Third person pov

Things settled down as soon as Lillian got a text from Shoto himself claiming that it was all okay, and that Hawks was on the way to pick him up. How he'd deterred the hospital from calling Endeavor wasn't completely clear, but they were thankful nonetheless. Hitoshi suspected he'd lied and changed his emergency contacts by claiming his father had gotten a new phone number. Lillian wouldn't have been surprised if that were the case.

The injuries he'd gotten weren't much. He had a few scratches, and some thin cuts, but he hadn't required stitches like Iida had. Iida was going to stay there, as his brother was admitted there anyway. Shoto was free to go. Lillian and Hitoshi were both 101% sure he was forcing them to let him be discharged. He was a teenage boy who'd just faced off against the hero killer. There was no way they hadn't asked him to stay longer.

Mic returned to the apartment later, dead tired and ready to drag himself back to the studio for their evening broadcast. He'd arrived looking ready to fall over, begging Lillian to come back with him so they could get it all over with. Lillian had only smiled and went a bit red, apologizing again. She'd been hesitant to go. After all, Mr. Aizawa was her dad. It was something they probably should have talked about. Hitoshi and Aizawa both agreed it would be better to do it after the internships ended, to prevent any extra stress. So after receiving a hug from both of them, Lillian found herself leading Mic out the door and coaxing him towards the car while wondering if he'd kill them on the way home.

They still don't hear from Neito. Lillian has started wondering if he's dead, and Hitoshi has begun reading through the funeral plans Neito left behind in case something unexpected should ever have happened to him. Hitoshi had no clue where they'd be getting a glitter cannon from, but promised himself and Lillian that they'd make it work if worse came to worse. Chad texts a few more times, sending pictures of the Nomu in various outfits as he tried to find the thing a suitable 'disguise'. 

Bakugo somehow managed to make it back to Chad's apartment without killing himself, Eri, or anyone else. It was a shock even to him. Looking back on it, he couldn't help but wonder how the hell he hadn't gotten pulled over. He'd easily shot past the speed limit. He couldn't count the amount of civilians he'd have taken out if he weren't such a badass. Thank god for his quick reflexes. Without them, he'd be dead in a ditch with Eri crying over his mangled corpse. Not a pleasant mental image.

The whole thing left him grumpy. He hauled Eri out of the backseat and let her sit on his shoulders while he scrolled through his phone's notifications. Chad's apartment was a shit hole, but Bakugo would admit that the man went to great lengths to protect it. There was no way he'd be able to break in without getting knives shot out of some homemade device and embedded in his torso. He was pretty sure he'd get shot if he tried to shimmy through a window. So, he found himself pacing in front of the apartment building with Eri perched on him.

His phone was littered with text messages from Lillian. She seemed to realize that he was no longer with Chad, and was worried he may be dead somewhere. A fair assumption all things considered. It still warmed him a little more than he'd ever admit that she found the time to text him despite probably being scared out of her fucking mind over Half-and-Half. She was the one who'd called Chad to begin with. From the sound of it, she'd been crying.

So maybe he cared about her more than he cared for other people. Big fucking deal. They were friends, and Bakugo was amazing at everything he did, so that's what was happening. He was being an amazing as fuck friend. Lillian was honestly lucky to have him, and anyone else who said otherwise could go fuck themselves. Since reinstating contact with the girl, he'd made her cry a grand total of zero times. Impressive considering what a baby she was.

Back at Mihoko's house, Hajime had indeed already left for work. Naomasa had a better gather on himself, all things considered. Fuyumi and Rei disappeared to inspect the woman's new bedroom and to maybe call Natsuo. Shoto had long since warned Fuyumi that her phone wasn't private and that Endeavor could easily dip into any calls or texts she made. She'd call him and ask if he could go to the store for her, and then ambush him there. 

"You're Rei Todoroki?" Tsukauchi was surprised, quickly flushing at his lack of tact. It had been so long since anyone had heard from or about Endeavor's wife. The rumor mill had run its course, leaving behind a bubbling mystery nobody wanted to dive into. Endeavor vehemently refused to comment on it and discouraged reporters from doing the same, dialing up his intimidating factor as far as it would go. Despite this, he couldn't keep everything from reaching the press. While the knowledge wasn't as common today, there were plenty who knew Rei was hospitalized. 

