Sorry for the awkward slow down in chapters. They should pick back up again. 

This is also shit and I apologize. I don't know why the last few chapters have been so bad??? What even ngl.

Third person pov

Lillian wasn't someone you easily angered. It just wasn't who she was. She had her own set of morals she followed, and she didn't really concern herself with others. If someone said something offensive, she'd frown and go on her way. Mic had seen her get frustrated with herself, and mildly irritated with others, but there was absolutely nothing that could match the immense rage she seemed to have for Endeavor.

"I mean, I don't know how he's so high in the ratings. He has the highest death toll out of the top ten. He just covers it up with how many 'rescues' he makes. Do you have any idea how much unnecessary property damage he causes? He charges in without thinking because he wants to be the best. The rankings are all he cares about!" Lillian had been on the phone with the same man for half an hour now. Anytime Mic saw a good ending place and tried to cut in, he'd get a warning glance that shut him up right quick.

"Right! And not to mention his family." The man on the other end hissed the word like it was poison. "Where the hell are they? They reach the press in very small, controlled spurts. They're not sighted outside the house, and they completely covered up what happened to Rei Todoroki!" 

"You noticed that too?!" Lillian's eyes went wide. "Apparently she 'went crazy'. But some reporters went and found her family, and apparently she was completely sound of mind before! No history of mental health. You know what happened to those articles? They got totally taken down! I had to email the individual writers, and even then they had to cut some stuff out. Nothing adds up, and Shoto-"

The man on the other end inhaled sharply, cutting her off. "That's right; he's your classmate. Is he alright?"

"Yeah, I heard he moved out and is staying with some friends just to get away from the guy. He sits next to me in class. He fucking hates his dad." Lillian shook her head. "He approached me during the Sports Festival and asked what I thought of Shoto. I think he's trying to force him into a quirk marriage."

"Wait, what?!" Mic shrieked. He was ignored.

"There's theories that the asshole bought M- Rei. Apparently there was no reports of them ever being seen together. Their wedding was quick. Just them signing some papers or some shit like that. After that she immediately got pregnant." The man on the other end sounded pissed off even as he said this. Lillian couldn't help it.

"What an asshole!" Lillian all but shrieked. "I swear to god, when I get my grimy little hands on that flaming piece of shit, I'm going to-"

"Whoa, okay!" Mic laughed nervously. "Let's not go around making threats now." 

Lillian couldn't help but seethe. Not at Mic, and not at the man on the phone. Not even at herself. It was all reserved for Endeavor. She'd never run across someone who pissed her off so badly. Maybe it's because she didn't get to have real parents. Maybe it's because the ones she did get in the end ended up being kidnappers who repressed her so bad she was too afraid to tell them, or anyone, about a quirk she held that could save hundreds! And yet Shoto did have a mom and a dad, only one of them was shit. Endeavor was a piece of shit who'd given Shoto, his other kids, and his wife absolute hell. 

"Hero society is corrupted! Why should Endeavor be above the law? He throws money at his problems and thinks its okay. Shoto wouldn't even use the fire side of his quirk because it reminded him of the guy! Not until Izuku whacked some sense into him at the festival!" Lillian's eyes began to glow red from rage, her hair drifting upwards. Mic had seen it before, but he still couldn't help but gape a little. "I don't know how everyone is so blind to how horrible he is! If they just looked a little closer at him, they'd see what I'm talking about! None of the other top pros have issues like he does. All Might doesn't do anything wrong, and neither does Hawks. Hell, Shoto chose to intern with Hawks over his own dad!"

"Damn right, kid." The man bit out. "I've decided I like you."

"I've decided I like you too." Lillian responded, fire blazing in her eyes. "So if we wanted to get Endeavor arrested..."

"Okay, nope!" Mic ended the call before they could get any farther in their plans to take down the Number Two pro. Lillian let out an indignant yelp of some sort, turning to face him with eyes wide and full of accusation. The machine immediately began to ring again with another call. Mic pressed the red end call button, not breaking away from Lillian's gaze as she came down from her bout of anger. He felt himself relax a little when her hair dropped back down, startling her and causing her to turn around. Poor kid.

Lillian knew she was being brash. She just... wanted Endeavor gone so badly. She wanted Shoto to feel safe. She knew his father was threatening to pull him out of UA after the internships if he refused to come home. It scared her more than she or anyone else cared to admit, because all of them knew he wasn't afraid to go through with it. Shoto didn't deserve to be stuck in a house with a man like Endeavor. 

