I'm sorry for my absence! If you have the time, please read the note at the bottom. Thank you all <3

Third person pov

Lillian was sweating literal fucking buckets. Katsuki was giving her a concerned look as the rest of their class filtered off the bus, all of them looking some level of nervous. It was a big day, after all, and the licensing was a serious matter. Lillian didn't want to think about what might happen if she failed. She'd let down all her friends, for one thing. They were counting on her to pass so she could help them in interning. Biting the Yakuza back was a team effort, after all. They had a solid plan all laid out. One she played a big role in due to her connections to Mirio and Amajiki. 

The air was fairly warm, but Lillian couldn't stop herself from feeling chilled as anxiety poured through her body. Her dad had given her a pep-talk and jelly packet on the bus, which had been very comforting at the time. Any of the meager confidence she'd managed to gather up had flown out of the window, through the window of a nine story building, and into a pit of lava. Just getting here had been hard enough. Now, she already wanted to leave. And nothing had happened yet. 

"Shut the hell up and calm down." Bakugo griped at her in an oddly-concerned way as Hitoshi climbed out of the bus. The tired teen wouldn't be participating, but there was no reason he couldn't come to watch. His stump was wrapped up tightly, the white bandages sticking out starkly against his dark shirt as he held it to his chest. He looked too exhausted to be here, but there was no way he wouldn't come support his friends. Lillian was far, far too nervous for him to skimp out on her. Even if she did have the support of Shoto, her dad, Kaminari, and the explosive bastard he and Neito couldn't seem to stop from following her around.

"I didn't say anything." Lillian murmured, giving him a sour look. He sniffed in an uptight, egotistical way that made Lillian wonder if slapping him would get her blown up. Probably not. Most of the time, he was all bark and no bite when it came to her, even with how scary his bark happened to be. That really didn't matter right now. The problem at hand was that she was scared and didn't want to be here. 

Lillian wondered if she'd fail. She had no idea what these tests included. Her Google searches had yielded nothing-- the tests were different every time, just like the Sports Festival. It was all randomized. She knew they'd probably cover a few points: combat and rescue being the two major ones. Teamwork too, maybe? Lillian didn't know, and she was starting to dread finding out as she gazed in horror at the massive stadium in front of her. If there was ever an appropriate time to have a panic attack, it was now. Like, right this very second. It was happening. She was going to die. Hyperventilate. This was it for her, wasn't it? 

"Ugh, I'm starting to get kind of nervous..." Jiro's groan drew her from her train of thought. The freckled girl blinked, turning to look at Bakugo, who'd placed a hand on her shoulder without her realizing. Shoto and Kaminari were also in front of her, looking at her with mild concern. Kaminari's previous phobia of her was mostly gone, so long as she didn't bring Chungus or Cranberry Sprite up. Lillian was glad. He was a good friend, and he brought a lighthearted element to their little group that they really needed after what had happened with Izuku.

Shoto was worried too. He was better at hiding it, but he didn't feel ready for this. He was tired. He hadn't been able to sleep since Kamino, and everyone could see it. He loved his friends and he wasn't sure where he'd be without them, but they couldn't stop him from feeling empty and betrayed. Izuku had been his other half. Or he'd thought he had been, anyway. Having that ripped away and revealed to have been a lie made him feel that a part of him was... was missing. Lost. And it wasn't coming back, he feared. Izuku hadn't just dug his own grave. He'd dug Shoto's, too. It was just a matter of whether or not the Todoroki boy could keep himself from stepping in it now. 

"Yeah, I wonder what they're gonna make us do." Kaminari spoke up, brows furrowing slightly as he scratched the back of his neck. Shoto blinked blandly, turning to Hitoshi for a possible answer. The purple-haired teen just shrugged. As if he fucking knew. All he knew was that Class 1-B wasn't here for the test. They would be doing theirs the following day. Hitoshi really wished Neito would transfer into 1-A already. This whole separation thing was honestly ridiculous. He missed him when he wasn't here. They all did. Kaminari sighed, looking depressed. "Ugh. What if I can't get my license?" 

