#7.8.21

Shouto’s first few days back to work after his Momo-mandated break are mostly uneventful. There are a handful of small attacks, robberies mostly, patrols are simple and straightforward, and his arm, predictably, gives him no trouble at all. He’s almost excited for the debriefing on last week’s attack just for the change of pace. It’ll be nice to get more information and the confirmation that they’re moving ahead with investigating the attack, obviously, but there’s usually nothing more dull than sitting through a formal debriefing.

The meeting is hosted in a nondescript office building a few blocks away from the police station. He takes the elevator up to the fourth floor where the doors open, not to a hallway, but directly into a large conference room. There are tables filling most of the room facing the front where a projector screen has been set up. There are a few uniformed officers gathered at the front of the room, going over some notes, but most of the people in the room are other heroes. Shouto recognizes Mr. Smith talking with a few heroes from neighboring prefectures that he has never worked with before, and Ingenium and Uravity talking to someone sitting at a table in the back. Well, Ingenium is talking to them, Uravity looks like she’s mostly just using Ingenium to keep standing while she doses off. The only hero he personally worked with during the attack that seems to be missing is Architect. Though he was only part of a support team, if Ingenium’s information was correct, Shouto realizes he had assumed he would be included since he had seemed to know Kou.

Ingenium moves just as Shouto is debating if he should say hello to them, giving him a clear view of who they are talking to. Midoriya. Shouto freezes for a moment, surprised. Since Shouto sent the first message while he was with Momo and Kyouka the two of them had kept up a steady, albeit at times one-sided, text conversation. With their busy schedules, hours often passed between messages, but despite the large gaps in time, Shouto found it surprisingly easy to keep the conversation going. He knew Midoriya was Kou’s doctor and he obviously would have some insights on the case, so perhaps he should have just inferred that he would be here, the same way he assumed Architect’s prior knowledge of Kou would get him on the case.

But still, it feels…odd somehow to think he had just been texting Midoriya less than an hour ago but somehow had no idea they would both be here.

Midoriya looks up, catching Shouto’s eye just as someone else throws an arm around his shoulders, using all their body weight to knock him off balance. Shouto stumbles, doing his best to offset the weight and not fall on his ass.

The flash of yellow in the corner of his eye tells him who his would-be assailant is, even if he didn’t already know there are only a few choice people who would tackle him in such a way. “Chargebolt.”

“Man, one of these days I’m going to get you, Entropy.” Chargebolt laughs against his shoulder and Shouto feels a small shock through his uniform. He pulls away, slapping Shouto’s shoulder. “I was hoping to see you here. Your ice held that melty guy longer than anything else we had thrown at him before that. We’d be lost without you.”

“I doubt that.”

Chargebolt shakes his head at Shouto’s simple reply but rather than argue with him any, he jumps into a tale of what he’s been up to recently. Shouto is still trying to place why one of the stories he’s telling sounds vaguely familiar when he realizes Chargebolt has effectively herded him to the other side of the room while distracting him.

“Chargebolt, Entropy. It’s nice to see you both again.” Ingenium greets them with an enthusiastic wave that knocks Uravity off his shoulder.

She makes a small whine that sounds suspiciously similar to “Tenya” before the sound is covered up by Ingenium’s apology. Uravity waves him off after a moment of his fussing. She leans around him to give Chargebolt a hug and waves to Entropy.

“I haven’t seen either of you in ages! Sucks that it has to be another attack that brings us all together, but I guess that’s kind of what we signed up for.”

“I was surprised to see you here,” Chargebolt replies. “You weren’t part of the original fight.”

Uravity shrugs. “I’ve been helping the clean up crews the last few days. And Izu-” She slaps a hand over her mouth and then winces at the over the top reaction, quickly bringing her arm back down. “Er, I mean, Dr. Midoriya thought my quirk would be a good counter against one of the villains. They’re in custody for now, but, well you never know, so I signed up.”

Despite catching her own slip quickly, the doctor’s name brings their attention to him. Uravity sighs and gestures to him. “This is Dr. Midoriya, he’s a consultant at Lemillion’s agency sometimes.”

“We’ve met,” Shouto replies. “Though consultant is a new title for him.”

Midoriya makes a face at Shouto he can’t figure out. “Entropy was injured during the fight and I escorted him to the hospital,” he explains to Uravity. “I also…invited him to be a part of my Hero Talks series.” He adds, almost reluctantly.

Uravity’s brows shoot up in surprise. Shouto can practically see her begin to vibrate with questions, but before she can begin an interrogation on either of them considering Shouto and a public lecture series, Chargebolt suddenly snaps his fingers.

“Oh! You’re that Izu-Midoriya.”