"To the man I just talked to." Lillian turned back to the microphone with a deep breath. "C-Call again sometime, okay?"

"Oh my god, you're going to get yourself arrested! Why do you hate him so much?" Mic groaned, bringing his hands up to cover his face. He immediately regretted asking when Lillian fell silent, dropping her gaze. He lowered his hands slightly, brows furrowing. "Little listener?"

Lillian knew going off for the world to hear wasn't her brightest move, but she could see that they were nearing a million listeners now. People had heard, and word was going to spread now. She knew taking advantage of Mic's show like that wasn't something a good person would do. In her defense, she hadn't planned on bringing up Endeavor. The mystery caller, her favorite caller so far, had brought it up and she just... she lost it. Simple as that. Now people were going to be forced to think. Hopefully they'd tell their friends, and their friends would tell more of their friends, and it would spread like a poison. 

"I-I... I can't say much without breaking the trust of someone I care about, but..." Tears welled in her eyes. They were a product of her stress and frustration, and that made Mic's heart clench. "He hurt my friend. He's hurting my friend. He isn't a good man, and I am one-hundred percent sure of that. I don't care if I get arrested or go down. As long as I can drag him down with me. I dare him to come after me. H-He's going to get what's coming to him. He has to, or I'm not sure I'll be able to hold faith in the hero system anymore." Lillian looked away as she said this.

Mic smiled sadly as she sniffled, turning away from the microphone and wiping at her tears in an attempt to stop the listeners from hearing her begin to cry. She was just... so, so worried for Todoroki, his siblings, and his mother. Of what would happen if Endeavor found out where he was and dragged him home. She just wanted Shoto to be a teenager like he was supposed to be. She didn't want him to get pulled out of UA and forced to take up schooling at his own home. 

"I think this is a good time to stop the broadcast, listeners." Mic turned back to his own microphone. "Seems the Little Listener got a little worked over on a topic she's passionate about! We're going to catch a late lunch. Stay vigilant, everyone! You never know when we'll come on the air!"

He ended it with that, sighing and turning back to Lillian as she sniffled. She looked so small, curled up there with her snake twisting around her shaking fingers. Mic wondered, in that moment, if his student Shoto Todoroki was okay. The boy had seemed more lively during the time leading up to internships. He interacted more with his classmates, or namely Izuku, and seemed to smile more often. Was it because he moved out of his home? Was Endeavor really so bad that getting away from him could diminish the distress Shoto had very clearly been feeling?

"S-Sorry." Lillian stuttered quietly, cheeks reddening with embarrassment. "I-I just... I don't like him, Mr. Mic." 

A part of her was ashamed at how much she absolute despised Endeavor. Hate was a strong word, but god damn was she feeling it. It was potent, and there, and she couldn't make it go away no matter how hard she tried! She'd done her best to put herself in Endeavor's shoes and see it from his view. The problem was that his view was totally and completely fucked up. It was wrong in every way, and the man had to know that on some level! And yet... he just continued on and on and on. 

"That's alright, Little Listener. I have people I don't like either." Mic grinned and stood up, stretching until his back popped. "Now, let's go get some breakfast."

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

"Holy fuck." Bakugo ran a hand through his hair. "Holy fuck, we did that."

Chad grinned as he unlocked his apartment. He'd gathered his weapons, made sure everyone was detained, and then they'd bolted. Even Bakugo had agreed that them being there when the police showed up wasn't the best idea. Of course they'd probably be called into the precinct later for some questioning. Tsukauchi would want to know where they'd gotten their information, why they'd thought it was a good idea to go in alone, and so on and so forth. They could deal with that later. 

The apartment was quiet, save for the faint sound of cartoons playing on the TV. It was a clear sign that Eri was awake. Kids were fucking menaces, so Bakugo was expecting to see some huge ass mess he'd be forced to clean up. He wasn't saying Eri wasn't a good kid or anything like that, kids were just generally little nuisances that wreaked havoc anywhere they stepped foot. He'd been one. Hell, he'd been about as careful as a bull in a china shop back when he was a little brat. He broke everything, threw countless tantrums, and was an overall dickhead.

What his eyes came to rest on was much worse.