"Can you leave her name of any reports?" Mihoko asked instead before the white-haired woman could panic further. "She just got out of the hospital today, and Endeavor doesn't know. We'd like to keep it that way."

This definitely struck Tsukauchi as odd. For one thing, Rei and Endeavor were married. Though Rei hadn't been mentioned for several years, their relationship before had been portrayed as happy and healthy. A perfect husband for a perfect wife, and a perfect wife for a perfect husband. They were seen as a loving family, with beautiful, happy children and a healthy marriage. Rei being hospitalized had been described as nothing short of devastating for Endeavor. And yet, the uncomfortable looks on Rei and Fuyumi's faces now... they begged to differ.

"Is there any reason... why he shouldn't know?" Tsukauchi asked carefully. As a cop, it was in his nature to pry. But something in his gut told him this was a delicate situation. Maybe it was the look in Rei Todoroki's eyes, or the way Fuyumi seemed to shrivel up and close in on herself. Mihoko certainly wasn't hiding anything, rage in her eyes as she flipped around and marched off to prepare some tea for the lot of them.

"Nothing too important." Rei muttered. Tsukauchi felt his quirk flare.

Lie.

"I understand." He gave a smile. "Let's get back to the topic at hand. You can to Hosu for your son, correct?"

"Yes. We were very worried when one of his friends called and informed us that he was fighting the hero killer." Rei seemed to darken at this, and Fuyumi nodded in agreement. Tsukauchi's quirk told him she was telling the truth. He hadn't really suspected she might be there for anything else, but it was still a relief to get anything nefarious off the table. Rei Todoroki was just a worried mother. One who was... hiding something. Something he felt he was just barely ghosting over. He was determined to figure out what it was.

"You said you didn't want your husband to figure out you were out of the hospital. You were aware that he was there, correct?" Naomasa asked, more curious than not. Rei glanced down at her hands, which were clasped together tightly.

"It was a... risk I was willing to take, Detective." She said quietly. Not a lie, but definitely concerning. Why would Endeavor finding out be a risk? Tsukauchi, against his better judgement, could slowly feel himself becoming more and more invested in whatever secret was lying here. As a member of the police force, there was a good chance he could help. And if he couldn't, then he had good friends in high places that would surely be able to step in and lend a hand if it was as serious as it was beginning to look.

"Not that him finding out would have been the end of the world or anything!" Fuyumi laughed nervously, her words coming out a little too quick.

Lie.

"Yeah, we'd just prefer it if he... you know, didn't." Mihoko re-entered the room with a tray full of their drinks. "It's better that way."

Tsukauchi could feel his concern rising the more and more he talked to the women here. Rei had averted her gaze almost guiltily, and Fuyumi seemed to have transformed into a ball of nerves. Mihoko was on the defensive. Her gaze was sharp and calculating, and her lips were pressed into a grim line. Naomasa didn't doubt she'd kick him out at the first sign of a threat.

"I understand. Is there any chance you can tell me everything you remember from Hosu? Did the Hero Killer say anything?" Tsukauchi jotted something down in his notepad, but it was far from having anything to do with Stain. They'd gotten pretty much all they needed from the three teenagers involved, one of which was Toshinori's successor. Shoto Todoroki had left the hospital shortly after giving his statement, so Tsukauchi had been unable to ask him any followup. 

"Nothing of real notoriety. He told us to go away, and then that young man with the guns showed up." Rei recalled lightly, thinking back to the way Chad had stepped from his car only to whip out a pistol and take the Hero Killer down faster than anyone would have ever thought possible. He wasn't decked out in any fancy hero wear and didn't have a visible quirk that was flashy like some of the other pros in the area. He simply pulled out his firearm and took a couple shots, and all of them met their mark. Mihoko had felt especially impressed, knowing Chad to be quirkless. It made her wonder if she should look into getting some means of self defense. 

"Chad." Tsukauchi sighed. That man was a headache and a half.  

"We made sure Shoto was okay enough to go to the hospital by himself after that. Then we kept back the fire as best we could while everyone drove away." Fuyumi said in a small voice, shoulders tense. Tsukauchi's quirk fluctuated. She wasn't lying, but she wasn't telling the full truth. There was something off about her first statement. It wasn't technically a lie, but it had enough untruth in it for his ability to go off kilter. It left him with an uncomfortable buzz in his stomach. 

