Third person pov

So, some progress with Iida had been made. Not the progress Harper was hoping for, but at least she didn't have to lie awake at night for a week straight wondering if he was trying to kill himself while she sat there doing nothing. His grief took the form of rage, which wasn't uncommon when it came to a loss like this. No, Tensei hadn't died, but it had been a close thing. Tenya was pissed. His brother's dream had been ripped away, and thus he was out for blood. So yeah, he wasn't trying to die, but he was going to if he kept this up.

"Oi, Iida." Harper called to him before he could trudge off to the platform his train would be at. He was interning in Hosu for the sole purpose of trying to go after the hero killer himself. She would have also let Aizawa know, but hew as going to be busy all week and she didn't want to disrupt his plans when he really couldn't do anything about what Iida was attempting. There was a high chance he wouldn't even run into the serial killer who'd attacked his brother. Harper knew she'd find herself trying to be as close to him as possible, just to make sure.

Harper had also talked with Nezu, who said he'd contact the agency Iida would be with. Apparently they were all pretty sure the Hero Killer had cleared out already, but Harper had her doubts. He stayed in a city until he killed three heroes. Only Tensei wasn't dead. Tensei was a victim--a statement-- but he didn't follow Stain's M.O. The guy was a straight up perfectionist from what she could tell, very rarely diverging from his usual. Tensei surviving... she had a feeling that wasn't meant to happen.

"Ah, Harper! I was just about to head to my platform." Tenya said, though it was without the usual chopping motions he'd usually include. They hadn't talked at all about the fact that he'd cried, and they weren't going to. Iida was relieved by that. Harper could obviously tell he didn't want to, even without the mind reading. "I hope she does well on her internship. I'll try to text her some. I know she requested that I do, and I really wouldn't want her to worry with how concerned she's seemed. I just... have to do this. By myself. That's... That's all."

"Yeah, I think my ride is actually here. I just wanted to let you know that I'm here. If you need to talk." Harper cut straight to the point. Iida immediately tensed. Harper usually danced around the actual issue, providing support in the places it was most needed and shaving the edge off of whatever Iida was feeling. This time she'd essentially barreled right through and into the heart. Yeah, maybe not the best technique, but she was on a time crunch here. "Seriously. Talk to someone, Iida. It doesn't have to be me, but get it off your chest. You can't do everything alone."

Tenya opened and closed his mouth a few times before he actually found words. "I'm fine." Was all he managed. Harper raised her brows at him. His thoughts really begged to differ on that statement. "My friends don't deserve such a thing from me. Why would I burden them with my issues when they have so much on their plates themselves? I'm not worth it. My family is in distraught enough over Tensei, and I refuse to add onto that. This isn't about me."

"Alright, if you insist. But I'm here, Iida. And it won't be a bother or burden if you need someone to vent to. I'm serious." Harper looked him dead in the eyes, hoping to get the message across. She really just needed to grab the teen and throw in him Hound Dog's general direction. He was supposed to have an appointment with the canine guidance counselor, but apparently he made a shoddy excuse as to why he couldn't show up and totally ducked out. Iida remained silent as his shorter friend assessed him, her arms crossed over her chest and eyes narrowed. Even he had to admit to being mildly intimidated. 

"Yes... thank you, Harper. I'll see you in a week. I'll text if I need anything." Iida finally said after a moment, prying his gaze from her. "No... No, I'm fine. I already cried on her and worried her enough. But maybe I should talk to her some... Just a bit. She did say she didn't mind, and it would be rude of me to assume she was lying. Why would she?"

He was unsure, but it was the best Harper was going to get. Giving a nod and giving a tired smile, she took a step back. She too needed to get going. She lived with Tsukauchi, so all she had was her school backpack. The case holding the hero costume she had yet to see had already been tossed in the trunk of Tsukauchi's cruiser. Harper was all set for her doozy of a week in what was likely to be hell. Could it get any worse than here at UA, though? Probably not, but she wasn't about to get her hopes up.

Aizawa and Mic stood idly by as they watched the students of 1-A go off to their internships. The pair both had their engagement rings on them, though they'd put them on chains and tucked them safely into their shirts to avoid losing them. As fate would have it, Aizawa had been carrying that ring around an entire ten years. Harper hadn't seemed all that surprised, but Mic's jaw had absolutely dropped. They could have been married ten years ago had Shota just spoken up! The mere thought drove him absolutely nuts. The blonde felt cheated. Deprived! All those years where he could have had his epic true love story, and only now was he experiencing it. Better late than never, maybe?