"What the actual fuck is that?!" He all but shrieked. He knew he should have written his will. What was that thing? Eri was sitting next to it on the couch like it were her best friend. As though it wasn't some tiny little... little mongrel! He watched with wide crimson eyes as it hissed at him vilely, burrowing back between the plush couch's cushions and vanishing. His mouth opened and closed as he grasped for words. How was that... what was that thing? Did Lillian know it existed, and if so, why the fuck hadn't she warned him?!

"That was The Termination." Chad allowed. "I don't know what he is either. Don't ask."

Bakugo tried to rip the image seared in his head out, but it was to no avail. He wasn't sure what species of... god, what was that? It was short, about the same size as Nezu. It had been vaguely humanoid, with small, squinty eyes and an over-sized mouth full of uneven, razor sharp teeth. It had looked... almost like a gnome. One with four tentacles sticking out of its fucking back. How many arms had it had? Why had its legs been furry? What th-

"Hey, I'll pay for your therapy. Don't worry about it. He's like... an in-home security system I can't get rid of." Chad assured, patting him on the shoulder. Eri brightened as he stepped into view, leaping off the couch and rushing in for a hug. Bakugo continued to gape. He almost regretted interning with Chad, but he also didn't. Even if their plan to take the Yakuza could have gone terribly wrong in about fifty different ways, it... it didn't. It went perfectly. They were in, and then they were out, just as planned. 

"I need to get out of this fucking place." The champagne blonde teen whipped out his phone with a frown, hesitating. What was he doing? Lillian was busy interning to, and besides, it's not like they ever hang out. Asking what she was doing would be weird and creepy as shit. Asking to join her would be even weirder. Was she on the air right now? He did have an app that played Present Mic's show, but hadn't opened it yet. Lillian had suggested it to him. He wasn't even a Present Mic fan, so he wasn't sure why the fuck he'd downloaded it.

"Oh, hey." Chad said, balancing Eri on one hip and looking at his phone with the other. "Present Mic and Lillian are going to eat lunch before they make sure Aizawa isn't dead and want to know if we want to tag along. She's been wanting to meet Eri for a while now. You game, or do you want to stay here?"

Bakugo felt his cheeks heat, eyeing Chad skeptically. Was he a mind reader? The man stared back boredly. "I'm inviting my brother. You can stay here if you want." He offered with a shrug. Bakugo's eyes snapped back to the couch, and he grimaced. Yeah, no fucking way was that happening. He didn't want to be anywhere near that thing, let alone sleep on it. He had never really hung out with Lillian, but if Chad, the brat, and Mr. Mic were going to be there... plus whoever the fuck Brad was... maybe it wouldn't be that awkward. A good way for him and Lillian to start talking in person.

Not that he like, wanted to talk in person. Real friends did that, and Bakugo didn't have friends. At all. He certainly didn't want, or need, a friend like Lillian. Even if she was smart with a decent ass sense of humor. That, and her sarcasm was on point, but fuck that. It didn't matter. She could be a literal god and he still wouldn't associate. Not that he was comparing her to any sort of god by any means.

"Fine." Bakugo bit out in a sour manner. "Let's go."

"You're mean." Eri decided.

"Well you fucking know what, you little-"

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

Meme Master Lillian:
Check the hero ratings. You're welcome.

Shoto's eyes widened in surprise at the text. He and Hawks had done some more rescues before collapsing on the floor of his agency for a few hours. It wasn't the most, but it was enough to rejuvenate them. Now all they needed was food before they were good to go boost Hawks' ratings some more. Passing out from lack of nutrients at this rate would be anticlimactic. They needed to stay functional while grinding Endeavor's rating into the ground.

"Holy shit." Hawks said, peering at Shoto's phone as the hero markings came up. Shoto's own eyes widened. He wasn't sure how Lillian had done it, but in the span of a few hours, Endeavor's ratings had dropped exponentially. News reports about him were popping up left and right, most of which referencing Lillian, UA, or Mic's radio show. She had to have said something. Either way, it worked in their favor. His ratings had dropped so low that Hawks was nearly tied with him. 

"If we follow the plan..." Shoto trailed off, scrolling through comments on Endeavor's profile. People were all speculating and pointing out all the shady stuff he did. People who'd had their homes destroyed or who had lost loved ones were coming forward as witnesses to Endeavor's lack of care for his surroundings. News stations that had supported him for years were turning left and right. It felt like all of Japan was beginning to narrow their eyes at the Number Two hero and see him for what he really was.