Too tired to be here, Hitoshi wondered just how his friends would fair in the exam. He'd be cheering them on from a distance, of course, but he honestly doubted his mellow motivation would do jack shit while they risked their lives out there. Everyone knew these tests were dangerous. Aizawa and Mic and pulled Lillian aside and given her some form of a lecture that was oddly specific yet extremely vague at the same time. They didn't want her hurt, and it was quite obvious they thought she was in no shape to be testing in an environment like this. And after what had gone on in Kamino just recently, maybe she wasn't. Maybe none of their class was. But they were here anyway, and they were all determined to succeed, and terrified of what would happen if they didn't.

"Kaminari." Aizawa said out of nowhere. The blonde jumped, whirling around to see his teacher standing there, bending down to be eye-to-eye with him. His expression was completely blank. Lillian's brows rose. Really? Was he really going to do this? They were all walking a thin line here! "Don't ask if you can. Say you will." 

"R-Right, sure! I've so got this!" Kaminari blurted out, looking moderately terrified. His voice was several pitches too high. Shoto snorted, not looking away from his mobile game as Aizawa straightened himself. Lillian's eyebrows rose a little higher. Was her dad on something? A potent concentration of solid worry, perhaps? His expression was almost too schooled. Living with her dad, she'd gotten to know him pretty well, and he was quite obviously antsy. Lillian wondered if she could do anything to help.

Bakugo glanced around, seeming relatively irritated as his gaze darted about the crowd. He tried to size up the other students. Not that he couldn't handle them or some shit like that-- there was just a lot riding on this exam. He couldn't afford to be an idiot or to let his pride get in the way. A lot of things had come into perspective for him lately, and he was done with this bullshit. It was time for him to grow up. That's not something he'd ever thought he'd say, but the world didn't fucking revolve around him. He wasn't the strongest. He wasn't the smartest. He fucking knew that. That's why he had to approach this in the calmest, steadiest way possible. People were counting on his ass not to mess up. Just like he was feeling the pressure, he was sure they all were too.

Lillian was one of these people counting on him. She needed his support as much as he needed hers. He was trying not to lean on her, and the last thing he wanted to do was use her as a crutch. But he was scared. He had nightmares still, and honestly, he wasn't okay. He hadn't wanted to admit that, but there was no denying it. He was fucking messed up! And he had a right to be, didn't he? Their entire damn class did. That's why he had to do this. He had to get his license. He had to keep going forward, because if he didn't, he was going to get stuck in the past. 

"If you can pass this test and get your provisional licenses, then you novice eggs will hatch into chicks. You'll be semi-pros." Aizawa's eyes scanned his class. They all stared at him with rapt attention, looking vaguely terrified. His eyes came to rest on his anxious daughter, and he sighed. If she hadn't decided to be a hero, he never would've found her. But with all the danger she was in, he sometimes had to wish she was into something else, despite her skill and potential in this field. Like... gardening. Or medicine. Competitive baking, maybe. "I expect your best."

"Dab on that." Lillian muttered to herself. Hitoshi dipped his head down towards the crook of his elbow briefly in agreement, his arm raising only slightly. Almost like he'd been about to cover a sneeze but had given up halfway through. Lillian nodded to him in a morose way. This was dreadful in a stunning sort of way that made her wonder if her heart would simply stop beating in her chest. Wait, was that insensitive to think about because of Neito? No, he'd made a joke about himself being literally soulless yesterday, it was fine.

One thing Lillian was concerned about was the sheer amount of people who'd seen the Sports Festival. They all knew their quirks, and that was an advantage they didn't possess. UA was extra. They liked to put on a show, unfortunately, and now they were going to be targets. Lillian really, really didn't want to be a target. 

"Alright! I can't wait to be a heroic chicken." Kaminari exclaimed, his mind on interning with Hawks as he said it. Shoto nodded in agreement. Though they couldn't reach out to Nighteye or Fatgum so early, they had a personal connection to Hawks and were able to call him that very night. He'd had absolutely no qualms with taking Shoto back, and was perfectly fine with Kaminari tagging along. The electric blonde was nervous, but also pumped up as hell! Hawks! The Number Two Hero! He didn't want to let his friends down. 