They were going off on their honeymoon this week, and getting married after. That meant Harper wouldn't get to intern with her homeroom teacher, but there wasn't really another good time for them to go off anywhere together. A week wasn't as long as they both wanted, but it was certainly better than nothing. They'd both take it. With how busy and hectic their lives were, they were lucky they'd gotten this. Harper was actually pretty glad to have a break from Aizawa for an entire week. Her main goal was to go her entire internship without hearing the words 'puppy', 'hug', and 'oh my god' used all in the same sentence. Bonus if she didn't hear them at all.

The pair hadn't told anyone about their engagement, of course. They would if it came up, but Aizawa hadn't seen how it was any of their business. They'd elope with Harper as a witness and that would be the end of that! Telling friends and family? Hell, why would they ever do that?! Harper and Hound Dog had both chatted and started somewhat of a bet. Harper got free ice cream from the guy for a year if Aizawa spilled after a month. Hound Dog thought it would take only a few weeks for someone to find out. If he won, Harper had agreed to pursue therapy from an actual therapist outside of school.

Shota smiled a bit more around Mic, but his bubbly side still seemed to remain just beneath the surface, present but unseen. The couple were both working on it. Harper was glad Aizawa now had someone to actively help him sort through his issues on a more personal level. It had all leveled out, and she was relieved. Less shit for her to do. Her plate was already loaded and definitely wasn't getting any lighter. Exams would be here to smack them upside the head sometime after internships as well, meaning Harper really wouldn't have the time, energy, or brain power to deal with much else.

"Hey, Harper!" She was stopped before she could make it to Tsukauchi's car. A real curse, because that drew Aizawa's attention to her as well. Harper could feel his eyes on her as Kirishima slowed to a stop before her, nervously grinning. He looked excited, his eyes alight with a sort of joyful positivity Harper hadn't felt since she was a small child. His thoughts were a bit anxious, but generally optimistic. "I hope I'm not interrupting her. It just didn't feel right to go off without saying anything. We haven't talked much since the festival, and it's sorta bumming me out. Now I won't see her for a whole week! Like, an entire week! It's sort of freaking me out to be honest."

"Oh, hey Kirishima." Harper managed to keep the sigh out of her voice, so jot that the fuck down. She wasn't a total asshole just yet. "I'm guessing you're about to head out to your internship too, right?"

"Yeah! I just wanted to run over and say goodbye. S-Sorry if I'm holding you up! We just haven't gotten to talk all that much I guess. I just- u-uh, I guess I'll see you in a week? I'll miss- I mean, I'll be excited to hear a-all about it later!" Kirishima was really struggling, and Harper honestly felt that. His voice cracked near the end after raising about three octaves too high, his entire body went from being relatively lax to completely tense, and his cheeks were red enough to match his hair which was quite concerning considering how vibrant the locks were. "No! I did it again! I lost it! She's going to think I'm totally unmanly!" 

Harper felt bad. She'd dealt with her own share of social anxiety before. Kirishima didn't have it towards anyone else. Only towards her, who he seemed to like for whatever reason. She was seriously still trying to figure out whether he was serious or just had a brain tumor. "Yeah, see you in a week. I'll be ready to hear about your internship too." She nodded, her expression flat but not disinterested. Almost as an afterthought, she added, "I'll text you."

Kirishima's jaw dropped. Upon closer inspection, his teeth were actually pretty cool.

"O-Oh, text! You'll text? Me?" He pointed at himself for confirmation, his eyes wide. Harper snorted a bit. This poor guy was too pure for his own good. "Oh my god she said she'd text me, and she's smiling, and it's adorable, and I think I'm having a heart attack? I'm too young for those. I'm being so unmanly, but look at her!"

"Yeah, you." Harper clarified, feeling slightly awkward yet immensely amused at the same time. She didn't understand his crush or know if it was even real, but it was still undeniably hilarious to watch him flounder. He was a nice guy, and not bad to be around. He had his doubts swimming around in him, but who didn't? He seemed like a well put-together person with a real happiness that was a bit different than everyone else's. He'd gone through some stuff, but he was trying his best. Harper respected that a lot. It wasn't easy to raise yourself up like that.

