The building's exterior was all gray concrete and industrial windows. Standard villain hideout aesthetic. Izuku scanned the structure while Momo pulled something from her exposed stomach. The skin there rippled like water before a compact grappling device emerged, trailing a thin cable.
"I'll enter from the third floor," Momo explained. "It gives me a better angle on the stairwells and avoids the ground floor entirely. Bakugo will expect a frontal assault."
"Smart."
She aimed the device at a windowsill three stories up. The trigger clicked. The hook sailed through the air with a soft whistle.
The hook caught, and the cable went taut as Momo pulled. A moment later, it scraped against concrete, shifting on the weathered ledge as it began to slip.
"The anchor point isn't stable enough." Momo's brow furrowed. "The building's exterior is more weathered than I anticipated. My creation isn't designed for this much stress."
Izuku watched the hook struggle against the ledge. Another few seconds and it would tear free completely.
"I have one on my wrist."
Momo's eyes flicked to his gauntlet.
"Your grappling line? Will it support both of us?"
"Should."
"Should?"
"Probably."
"That's not reassuring, Midoriya-san."
Izuku shrugged.
"It's designed for my weight plus equipment. You're lighter than my equipment."
Momo's cheeks colored at the observation. Whether from the weight comment or something else, Izuku couldn't tell.
"The alternative is entering through the first floor," she said. "Which eliminates our tactical advantage and puts us directly in Bakugo's expected engagement zone."
"Your call."
She hesitated.
"The third floor maintains our element of surprise. Bakugo won't expect an aerial entry."
"So we're doing this."
"We're doing this."
Izuku held out his arm. The grappling launcher sat flush against his forearm, compact and deadly-looking.
"Hold on to me."
Momo stared at him.
Her face was already pink, but now it deepened to something closer to crimson.
"How exactly do you propose I—"
"However works. We've got maybe thirty seconds before Bakugo gets impatient and comes looking."
"I've never done anything like this before."
"So I'll be your first."
"That's remarkably unhelpful."
Izuku grinned.
"I've been told."
Momo took a deep breath. Then another.
"Fine."
She stepped forward.
Izuku had been expecting a piggyback situation. Maybe her arms around his neck from behind.
What he got was Momo wrapping her arms around his shoulders and jumping.
Her legs locked around his lower back.
Her chest pressed flat against his.
And by pressed, he meant PRESSED.
The costume didn't leave much to imagination, and now it left even less. He could feel every curve. Every soft point of contact. The warmth of her body seeped through his bodysuit like she was made of sunlight.
Her head tucked against the side of his neck.
Her breath tickled his ear.
Oh.
Oh no.
If there were cameras watching this, he was a dead man. Jiro or Toru would kill him.
But what a way to go.
"Midoriya-san."
Her voice vibrated against his throat.
"Yeah?"
"Stop smiling."
"I'm not smiling."
"I can feel your face muscles moving."
Guilty as charged.
Izuku aimed his gauntlet at the third floor window. The targeting system in his mask highlighted the optimal anchor point. Solid metal framework. Industrial grade.
"Hang on."
"I am very clearly hanging on."
The grappling line fired.
It caught.
He pulled.
For one terrifying second, nothing happened.
Then the mechanism engaged and they shot upward.
Wind rushed past. Momo's grip tightened. Her legs squeezed his waist hard enough to make breathing difficult. The cable sang with tension as it retracted, pulling them toward the third floor.
They reached the window in under three seconds.
Izuku's boots caught the ledge. He braced. The impact jarred through his knees but his body absorbed it automatically.
Momo remained attached to his front like a very attractive barnacle.
"We made it."
Her voice was muffled against his neck.
"Yep."
"Please don't tell anyone about this."
"About what? I have no idea what you're talking about."
She finally pulled back. Her face was the color of a ripe tomato. Her hair had come slightly loose from its ponytail. She looked absolutely mortified.
Also kind of cute.
But mostly mortified.
"The window," she managed.
Right. The window.
Momo placed her palm against the glass. Her Quirk activated again, that strange ripple effect spreading across her skin. A thin cylinder emerged from her forearm. It looked like a pen, except it definitely wasn't a pen.
She pressed the tip against the glass.
A beam of concentrated light shot out.
The glass began to melt.