"So you just went to make sure he was okay to go to the hospital?" Tsukauchi winced at how accusatory he sounded.

"Well, we wanted to make sure he was safe and conscious. We had no idea what state he was in." Rei seemed to get a bit more flighty the longer they sat there. Mihoko was tense, sipping at her hot beverage while glancing between the Detective and Rei in a manner that was near contemplating. 

"Why conscious, in particular?" Naomasa asked.

"Just so he could affirm he was okay himself." Fuyumi gave a small smile.

Lie.

"You said you were in the hospital, Mrs. Todoroki. Seems like your recovery took an awful long time." Tsukauchi noted idly. Rei seemed startled by the sudden change in topic.

"A-Ah, yes. I suppose it did take a very long time, didn't it?" Rei tried to smile through her fib. Her chest ached, knowing she'd been held captive for so long despite being better. She'd been better, and he'd kept her there.

Lie.

"Was there something else keeping you there? Other than your health?" Tsukauchi fished. Rei looked startled, confirming he was heading in the right direction. Mihoko clutched her cup harder, and Fuyumi looked away.

"O...Of course not. My recovery simply took longer than expected." Rei assured.

Lie.

"Are you sure, ma'am? Your husband didn't have anything to do with it?" Tsukauchi knew the accusations he was making weren't good. His implications were heavy and could get him in hot water if he was wrong. Something told him he wasn't. He was worried about this woman and her family. It was all odd, how this was fitting together. They'd drove all the way to Hosu just to make sure Shoto was conscious? He didn't doubt they were worried, but mentioning him being away was odd.

"Oh, not at all." Fuyumi cut in with a smile as she put on her best game face. "Dad's been nothing but patient."

Lie.

"He wasn't... making you stay there?" Tsukauchi winced at how it sounded coming out of his mouth. Mihoko looked ready to pounce, eyeing him carefully. He felt sweat begin to bead his brow. He was pushing it. Really, really pushing it.

"Wh-What?! Of course not, Detective!" Rei looked flabbergasted. 

Lie.

"I think you've strayed a bit far. If that's all you need, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave." Mihoko's glare was piercing, but Tsukauchi didn't want to let up. He didn't particularly know why. Something just told him he needed to keep going at it. Keep digging deeper. He admired pros and all they did. His best friend was the Number One Hero! But to think that maybe something was amiss with one of the chart toppers... he'd seen all the things going around about Endeavor online. He himself had looked at a few of the articles. 

"I apologize." Tsukauchi stood up with a smile. He'd need to check out the radio show these rumors had been originating from. Present Mic's show, wasn't it? He was pretty sure the student interning with him was the one who'd sparked this. Maybe he'd look into talking to her as well. "I've just seen some rather concerning articles online, ma'am. Is Endeavor hurting either of you? Has he hurt you in the past?"

"No." Fuyumi and Rei both blurted out, eyes wide. 

Lie. Lie.

Tsukauchi felt his breath catch in his throat, unable to pry his eyes from the two startled women as Mihoko pushed against his back, shoving him towards the door. He felt almost distant. He didn't know why it was so much of a shock. He wasn't friends with Endeavor, and the man wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows anyway. It wasn't that he was feeling betrayed or anything of that sort. There was just something about it that gnawed at him. It sparked a rage in him as the answers to his questions settled in. The lies he'd been told. 

Rei Todoroki had gone into the hospital for something mental health related. The world had waited for her to emerge, but she never did. So she faded into the background of things. She disappeared completely, only sometimes mentioned in interviews. People would very rarely ask how his wife and kids were doing. They never referred to Rei by name, but nonetheless, it was still technically about her. Endeavor would give a noncommittal response every time.

Naomasa wasn't a hero nerd. He didn't keep up with the Flame Hero's every movement, nor did he particularly care what the guy had to say. He kept tabs on All Might, because they were friends. He read top news stories and peeked in on various cases. He followed Eraserhead's career, because he worked closely with police. Other than that, he wasn't super into heroics. He admired them for all they did, but he wasn't out buying merchandise like some people.