"O-Oh, cool." Kirishima grinned widely down at her, cheeks red. She gave a nod back, deciding that was the end of the conversation and moving past him. She made sure to bump him lightly as a goodbye so it wasn't as awkward. Her just randomly walking off would be weird. She really didn't care, but wasn't about to hurt his feelings if she knew there was something simple she could do to avoid it. His thoughts followed her as she went. "Holy shit, that just happened. She smiled at me. A-And said she'd text me! Does this mean I can text her? I'm going to text her later. And she bumped me! Not like, meanly. It was a friendly bump. I love it. I love her. I'm never washing this arm again. Wait, no, that's dumb. Why would I do that? I need to pull myself together. If I want Harper to like me, I've got to be more manly than this!"

"Bye, Harper!" Aizawa's thoughts cried out. "You and Kirishima are a-dor-a-ble! I ship it literally so, so, sooooooo, so, so, so, so hard! Please kiss. Oh, oh, also! I'll see you at the sort-of-wedding! Have a great time, take photos, make some friends, and most of all, be safe! I'll make you muffins when you get back! Oh my god, you've come so far. I'm soooo proud.  And you picked a cat name as a hero name. You'll have to come meet my Manx cat after this week! Omg, YES! You and Lollipop will be best friends!" 

"Bye, Mr. Aizawa. Mr. Mic." Harper grumbled as she passed them. She couldn't get to Tsukauchi's car fast enough, really. He and a very excited Sansa were sitting in the front, but she didn't mind the back seat. More room to stretch her limbs and make annoyed expressions and the back of Tsukauchi's headrest every time he tried to make a dad joke. He couldn't call her out if he couldn't see her. Aside from that, she'd never actually met Sansa before. He was her dad's cat-headed partner, and best friend on the force. Something told Harper she was in for a grueling week of cheesy quips and jokes that really weren't that funny.

Tsukauchi and Sansa were exuberant to the highest degree. The police force seldom ever got interns, and never ones from UA. Let alone the hero course. The option was there, but nobody had ever taken it. Had Harper wished, she could have easily refused and worked solely with heroes. But working alongside the police sounded better than not. Especially since she could be with someone familiar and not too terribly obnoxious, who knew of her quirk. Her teachers were great, but interning with Midnight? Harper would sooner choke. The woman thought far too much about her nonexistent sex dungeon for Harper do be within ten feet of her for more than two minutes. 

"We never get anyone interested in the academy. Especially not ones with useful quirks like Harper's. Everyone just wants to be a hero, and now an actual hero-course student is willing to come with us!" Tsukauchi was essentially vibrating with anticipation. "I mean, I know it's Harper. It's kind of cheating that I know her and about her quirk, but still! She could have refused and gone full pro, but she didn't. She wanted to come, and see the police stuff that us police do, and... and intern!" 

Harper pulled open the back door, and both of the men in the front seat let out quiet squeals of excitement. Harper's expression didn't even twitch as she tossed her bag in, sliding in after it. She was interning with children. Two, literal children. She was fifteen and the most mature one here.

"This is amazing! We've got a kid from the hero course in the back seat." Sansa's entire body was vibrating, excited purrs brewing in his chest. Outwardly, he twisted around to face her. He raised a paw to offer a small wave. "Hey, kid. Nice to have you aboard. Never would have guessed Tsukauchi would have a secret kid."

"I know! Isn't this exciting? Harper, you're a hero course student!" Tsukauchi put the car into drive, meeting her eyes in the rear view mirror. Her un-amused expression didn't phase him in the least. Hew as too used to it for it to be effective.

"Yeah, pretty crazy. No one from UA interns with the police." Harper's tone was drier than Texas in the midst of summer. Neither seemed to notice, once again. Whether that was a good or bad thing remained to be seen.

"I know!" They both exclaimed, twisting around to look at her with large grins. Harper just rose her eyebrows, her arms crossed over her chest and her body slouched low in her seat. Tsukauchi was used to her shit, but could Sansa handle it? He didn't even bat an eye at her posture or the look on her face. Harper wondered how Hound Dog would react to him. Would they fight? The canine had used the word 'cat' like it was an insult, so that had to mean he wasn't a fan. How did Sansa feel about dogs? She thought Tsukauchi had said the head of police had a dog head, but she wasn't too sure. Either way, anyone with animalistic features should be kept away from Endeavor at literally any cost.

"We're going to patrol a bit. You know, drive around and tell you what we'll be up to." Tsukauchi said. "There's no way I'm sticking Harper on paperwork duty like the few other interns we have. That could deter her from wanting to join the force in the future. Her quirk, if certified, could make confessions easy as pie! All she'd have to do is get them thinking about it, and then it would all be over."