She traced a circle large enough for a person to fit through. The edges glowed orange, then cooled to black. She pushed gently. The cut section fell inward, landing on carpet with a muffled thump.
"Laser cutter," she explained. "Concentrated heat in a narrow beam. Useful for breaching."
Man, whatever guy eventually got her was going to be ridiculously lucky. Smart, gorgeous, could literally create anything she needed on demand. The whole package.
Momo climbed through the opening and Izuku followed.
The interior was dark. Emergency lighting cast everything in dim red. Perfect for hiding. Perfect for ambushes.
He tapped the comm unit in his ear.
"Testing. Is this working?"
Static crackled.
Then Momo's voice came through, clear as day.
"Receiving. Audio quality is acceptable."
"I'm going to draw him out," Izuku said quietly. "Make some noise. Get his attention. You take the east stairwell. Should put you on the fifth floor without crossing his patrol route."
Momo's expression shifted. The embarrassment faded. The strategist returned.
"You're certain he'll come to you?"
"Absolutely certain."
"How can you be so sure?"
Izuku smiled.
It wasn't a nice smile.
"Because Bakugo's been waiting ten years for this chance. He's not going to let Iida have it."
Momo studied him for a long moment.
Then she nodded.
"East stairwell. I'll contact you when I reach the fifth floor."
"Good luck."
"Same to you, Midoriya-san."
She turned and moved down the hallway. Her footsteps made no sound on the carpet.
Izuku watched her go.
Then he turned the opposite direction.
Time to be loud.
The hallway stretched ahead, doors lining both sides. Abandoned office space. Cubicle walls visible through glass panels. Perfect terrain for an ambush.
Also perfect terrain for being ambushed.
Izuku moved forward.
His boots hit the floor deliberately. No stealth. No subtlety. Every step announced his presence to anyone listening.
Which was the point.
The building felt empty around him. Too empty. Bakugo was here somewhere. Waiting. Probably vibrating with barely contained rage.
A door to his left stood slightly ajar.
Izuku's instincts screamed.
He didn't slow down.
Didn't speed up.
Just kept walking.
The attack came from his right.
Not the left door.
Classic misdirection.
A corner he'd dismissed as too obvious suddenly erupted with light and sound. Bakugo launched himself forward, palms blazing, explosion already building. His face was twisted into that familiar expression of violent triumph.
"GOT YOU, DEKU!"
Izuku was already moving.
His body shifted left. The explosion passed close enough to singe his hair. The heat washed over him like standing too close to a bonfire. Bakugo's momentum carried him past, his attack finding only empty air.
"Sloppy."
Izuku's hand was already in his belt.
The smoke bomb hit the floor before Bakugo could turn.
Gray clouds erupted.
The hallway vanished.
Visibility dropped to nothing.
Izuku moved.
Bakugo roared somewhere in the smoke.
"YOU THINK THAT'S GONNA STOP ME?"
An explosion tore through the cloud. Random. Unfocused. Bakugo was firing blind, hoping to catch him with area damage.
Predictable.
Izuku pressed himself against the wall. The smoke burned his eyes. His lungs protested. But he'd trained in worse conditions. Hano used to fill entire rooms with pepper spray and make him spar.
This was nothing.
Bakugo's footsteps echoed somewhere to his left.
Another explosion.
Closer this time.
The building shook.
"Come out and fight me!" Bakugo's voice was raw. "Stop running like a coward!"
Izuku didn't respond.
Words were weapons too.
And silence drove Bakugo absolutely insane.
The comm in his ear crackled.
"Midoriya-san." Momo's voice. Calm. Controlled. "I've reached the fourth floor. The east stairwell is clear. Proceeding to objective."
Izuku tapped his earpiece twice.
Acknowledgment received.
Now he just had to keep Bakugo busy long enough for Momo to secure the weapon.
Another explosion ripped through the smoke. This one closer. The shockwave knocked dust from the ceiling tiles. Bakugo was getting angry. Which meant he was getting sloppy. Which meant he was getting dangerous.
Because sloppy Bakugo didn't care about collateral damage.
Sloppy Bakugo just wanted to destroy everything in his path until he hit something important.
The smoke was starting to thin.
Izuku moved deeper into the building.
The hunt was on.