Midoriya blinks a few times, seemingly just as confused by Chargebolt’s recognition as everyone else before some kind of recognition dawns on him and Shouto sees his expression change. “Midoriya Izuku. Nice to officially meet you, Chargebolt. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Somehow, Shouto gets the sense the two of them are having a separate conversation all on their own.

Before they can continue with their not-so-private conversation, or anyone else can call them out on the weirdness of this first interaction, someone at the front of the room calls for attention and the heroes around the room shuffle into their seats. Uravity drops into the seat besides Dr. Midoriya while Ingenium, Chargebolt, and Shouto find a seat nearby.

The man at the front of the room introduces himself as Officer Uchida, the one who was in contact with everyone through email before the debriefing. Without any further introductions, he jumps into an explanation of the information they’ve gathered so far.

They believed the attack was targeted intentionally at the hospital and that the child they briefly kidnapped, Kou, was most likely the intended target due to the nature of her quirk and the potential healing capabilities it might have. The information about her quirk is still vague due to her young age, but this wasn’t the first time she had been targeted.

Shouto had a feeling Midoriya might know more about her quirk than what the officers were letting on, or perhaps more than what he had even told them, but if he thought less information would keep her safer, Shouto found he was already comfortable trusting Midoriya’s instincts. There was a high probability they would try to target her again and, while they have had officers at the hospital keeping an eye on her, the heroes gathered here would also be asked to join the rotation of guards.

The villain they had been unable to stop during the first attack was known in some circles as Melting Point. One of the villains they had initially apprehended, known to some as Ricochet, broke through the restraints officers had used during transportation and was currently missing. No reports of similar quirks being used have shown up in the area since his escape, so the police believe he is underground for the time being.

The news of Ricochet’s escape sends a wave of displeased whispering through the room as many of the heroes gathered, Shouto included, hear this for the first time. Shouto glances back at Midoriya and Uravity as the officers try to calm the room. There’s a worried crease in Midoriya’s brow and he’s chewing on his bottom lip, obviously thinking deeply. Uravity looks torn between being upset with everyone else and worrying about Midoriya’s surprising silence.

When the room finally calms enough for the officers to continue, they bring the discussion back to the last villain, the one they had caught early on in the fight. So far they had not given them much information to go on. Whatever quirk they might have is not in any local records, finger prints have not matched any existing ones in the system, and they’ve refused to give their name or any information about their team members.

Shouto remembers the news report from shortly after the attack and the pacifying remarks about how it wasn’t an organized attack or anything for the people to worry about, but he can’t help but think there is something more sophisticated in this attack than something random.

The officers flip through a few slides before stopping on pictures of the villains. Melting Point is just as Shouto remembers from their fight but he had never seen the other two during the attack. There isn’t a clear picture of Ricochet available so most of the pictures are a blurred humanoid shape just as it collides with a building. But for the last, nameless villain they have a mugshot.

A crack echoes through the room. Everyone in the room turns to look. Shouto’s eyes settle on Midoriya who is staring at the screen with barely-contained rage and two halves of a broken pen clenched in his fists. The ink is beginning to stain his hands and the papers on the table in front of him.

Uravity leans towards him, whispering something quickly under her breath. She reaches over, carefully taking the broken pen from him. Midoriya finally looks down at himself with a grimace.

“I apologize for the interruption,” Midoriya says, just barely loud enough to be heard across the room.

Officer Uchida looks uncomfortable but he waves off the apology.

Midoriya excuses himself from the room for a moment to clean up and Uchida goes back to his presentation. Shouto finds himself watching the door more closely than the presentation. What does Midoriya know about this villain that no one else does to inspire such a strong reaction? When Midoriya finally returns he meets Shouto’s eye for a moment before he looks past him. He gives a subtle nod and Shouto looks back again to see Uravity watching Midoriya with concern.

“Who are the underground heroes gathering intel on this case?” Midoriya asks once he’s returned to his seat, interrupting Uchida's break down of Melting Point and Ricochet’s quirks as experts understood them so far.

Uchida looks around the room for a moment as if he cannot figure out who spoke. “Excuse me?”

“Who are the underground heroes on this case?” Midoriya repeats calmly, over emphasizing each word.

Three heroes off to the side of the room raise their hands. If Shouto is remembering correctly their names are Jackal, Screech, and White Noise but their quirks escape him for the moment. As far as he can remember, he’s never worked with any of them so he doesn’t know much about them. Though, he thinks, Midoriya probably knows their names, quirks, and arrest records just from a quick glance, even if this is the first time he’s met with any of them.

Midoriya nods his thanks to the three and they lower their hands. “I would like to suggest Hypno be added to the case.”

Chargebolt jumps at the mention of Shinso’s hero name, just enough for Shouto to notice the reaction.

Officer Uchida looks like he can’t decide if he’s more confused by the change in direction of the debriefing or upset by the interruptions.