He wasn't wrong. But if Harper was being real with herself, she'd actually prefer the paperwork. Quiet, monotonous, utterly boring. Half the people around her would be too mentally fried to form any sort of thought. It sounded peaceful and like the perfect time to take a nap. She and Tsukauchi had gotten a new neighbor with some sort of PTSD, and their nightmares had sent her jerking awake more than once. Of course she couldn't see what they were, but the thoughts and emotions that came with their nightly torment still effected her greatly.

"Tsukauchi told me your true quirk is being kept under tight wraps, but don't worry about it when we're alone. He clued me in on the way over." Sansa said, drawing Harper from her thoughts. She nodded reflexively. "Mind reading. Who would have thought. I've never seen anything like it! It's like a mutated form of Naomasa's, in a way. Pretty damn useful in this field, I'd say."

Alright, so Sansa knew about her quirk, but had no idea that Tsukauchi wasn't her real father. They'd have to keep that charade up for the entire internship, assuming they didn't tell the feline before it ended. That wouldn't be too hard. Harper came off as relatively un-affectionate anyway, so it wouldn't be far-fetched to assume she wasn't into hugging. And she really wasn't, but even she gave her actual mother and father hugs. She did it begrudgingly, sure, but she did do it every so often.

They began to drive about. Tsukauchi told her about some of the things they'd be doing together. Harper honestly felt like she'd just been picked up to go to daycare. The two officers in the front seat were just too enthusiastic. Their thoughts were more bubbly than usual, with Tsukauchi's usual tiredness set on the back burner for the time being as adrenaline pumped through him. He was ready to make the most of this week. Nezu had pulled some strings and talked to the head of the police force, and her quirk was technically 'registered for use' to some extent. 

She would be able to sit in on a questioning, and observe any others that may happen. She'd get to view a police line up-- also known as an identity parade in some parts of the world. Tsukauchi and Sansa both seemed absolutely stoked for that, seeing as she could probably figure out who was guilty outright. Harper would have to learn a bit about the paperwork, but not much. She'd shadow Tsukauchi when asking any witnesses questions, and was generally pretty involved as far as interns went. Her being a hero course student definitely helped. Her quirk had apparently made the few people who knew about it 'salivate' which was a bit concerning, but understandable in a way as well.

"You'll like the other interns. They're older than you, but not as old as us." Tsukauchi was sort of rambling now, but so was Sansa. Harper really didn't mind. Less talking for her to do. "This is going to be amazing. She's going to be an information-gathering powerhouse. So long as we can get them thinking about what really happened, she'll be able to fish anything we need out." 

"Oh boy. Socialization." Harper grumbled, earning laughs from them. As if she were actually joking. That was cute, but no. Whatever, she was still in her Brooklyn 99 kick with Tsukauchi. Based on how many times he'd muttered 'accurate' under his breath, she was pretty sure she was in for a decently interesting week. Especially if she could steer the two officers she'd been placed with in Hosu's general direction.  

Before either of them could another word in, a car shot past them. It went so fast that Harper could hear the whoosh of air as it flew past. Huh, well that was something. Harper blinked a few times as Tsukauchi flipped on the sirens, pressing his foot into the gas. The tires squealed loudly enough that Sansa's ears folded back with discomfort before they were off and after whoever though it was good idea to tear down the one street with the cop car on it. From behind they weren't the most obvious, Harper supposed, but the lights poking out of the roof should've been a dead give away.

"This is one way to start off an internship!" Sansa hollered over the sirens. Tsukauchi gave a laugh.

Harper had been hoping for a high speed chase of some sort, but was sorely disappointed when the speeder didn't try to make any sudden twists or turns in an attempt to escape. Maybe fate had decided that Harper's life was exciting enough as it was, without any car wrecks. The girl wasn't sure how to feel about that as Tsukauchi hopped out of the car to confront the individual already climbing from their vehicle. The man didn't normally participate in arrests like this, being a detective and all. However, at times it couldn't be helped if he was the only one present.

Harper sort of felt like she'd gotten whiplash from the sudden turn of events. They'd chased them down the street for less than thirty seconds before they were jerking off to the road's shoulder and parking. It was so easy that Harper half expected them to drive off again the second Tsukauchi got out of his own car, but they didn't. She instead watched them comply. Reading their thoughts from here, she could tell they hadn't wanted to get arrested. They just didn't see the use in running.

"Oh no. It's a regular." Sansa's nose twitched as he leaned forward to try and get a better look. Harper did the same, head popping out between the seats. If he was a regular speeder, then there was probably a warrant out for his arrest. If there was a warrant out for his arrest, they had to take him in. Only how were they supposed to do that with Harper in the back seat? They'd have to put up the barrier for one thing, separating the driver and passenger from whoever was being taken in. If the guy was dangerous, Harper really didn't want to be stuck in a box with him. "This isn't good. Where are we supposed to put him?"

