Midoriya to gasp in shock.

"What?! How do you know?"

Mr. Aizawa continued reading through his notes, "The police report here says that hospitals were filled with heroes complaining of chest pain, dangerously high blood pressure, and other symptoms. They all contained traces of the drug in their system—all patients coming from the same party." He said, before pulling out a picture in the file notes. "But, that's not all..."

He held up the picture in our view and I leaned forward to get a look, not recognizing the guy with orange hair that had black stripes running through it. He was in a hospital bed with an oxygen mask on, looking very sick.

"This guy's had the worst of it. He was lucky he woke up this morning." Mr. Aizawa said before Midoriya shot up from his chair in surprise.

"Convector!" He exclaimed, causing me to furrow my brows in confusion.

"Who?"

Midoriya looked at me like I should have remembered who this guy was before explaining, "The guy who gave you a hard time last night, Shouto. Remember? He threw a drink in your face, then Lani threw melted chocolate in his and punched him—uh, with an apple..."

I did remember that situation, but the face of the perpetrator was less important to me at the time. I guess my brain didn't deem it necessary to remember so I must have forgotten what he looked like. But, looking at the picture again, he does look familiar now. My memory is more clear about what happened afterwards though. Lani and I went somewhere private, and we hugged—and that's how I found the pill bag.

"Oh, that's right." I stroked my chin in thought, starting to put the pieces together. "I don't think we would have found the drug if it wasn't for that situation."

"You're right about that, Shouto. And thanks to the sample you guys obtained, we were able to test it and find out some other things about the drug that were previously unknown—actually, rather....the dealer." Mr. Aizawa said, pulling out a little biohazard bag from the folder now.

Using gloves and tongs, he reached into the biohazard bag and showed us a pill bag—the same pill bag I found at the party, to be exact, opening it and using the tongs to pull out the item.

It was a little pill, and it was masked well. It was white and just looked like an over the counter aspirin. Not one of the most dangerous drugs on the market right now.

"This pill you obtained was cut in half just like this." Mr. Aizawa said, holding up the medicine for evidence. "Furthermore, those at the party who took the drug all had the same amount as one would have with only half a pill. It's the only reason none of those heroes are dead—and neither are any of the heroes who typically buy the drug in this particular area—in other words, from this particular dealer."

"So what does that mean?" I asked, before another picture was held up for our eyes now.

It was a picture we'd already seen before. The one of the dealer. The picture was still just as fuzzy and mysterious as before, but now it held a little more value.

"It means we now have a specific way to differentiate this dealer from others and further track them down. Not only do they have a rip in the left side of their jacket, but they also have a track record of halving the dose of the drug to ensure no one dies—and I don't know why they would have any reason to. They're the only dealer that does so, but also incredibly successful at what they do. They have the capacity to kill hundreds of heroes, and yet they don't. I wanna know why." Mr. Aizawa pondered, narrowing his eyes and taking a look at the picture for himself.

I mean, I suppose I'd like to know why as well, but...

"I'm not sure how much their reason really matters." I said, looking at the picture of an injured Convector again. "Even if the dealer is cutting the dosages in half, the fact remains that they're still hurting heroes with the drug. They're still sending them to the hospital, even if they aren't killing them. It's a crime that deserves to be answered for, regardless of their reason for doing so."

Mr. Aizawa hummed, and I don't really know if he agreed with me or not. He still seemed more interested in the topic than I did.

"Your thinking's too narrow. The reason always matters, Shouto. It's more information that can lead us deeper into the source. I also wanna know if the Mizuchi are even aware that this specific dealer is halving the dosages of their drug. I can't imagine they would, and if they were to find out, that dealer wouldn't last another night." He alluded, before Bakugo chuckled deviously.

"In other words, a good source of blackmail to use once we nab 'em." He grinned, cracking his knuckles loudly.

"For once, I agree with you, Bakugo." Mr. Aizawa said, taking one last look at the picture before hesitatingly putting it away. "And I think we're getting closer to cornering them."

"How do you suppose we continue?" Midoriya asked.

The room pondered in silence for a moment as Mr. Aizawa looked through all the information, "I have an idea. The results would be almost instantaneous, but possibly too risky..." He murmured in hesitation, before looking at the three of us...

Not elaborating more, Bakugo scoffed and became impatient, "Oi, you don't think I can handle it, or something? Tell us."

"It's not that I don't think you can handle it—though, I certainly wouldn't choose you to do it. It's more that I believe it's still a little too early. I'd also need to look more into the process, as it might be too coincidental, and the dealer would catch on. It's a situation where everything needs to flow perfectly in order for it to work." He explained, still thinking about his own plans.

"What's your idea, Mr. Aizawa?" Midoriya asked.

Our former teacher closed his file folder with a sigh, looking at the three of us—specifically...

Me.

"I'm going to have one of you—specifically the one who could show the least amount of emotion in the situation—go undercover, meet with the dealer, and buy the drug from them." He said, causing Midoriya to squeak in surprise.

"But, like I said, it's risky. Let me do a little more research and allow things to fall into place seamlessly first. For now, you're free to go. I'll call you back when we're ready for the next step." He parted, not bothering to dismiss us as he grabbed his coffee cup and dismissed himself first.

Meet the dealer and buy the drug, huh? That would certainly be a good way to set them up and out their identity quickly. I'd be more than willing to play the buyer and complete the task if that's what Mr. Aizawa wants.

But, I guess that made some other people in the room...mad? Specifically, the hemorrhoid donkey.

Bakugo stood up from his chair with a grunt, glaring at me through grit teeth, "Don't think yourself all high and mighty just cause you got picked. That spot is mine, you'll see—just like the winner of hero season." He seethed, grabbing his hero briefcase before storming off towards the door.

I simply watched him go unbothered, keeping my bored eyes on Midoriya as he stood up and smiled sheepishly. He looked like he was going to say something before realizing I really couldn't have cared less. Instead, he settled for a small goodbye before running after Bakugo, leaving me to pack up my things by myself.

With a sigh, I lethargically began putting my items into my hero briefcase, about to throw my phone inside as well before it dinged.

Oh-

My half lidded eyes instantly widened as I ripped my phone back out into the open, having one person in mind. My heart jumped and I scanned the message screen, my anticipation quickly turning to confusion as I read the message...

Text Message From: +8123948429
Hi, Shouto. It's Ella again. I found out some crazy information this morning that I think you'd be interested to know.
9:15am.

*******************
A/N: Bad Habits will be on break next week and resume December 9th! You can read ahead on Patreon, otherwise I'll see you then

I'm taking more breaks because I'm working on two main stories at once. Bad habits and my Gojo Satoru x OC story - The Year 2006. It's already been out on Patreon for some time if you'd like to read! It will come out on wattpad as well!