“Well I’m sure Hypno does fine work, but-”

Midoriya scoffs and Shouto has a feeling that’s all it takes for the officer to make his decision.

“What authority do you think you have to even make these kinds of suggestions?” He demands.

Ingenium stands up so quick Shouto wouldn’t be surprised if he used his quirk. “Dr. Midoriya is a highly respected hero- and quirk-analyst. He is regularly brought on as a consultant for large cases like this. He is also the victim’s personal doctor. He is more familiar with her case than anyone.”

Uchida clearly wasn’t expecting someone else to jump to Midoriya’s defense quite so quickly, or adamantly, and takes a moment to come up with a reply. “Well that is good to know but-”

“If the good doctor says Hypno should be on the case, I would listen to him.” Chargebolt adds, though he stays slouched casually in his seat. “He’s here right now on request of Lemillion.” The lie slips out so naturally even Shouto believes it for a moment.

That gets some attention and a small wave of chatter moves through the front of the room. Chargebolt leans around Shouto to wink at Midoriya who nods his thanks to him, hiding a small, grateful smile behind his hand.

After a few minutes of discussion, the officers seem to come to a decision. Officer Uchida sits down.

“We will contact Hypno’s agency to see if he is available to be a part of this investigation.” A different officer declares calmly. When no one else seems inclined to argue, they continue on with the debriefing as if Midoriya hadn’t said anything at all.

Midoriya and Ingenium take their seats once again but as soon as the majority of the room’s attention is turned back to the investigation, Shouto can make out muffled whispering from Midoriya and Uravity, though mostly Midoriya, behind him.

Eventually, there’s a call for a break. Shouto and Chargebolt turn in their seats to face Midoriya and Uravity. Ingenium moves a chair to join them.

“Thanks for that,” Midoriya says to Chargebolt as soon as they’re settled.

“Yes, thank you for adding your vote of confidence,” Ingenium says sincerely. “Though it really would be better if we did not have to use the number one hero’s name like that. Especially when it is a lie.”

Uravity bumps his shoulder. “C’mon it’s not technically a lie. Midoriya is kept on his agency roster even when he isn’t officially on a case. That’s close enough that no one’s going to have a problem with this.”

Midoriya’s expression changes so quick Shouto almost thinks he imagined the displeasure before he schools his expression into something more impassive. “As long as it gets Hypno on this case, I don’t care about the technicalities right now.”

“Can I ask why it’s so important?” Shouto finally speaks up. He feels Chargebolt perk up next to him and knows he’s been wondering the same thing.

Midoriay scrubs a hand, still slightly stained with ink, through his hair, ruffling the curls. “That last villain. The one they don’t have any information on. He does have a common alias – Siren. Hypno’s been tailing him for months. If they would just…communicate more, maybe this first attack could have been prevented altogether. Who knows what connections there might have been between the three of them before this that could have clued us in on what was happening. It’s such an over-I…I just mean…people, especially Kou, could have been seriously hurt. If we could have stopped it…”

Shouto can practically hear the forceful way Midoriya cuts himself off before diving into a much longer rant. If it wasn’t for where they were, and the limited time they had before they had to continue the debriefing, Shouto doesn’t think he would mind hearing everything else Midoriya is thinking but holding back from saying. And based on the expressions of the other three heroes with them, he doubts he’s alone.

The second officer calls the meeting back together, starting in right away on the different teams they would like to set up for guarding Kou, gathering information, and gathering the villain’s old contacts when the elevator doors slide open with a quiet chime, and Shinso – Hypno, technically, though he’s still in civilian clothes unlike everyone else, steps through.

The officer stumbles over her words for a few moments before she greets him weakly.

“Hypno, thank you for joining us…We didn’t realize you would be able to respond. So quickly.”

Hypno gives her a dull look and continues into the room without any other acknowledgement. He grabs an extra chair from an empty table and noisily drags it across the room to join Midoriya and Uravity’s table. The metal legs grating against the floor cuts through the room so harshly the presentation is halted until he finally stops, dropping into the chair casually.

“You can continue,” he declares with a dismissive wave of his hand, as if just now realizing everyone was waiting for him.

Chargebolt snorts loudly, belatedly trying to cover the sound with a cough. Shouto reaches over to weakly pat him on the back. The glare the officer sends them makes him feel a little like being back in high school, disrupting the class. Except that Aizawa’s glares were always a lot more effective.

The officer bristles for a moment before regaining her composure and returning to the presentation, turning away from their side of the room as much as she can manage without turning her back on the room.

 The meeting starts coming to a close roughly an hour later. The officers are still taking questions from some of the heroes gathered who weren’t a part of the first attack, and team assignments are being made. When it seems no one is paying their corner of the room any mind, Chargebolt leans around Shouto to look at Hypno and Midoriya.