Chad was really cool. Like, insanely fucking cool. Kaminari wanted to be like that. He wanted to help! He felt like a part of something when he hung out with Lillian's little group of friends. They made him feel included and like he belonged, all whilst not belittling his intelligence. It was... It was easy for his other friends to pick on him and call him an idiot. He wasn't all that bright academically. He laughed along with it, but it did hurt. They didn't do that here. Those weren't the types of jokes they made, and when anyone did, they were shot down immediately. It was incredibly supportive. He'd never gotten to fall in with people like this. It was nice. 

"Let's call out the usual, you guys!" Kirishima chimed in, grinning. Lillian and Bakugo turned to him, immediately spotting the absolutely massive guy creeping up behind him. Lillian looked to see if Shoto was looking, but he was still playing Flappy Bird. Hitoshi let out a low whistle. He didn't know what this kid's quirk was, but he looked like he could crush someone's skull with his bare hands alone. The tired teen was suddenly feeling a bit better about not being able to participate. "On my mark, go Plus-"

The giant guy threw his fist in the air: "ULTRA!" 

Wow, yeah. Lillian was leaving. This guy was scary. Katsuki looked relatively disgusted, his mouth twisted in a displeased way and his brows furrowed with annoyance. Kaminari let out the most ungodly shriek at the sudden intrustion, sparks flying off his skin. He backed into Shoto's side to get away from the behemoth, zapping him only mildly. The half-and-half boy's hair poofed up notably, and his phone gave a weak crackle before the screen went blank. Lillian winced, looking away. Hitoshi pressed his lips together. Bakugo laughed. 

Some girl behind the giant kid started to say something about being rude, but Lillian was a bit too preoccupied by the sight of Kaminari slowly turning around to face Shoto, who looked about ready to commit mass genocide. Nobody got between him and his mobile games. It was an unspoken rule that even Kaminari had learned early on. And yet, somehow, the guy had managed to short circuit Shoto's device nonetheless. Wonderful. 

"Uh." Kaminari blinked, not even seeming to notice when the giant kid's entire body fold like a chair as he apologized. Lillian was pretty sure the ground experienced a small tremor from the force with which he slammed his head down. Kaminari took a small step back, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. "I... I-I'll replace that." 

"No, you won't." Shoto responded in a dry tone with no hesitation. Kaminari froze in place. Lillian turned to Hitoshi with some amount of urgency. Bakugo just looked confused and maybe a bit amused. And then, Shoto's hand caught on fire. "You'll be too busy recovering in th-" 

"Whoa, whoa, okay!" Lillian squeaked out, taking a few steps forward and grabbing Shoto's arm. Hitoshi came up on the teen's other side and grabbed the opposite limb, the pair of them gently pulling Todoroki back before he could commit any form of arson. He'd been sheltered from mobile games his whole life. It was only until after the Sports Festival, when they moved him out, that he had any access to them. Now he was dead fucking serious about them. Cut-throat, professional, took it was too severely. Kaminari had just wiped out a lot of the boy's high scores. "Let's all just calm down, r-right? We're here for a reason, and it's not Flappy Bird." 

Shoto gave her an offended glance. Katsuki scoffed. Kaminari looked vaguely ready to piss himself, but that was a whole other ballpark that Lillian wasn't ready to bat in. The other kids-- the one from the other Hero school-- were already walking away with far too much swagger. The big one was walking like an entire gorilla over there. Aizawa was giving them a heavily, heavily judgmental look. They probably should've been analyzing their future opponents. Well, at least Shoto hadn't gotten the chance to grill Kaminari alive.

"That guy says he loves our school, but he turned down the chance to enroll when offered?" Sero spoke. Lillian blinked, turning to look at him, and then back at the students walking away. Were they talking about the one that had just bashed his head into the sidewalk? Didn't seem like a huge loss, but what did she know. Wait, that was rude. She was in a tense sort of mood. She'd dropped her avocado a long, long time ago, and she had yet to pick it up. It was a sad life she was living.

"Yeah, what a weirdo." Mina agreed. Kaminari nodded from his place behind her, his eyes still on Todoroki for fear he'd strike if he dared to look away. The half-and-half boy was glaring daggers. Lillian still had her arm hooked around his, and Hitoshi had a hand on his shoulder. Bakugo was staring at them like they were a bunch of fucking idiots, which was sadly more accurate than any of them would ever admit. Aizawa cleared his throat, honestly not knowing what was going on but feeling reasonably disappointed. 