"Great. What a wonderful way to start the week." Harper said dryly. Sansa grinned at the sarcasm in her tone. Harper thrust her hands forward. "Cuff me."

"What? Why?" Sansa twisted to face her, his eyes wide and hair puffed out with surprise at her drastic switch. It was a bit disconcerting to look at him for too long. He had a... well, he had a cat head. It was just weird. "She wants me to put cuffs on her? Why?"

"If he thinks I'm being taken in too, he's less likely to try anything. If he knows I'm with you, then..." Harper rose her eyebrows, shaking her wrists a bit more urgently as Tsukauchi cuffed the other guy. Sansa seemed incredibly unsure. Harper couldn't blame him. They show up to the office with their new intern in cuffs? Now that would certainly but an introduction. Harper was about making meaningful first impressions that would stick. That was totally her forte. Her thing. She was an expert-- really, everyone should be taking notes.

"He's relatively harmless from what we've seen, but..." Sansa pulled out his cuffs, ears twitching. Harper waited patiently as he snapped them on. It was pretty hilarious just how much he didn't want to do this. "Our first UA intern and she's in cuffs within the first twenty minutes. This poor kid..." 

He tightened them enough not to be painful, but to be convincing enough. Harper drew back so he could raise the barrier. It was a form of plexiglass that was pretty quirk proof. It was extremely heat resistant, hard to break: all the simple stuff. Air tight, too. She hoped the guy didn't have a gas-like quirk, because she wasn't about that life. Yeah, a nap sounded great. But if she had to be drugged to get it, she was ducking out. She dealt with enough insanity without anything extra added on top of her person. The brunette was still haunted by that day at the dentist... never again.

Harper kicked her bag under the driver's seat just as the door was opened at the man was carefully led in. She met Tsukauchi's eyes momentarily, and watched his gaze trail down to her cuffed wrists. She was pretty sure she'd never seen his brows shoot up so high. It wasn't hard to keep her expression blank and tired as the speeder was secured in the back. He looked pretty uncaring. This clearly wasn't his first rodeo. Harper assessed him carefully.

"My wife's going to kill me." The man thought mournfully, scuffing his shoe in the floorboard in an awkward manner. His eyes trailed over to her as Tsukauchi got into the car. The pair both stared at each other.

"So." Harper said as Tsukauchi silently put the car into drive. Both the officers were incredibly tense with her in the back, neither saying a word. It was almost funny. "Speeding."

"Uh, yeah." The man fidgeted uncomfortably. Harper was glad she didn't have her blazer on. The UA logo would've been a dead give away for sure. This guy didn't feel like the anger issues type, but he was on edge and didn't want to be here. Not a good combination, and definitely a dangerous one in the right circumstances. She watched his gaze drop to her cuffed wrists. "This kid's being brought in too? Was it drugs?"

"Cool. My name's Theresa." Harper introduced without a trace of doubt or hesitation in her tone. In the front, Sansa choked on his coffee in surprise. Tsukauchi barely managed to disguise his laugh with a cough, turning his head away and bringing his fist up to his mouth. Really not subtle at all, but Harper couldn't blame them. With all she'd heard over the years, she'd perfected her poker face. Nothing much phased her anymore. Well, aside from a few of her classmates, but they were out there enough that you couldn't blame her for that.

"Oh, uh... nice to meet you, I guess. What're they bringing you in for?" The man asked awkwardly. He looked severely uncomfortable. Harper truly had nothing to say to that other than that she understood. She was a teenager with bags deeper than the Grand Canyon under her eyes that also managed to remain darker than her soul, her hair was a mess, and she had this naturally disheveled look about her. Talking to her was probably pretty odd. "Drugs. I'm betting drugs."

"Stabbed a guy." Harper shrugged. Sansa and Tsukauchi were barely holding in their laughs. The cat-headed officer sounded like a deflating balloon. The speeder looked like he'd been struck, unconsciously leaning away. She looked him up and down very pointedly. "Actually, he looked a lot like you."

"Holy shit." The man's consciousness whispered. "Not drugs."

Tsukauchi and Sansa lost it in the front seat. The speeder didn't say another word for the entire ride. Harper simply gazed out the window idly. She hadn't expected to fuck with random people who'd gotten themselves arrested this early on, but who was she to complain? At least she finally knew what she'd be texting Kirishima about later.