Quirkless

Is Midoriya Coming?

The day after the meeting at Interpol, Katsuki and Q were finally cleared to leave the hospital. A majority of Keidoro had been located and neither were considered under threat any longer. Plus, their injuries had healed to the point that selfcare was appropriate, and no-one wanted the great Dynamight cooped up any longer than necessary. That was how property damage happened.

Now, fully packed, they said their goodbyes in the privacy of the hospital room. It was bittersweet. They may have only known one another for a month, but Katsuki had more respect for the agent than he did for people he'd known for years. There was something about being willing to blast yourself to pieces for the sake of a mission he had to appreciate.

That didn't mean he had to tell her that though. As she approached him, Katsuki thrust a tube into Q's hand. She glanced at it suspiciously.

"I have my friend in research make me a couple more batches of the salve. I figured you would need it again." He said it flatly, as if it was no big deal to have Melissa ship the newly prepared serum overnighted across the world.

Q smiled. "Thanks. I probably will." She paused, sucking on her teeth for a moment, before reaching into her backpack and pulled out a tiny device. "Here. If you ever need me, plug this into your phone. It'll ping me and I'll give you a call."

Her voice was as flat as his had been, but he knew better than to underestimate the nature of the gift. An open line to someone he was beginning to suspect was among the top echelons of Interpol agents was not something to down play.

"Thanks," Katsuki said quietly, almost hearing Kirishima's shock next to him. He rolled the small device - just smaller than a yen coin - between his fingers before slipping it into his wallet.

"Oh, I got you something too!" The red-headed man said, recovering from the shock of hearing the word "Thanks" come from the explosive hero's mouth. Kirishima produced a sloppily wrapped gift from his pocket, handing it over.

Q unwrapped it with a raised eyebrow. It was a key fob, with a phone number attached.

"It's for my agency in Sendai. In case you ever need a safe place while you're undercover. And the phone number is mine. In case you need backup."

Q looked surprised. "You just met me."

"If Bakubro trusts you, I do too. Plus, he'll be working there too, so you can come visit."

Q and Katsuki made eye contact - they both knew that prospect was highly improbable. While he respected the agent, Katsuki kind of hoped he never saw her in a professional capacity again. He was better at the more...visible side of hero work.

She still pocketed the device. "Thanks Kirishima."

They staggered their exits, to avoid paparazzi catching Q or Hikari on camera. What felt like the entire nation's press had been parked outside since the Hero Commission announced his hospitalization. As Kirishima and Bakugou exited the hospital doors, the press swarmed him, pestering with questions and requests for a photo. They escaped into the waiting towncar, settling into the back seat for the drive back to Katsuki's place. God, did he hate city traffic.

"Hey, bro, I was meaning to ask you," Kirishima started slowly. "Is Midoriya coming with you to Sendai?"

Katsuki shook his head, looking at the floor of the vehicle. "Nah, he needs to stay in Tokyo - number one hero and all." Kirishima knew him too well to buy that as the real reason, but Katsuki hoped he would also know better than to push the topic.

Kirishima nodded slowly. "You know he waited in that hospital every day for you to come out of that room."

Katsuki snorted. How very Deku of him. Those words should probably hurt, not warm, his heart, given that he'd purposefully left him in the dark. However, as always, his friend's unshakeable loyalty just made him smile slightly. He snorted. "I'm not surprised."