"Maybe, but he's the real deal." Aizawa peeled his gaze from his daughter and her friends, shaking his head slightly. He'd accepted a long time ago that he'd never understand these brats. "Keep an eye on him."

Right, Lillian could do that. She'd just freeze him and it would be fine. Her quirk was stronger than it had been during the Sports Festival, and she'd been able to freeze Endeavor back then. Not for very long and not without vomiting up like, an eighth of the blood in her body, but that was besides the point. Surely she could handle this on some level! Right? She'd survived a lot as of late, what was another minor crisis? At least no one here would try to shoot her. Or maybe they would. Wait, would they? She couldn't handle another gun right now. Mr. Snipe had been forced to take his holsters off whilst she was in math, lest she lose her absolute shit. 

Shoto let Hitoshi take his smartphone, still giving Kaminari the dirtiest luck he could muster. Lillian gave him a few good pats on the back, shooting Katsuki a warning look when the boy opened his mouth to say something that would probably hurt someone's feelings. The explosive blonde's trap snapped back shut, his eyes narrowing right back at her. Lillian knew he was just as nervous as they were. Everyone was on edge, and Shoto had been having a hard time recently. He'd developed a fair amount of anxiety, and it was hard for him to control his emotions sometimes. Izuku had... he'd messed him up, and the added stress of this exam wasn't helping.

"Eraser! I'd know that scowl anywhere! I saw you on the TV when they announced the new hero rankings. Never thought you'd be named Number One!" A cheerful voice called out, welcoming and almost too happy. Lillian's head whipped in her dad's direction. He looked horrified, frozen in place. "It's been a while since we were this close in person."

The woman looked familiar, with mint green hair and a bright bandana. Definitely a hero. But from where? Her dad definitely knew her, and he didn't seem all too happy about that fact. Bakugo was entirely too interested, standing close enough to her that their arms were touching. His focus was on the other students once again, having gotten over the whole Kaminari incident. Shoto had moved quickly from rage to grief, and Hitoshi was trying hard to comfort him. Lillian took a deep breaths.

Okay. This was okay. This was fine. This entire exam was fine, and all these new people were fine, and this was all fine. Perfectly, 100% okay. If she told herself that enough, it was bound to come true. All the other students here seemed so confident and ready for this. Lillian felt sorely unprepared. Not great considering their entire plan to take down the Yakuza hinged solely on them all passing this so that they could mobilize a force that would be able to get information from three different facets. But you know, it was chill. Definitely. 

Lillian looked at her dad, who'd scooted a bit closer to her. The class watched with quiet interest, clearly trying to figure out who this woman was and how she knew their teacher. Lillian sniffed. She wanted to get this over with before she cried. Could they just start the test already? Before she wussed out? 

"Let's get married." The woman beamed. Lillian's jaw absolutely dropped. Behind her, Shoto, Hitoshi, Kaminari, and Katsuki all fell silent. They'd been quietly bickering about the phone incident and shutting up about it before. 

"No." Aizawa answered, composure regained. 

Mina gasped, and half the class turned to look at Lillian as though she knew shit. Her face was just as horrified as you'd expect. She glanced between this strange woman and her dad. This wasn't okay. No? No. Definitely not. Who was this lady? How did Lillian make her leave? She didn't want to share her dad. Not with this stranger, anyway! She thought her dad was with Mic on the downlow, and now this chick was showing up out of the left field asking for fucking marriage? Absolutely not! No! Over her dead body. 

"Ha-ha! You're a real laugh-riot, buddy!" The woman bent over, letting out a laugh. Her dad continued to glower. Lillian inched closer to him, question in her eyes. He gave her a near-apologetic glance. 

"As usual, you're impossible, Joke." Her dad replied blandly. It clicked into place then. Miss Joke was a hero whose quirk allowed her to make others laugh. It was surprisingly effective in battle. Lillian had previously admired the woman. She was far from one of her favorite heroes, but her quirk was unique and her fighting style mirrored it. Now, Lillian's admiration has essentially vanished into thin air, and she had to gawk a little at this lady and her absolute audacity. 

"The smile hero." Hitoshi noted. Bakugo made a disgusted face.