"Out." Mihoko hissed, angry and defensive. She didn't appreciate the prying. Rei and Fuyumi had had a long enough day as it was, even without him trying to take a dig into their personal lives. "We don't need your help."

Tsukauchi felt like the air had been knocked out of him.

Lie.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the day passed with little fanfare. Mic started the broadcast before passing out in his seat, arms crossed over his chest and head sagging forward. Lillian almost panicked, but decided to let him sleep and maybe try and do the broadcast herself. Not her brightest idea, and she ended up stuttering out apologies the entire time. All she did was sputter out that Mic was asleep, tell them exactly why he was asleep, recall that Chad had shot the hero killer in the knees, and then turned on calls for lack of anything else to say.

Overall, it could have gone better. She was a blushing, panicked mess the entire time. The first wave of callers were full of questions rather than memes. They wanted to know how she was, if Mic was okay, if her classmates were okay, if she'd heard the Hero Killer or seen him, and such of the like. Plenty had questions as to who Chad was and if he had merch. Lillian ended up telling them that he didn't have merchandise but that she'd ask about it. During this time, Bakugo had texted her and told her to 'calm the fuck down and just talk'. She'd almost burst out laughing.

As people got their queries out, it slowly began to shift more into memes and less into the mini interrogation she was undergoing. She'd been asked about her height, her sexual preferences, her parents, why she had no last name, her quirk, if she had a boyfriend or girlfriend, if she was up for adoption and that's why she had no surname, and just some other things in general. The more memes she recited, the more texts she got from Bakugo. They ranged between asking her what the fuck was wrong with her and sort of freaking out over the amount of confidence she could channel, though the freaking out was done vulgarly and in a Bakugo-like way that made it look like he wasn't actually flipping his lid.

The caller from before rang in again. At first she hadn't recognized his voice, but when she had, she'd brightened. They'd immediately begun an in-depth conversation about Endeavor's carelessness in Hosu, and about the way his ratings had dropped. Lillian planted the seed of a lie, mentioning only briefly that she was glad Shoto had an ice quirk and was there to push back his father's fire just before the ambulance left. It was a very blunt lie, not at all true. Shoto had been paralyzed right up until leaving. But she didn't doubt Endeavor was listening, and she didn't want him knowing Rei or Fuyumi had been there.

The man on the other end had ended up blurting out the name 'Dabi' after mild consideration. It was pretty clearly a code name, but she didn't much mind. She couldn't blame him for not wanting the Flame Hero on his ass. Endeavor was petty, and would probably try coming after Lillian if she wasn't careful. She was lucky she was a kid and currently attending UA. It made it a whole lot harder to ruin her life. Plus, it's not like she had parents he could fuck over. Not counting Aizawa, who had so little of a reputation that he could easily watch it go down the drain and do nothing but shrug.

Lillian was still talking tot he man on the other end when Mic woke up, nearing banging his head against the microphone from how fast he jolted forward. He took one look at the time before looking to Lillian with bleary confusion, and then the on air light. His eye slowly widened behind his crooked classes as it soaked in that Lillian had been on the air without him for four hours. Though the number of viewers had dropped to 700,000, the peak number his counter had recorded had been well over a million. As in Lillian had been on the air with one million people.

He'd never been so proud. With a grin on his face, he tiredly announced the end of the stream. Lillian had never looked so relieved. Hopping to her feet, she'd raced off claiming she'd been holding her pee for the last hour, leaving Yeet to curl between the many knobs of his sound board. Mic eyed the snake cautiously. Not as bad as a bug, but close enough.

HD Explosion Sound Effect:
Damn, I don't think I've ever heard you cuss. 

HD Explosion Sound Effect:You must really not like that flaming asshole to go off like that. You're worse than me. 
Aizawa's Love Child:
Sorry!

Aizawa's Love Child:
I just really don't like him. I'll try to hold it back next time. I mean, he sort of deserves it because he's really, really mean and stuff. It just sort of came out.

HD Explosion Sound Effect:
Calm the fuck down. I never said it was a bad thing. 

Aizawa's Love Child:
So you're telling me to cuss more? I'm flattered.

HD Explosion Sound Effect:
You fucking should be.