“How did you get here so fast? There’s no way they contacted your agency that quick.”

“Izu-er, Midoriya texted me,” Hypno explains with a shrug. Shouto could be imaging it, but he’s almost certain Midoriya glances at him at Hypno's slip of his first name. At the very least, Chargebolt’s comment about ‘that Izu-Midoriya’ was starting to make a little too much sense. “And I was already in the area.”

Midoriya considers this for a moment. “You still got here surprisingly quick, you definitely weren’t at your apartment. Where exactly in the area were you?”

“I was visiting Inko.”

Midoriya startles at the reply. Shouto doesn’t recognize the name, but Uravity and Ingenium both seem to, perking up in interest. Shouto looks to Chargebolt, but he seems as confused as Shouto.

“Why were you visiting my mom?” Midoriya asks. Ah. Well that explains…something. Shouto can’t decide if Midoriya sounds concerned or horrified as he asks Hypno.

Hypno shrugs again, sending him a smug look. “She likes me more.”

“Excuse me, I’m her favorite,” Uravity jumps into the conversation while Midoriya sputters at Hypno’s answer.

Hypno looks like he’s about to argue with her when Ingenium interrupts them with a wave of his hand. “I don’t believe this is the appropriate place for this discussion.”

Hypno rolls his eyes, but relents, holding up a hand in surrender. “Sorry, class prez.”

Uravity pouts besides him but doesn’t argue.

Shouto isn’t really sure what to make of the entire discussion. Somehow Hypno being close enough with Midoriya to be close to his mother isn’t a particularly shocking revelation despite Midoriya’s previous attempts to downplay their relationship, but he can’t quite figure out how he feels about it. He also can’t quite make sense of Uravity also knowing Midoriya’s mother.

Someone clears their throat, interrupting the conversation. An officer stands nearby, holding a folder with their assignments tucked inside.

“Since you all seem comfortable with each other, for now you have been assigned to a team.” The officer explains haltingly. “Except for you, of course, Dr. Midoriya. As a civilian, I’m sure you understand.”

“Of course.” Midoriya replies with a pacifying smile, appearing the perfect picture of cooperation, but his tone is cold, almost condescending.

The officer stands there for another moment before dropping the folder at the end of the table and fleeing.

“I didn’t realize we were quite so scary,” Uravity says cheerfully as she picks up the folder. Shouto is actually fairly certain the one the officers are most wary of is Midoriya. And he wonders what is says that the single civilian among five pro-heroes is the scariest.

Uravity flips through the pages and hands out the assignment sheets to the respective heroes around the table. Hypno glances through his before silently handing it off to Midoriya.

Shouto watches the two scan over the page for a moment, heads bent close together and whispering over details.

“Midoriya, you’re connected to Lemillion’s agency, correct? Will Architect be involved in the case?” Shouto asks suddenly.

Midoriya and Hypno fly apart, both staring at him in shock. Uravity mirrors their expressions only a moment later. Confused by reactions, Shouto looks to Ingenium who suddenly appears to be avoiding his eye.

Still, no one says anything so Shouto continues on. “He was at the first attack and he recognized Kou. At first I assumed he knew her name through a quirk, but if she’s been targeted before, maybe he was on the case then? He-"

“He was…at the first attack?” Hypno interrupts suddenly, voice strangely calm.

Shouto nods. “I just met him at the end, after Melting Point had disappeared, but-”

Uravity looks like she wants to say something when Midoriya finally clears his throat. Like Ingenium, he won’t meet Shouto’s eye. “Architect cannot be included on the case.”

Shouto looks around the table, but only Chargebolt seems as confused by this information as he feels. And, no offense intended to Chargebolt, but he’s growing increasingly frustrated with being out of the loop with him.

“Architect is classified as a vigilante. His…work is illegal. He can’t be included on cases, officially. And heroes aren’t supposed to allow him to help, unofficially.”

Shouto looks between Midoriya and Ingenium. He’s not surprised Midoriya knows this about Architect, though he has no idea if they’ve actually met, but he’s positive no one mentioned anything about his being a vigilante when they first met.

The silence around the table grows tense and Shouto knows he’s missing something.

Before he can try and push for more details, Officer Uchida stands at the front of the room and calls the meeting to a close, reminding them of the next meeting in a few weeks.

Uchida had barely stopped talking when Hypno stands up, practically hauling Midoriya out of his chair and starting to drag him from the room. Uravity follows after them with only a quick wave sent back to the three left at the table as an afterthought.

“Okay…what the hell was that about?” Chargebolt finally asks.

Shouto would really like to know that as well.

“Entropy, may I speak with you for a moment, privately?” Ingenium asks, standing up from their table abruptly.

Chargebolt pulls Shouto to the side before he can follow Ingenium. “Any chance you’ll fill me in on what’s going on with those four?”