"Come on, imagine it! If I was your wife, you'd have a future full of constant laughter!" Miss Joke gave a thumbs up. Lillian's brow creased, her eyes narrowed, and her lips pressing together. Pretty bold for someone her dad had never brought up in the entire time that she'd known him. Did she realize how insignificant she was in the grand scheme of her dad's life? Did she? She had too much confidence for someone wearing orange whilst having green hair. Lillian didn't like it. It was suspicious. Or maybe she was just biased against green hair nowadays. 

"That sounds like an actual nightmare." Aizawa answered. He glanced down at his daughter and had to do a doubletake when he saw the critical expression on her face. He was struck with the realization that she was judging Miss Joke, and that she wasn't liking what she was seeing or hearing. It was almost enough to make him laugh. Almost. His lips quirked up slightly, and his heart swelled. He couldn't help but feel warm inside. Having a child truly was something else. How he'd gone so long without Lillian in his life, he had no idea. 

"It seems like you two are close." Tsuyu noted. Lillian crossed her arms over her chest. Behind her, Katsuki snorted. Hitoshi wacked him with his stump. Miss Joke let out a loud laugh, grinning widely. She hadn't seemed to notice Lillian glowering at her, which only made the girl glower harder. Should she say something? Was that rude? She wanted this lady to leave her dad alone and fuck right on off. They had things to do, exams to take. 

"Our agencies were near each other. As young heroes striving to make a difference in the world, a mutual love bloomed." Miss Joke sighed out dreamily. Lillian let out a loud scoff. The woman's attention was finally drawn her way. For a moment, she just blinked at Lillian. The freckled girl could see her putting together the pieces in her mind. She'd surely heard about her by now. Kamino had been broadcast live.

"If you'd had a mutual romance at that age, I'd have green hair." Lillian pointed out with unusual boldness, her voice as bland as her father's. Aizawa audibly choked, and Kaminari let out a hoot, obviously recovered from his close call with Shoto. Katsuki even gave a sharp laugh in support. Miss Joke's smile froze on her face. "Yet here I am. With blue eyes and freckles. What does that tell you?"

Hitoshi let out a sigh, wishing more than anything that Neito were here. He'd know what to say. He was always quick to retort. He was the babysitter in their squad, not him. He just built beds and slept. That was his purpose in this group. And to lose an appendage, apparently, but they weren't going to talk about that right now. Mina and Hagakure were looking both excited and scandalized. The realization that their teacher had to have been with someone to produce Lillian had just dawned on them, and now they were whispering back and forth about who it could be and where they were.

"You're quick witted, like your dad! I like that!" Joke gave a laugh, but it was a bit strained. Lillian felt a bit mean for being satisfied. 

As it would turn out, Joke was here with a class of her own. The knowledge that she hadn't just shown up to hit on her dad was comforting, but she still didn't like the woman. She slunk back towards Katsuki, Shoto, and Hitoshi, her posture slumped. Kaminari carefully gravitated his way over, staying partially behind her and Bakugo so that Shoto couldn't easily lunge for his throat. Hitoshi was reassuring the now-sniffling half-and-half boy that they could hold a proper funeral for his phone when they got done here. It seemed to comfort him slightly. Lillian had to elbow Bakugo to stop him from calling the whole thing dumb.

Miss Joke's class came to introduce themselves, and Lillian was disappointed to find that they all seemed pretty competent. Oddly polite, too, but not in a good way. That only made this entire exam harder. Lillian tried not to cry, bumping her forehead against Shoto's warmer side as she experienced true, physical pain in its purest form. He nodded in agreement, even though his turmoil was stemming from the loss of his phone. Hurt was hurt, and that was a fact. He was currently ignoring Kaminari's apologies, instead focusing on patting her rhythmically on the back so she wouldn't cry. Hitoshi just sighed, tired. 

"Come on, Freckles. It's time to go in." Katsuki tugged lightly on her sleeve. He looked like maybe he had some sympathy for her. Lillian let him place a hand on her back and guide her softly. Aizawa sent the brash teenager a harsh look that Lillian missed. "Calm the fuck down. We're going to fucking crush this shit and you know it." 

Lillian wasn't sure if his use of 'we' meant he was going to stick with her and help her out, but it was comforting either way. 

~~~~~~~~~