"We can rocket past him before the night is out." Hawks grin stretched wide, and he suddenly felt a lot less exhausted. Not days ago, he too had been a huge Endeavor fan. A part of him still couldn't help but admire the sheer strength and ability he displayed for the world to see. But knowing what he was doing to Shoto, and all he'd put his family through... it made Hawks sick with absolute, unbridled rage. Someone whom he'd thought to be a hero, someone he'd grown up admiring, was a piece of shit. It stung.

Shoto beamed. He didn't smile often, but Hawks had never seen him radiate with such hope before. He looked younger, less severe. It made Hawks want to smile back, but also frown. He was glad the kid had moved out. Apparently he was staying with some friends, and Hawks was glad for that. It was good that Shoto had someone. If he hadn't, Hawks was pretty sure he'd be offering the teen a place in his apartment. The thought of Shoto having to go home to someone like Endeavor made his stomach turn in the worst way.

On the other hand, Shoto was overjoyed. He didn't know why he wanted his dad kicked off his high horse so badly. He just did. Finally, Endeavor's wrong doings were coming back to bite him in the ass. It made this whole thing worthwhile. Before the Sports Festival, he'd dreaded internships. He felt like he had no options. Like Endeavor was the one and only person he could possibly choose from.  But now... Shoto had visited his mother for the first time ever, and now had a healthy relationship with her. He had friends who supported him, who believed him when he said Endeavor was shit. It was... it was almost overwhelming.

"Lillian has invited us to lunch." Shoto said with a small smile. He briefly wondered how Izuku was doing. They'd begun talking more since the Sports Festival. He was glad, seeing as he'd messed up the freckled boy's hand. Not only that, but he was another person who knew and understood aside from Lillian who was in class. Plus, without Izuku... he wasn't sure he'd be able to use his fire side the way he does today.

"What a coincidence." Hawks chuckled. "My brother invited me to lunch just now too." 

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

"Chad!" Lillian brightened when she spotted the man, eyes quickly going to Eri. Mic perked up slightly. Lillian had mentioned Chad a great many times in passing, and had heard her talk to him on the phone. He was someone Lillian trusted greatly from what he'd gathered. He just... hadn't really expected a man in bloody clothes to waltz into the ramen shop with a cute little kid on his hip and a familiar, angry blonde trailing behind.

"Bakugo?" Mic blinked in surprise as the teen begrudgingly slid down the booth until he was at the end in front of Lillian, arms folded over his chest and cheeks pink with embarrassment. "I hadn't realized Chad was a hero. I've never heard of you before. Are you local?"

"Just got my license like... a week ago... ish." Chad shrugged. Lillian didn't seem fazed by the bloody clothes, in awe over Eri, who flipped on her sunglasses as a defense mechanism. Super cute if you asked Lillian. A little meme god in the making. Ah, it was a beautiful thing to witness. She'd heard only a fraction of what Eri had gone through, and needless to say... she would have interned with Chad had she not already committed to Mic. Hell, she'd almost backed out just to help the Uber Eats driver.

"Y-You must be Eri." Lillian awed. "I'm Lillian."

"H-Hi." Eri stuttered back, glancing at Chad, who grinned. Hesitantly, she reached her arms out to Lillian. It was a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one. With a bright smile, the dark haired girl leaned across the table and snatched her up. She'd talked to Eri on the phone a few times and had an emoji war with the girl via Chad's phone. So far, she adored the kid, and Eri seemed to like Lillian. The squirt found comfort knowing there was another girl around.

Bakugo shifted uncomfortably as Lillian cooed over Eri, who was acting perfectly innocent at the moment. His cheeks pinkened with embarrassment. What was he even doing here? He and Lillian were friends through text, sort of, but she hadn't even acknowledged him, which was as clear a sign as any that-

"H-Hi, Bakugo." Lillian chirped unsurely, drawing him from his thoughts and earning a defensive scowl for her troubles. "I'm glad you didn't die."

He scoffed, trying to calm himself down. It was just social interaction. As long as she didn't cry, it was technically a win. At least that's the logic he'd begun to live by. There was no way he was going all soft and sensitive just for some chick, though. That wasn't how he rolled. "Yeah, whatever. As if some Yakuza assholes could kill me." He refused to look at her as he said this, wondering how she'd react to his brash attitude in person. Based on previous interactions with her, he wasn't hopeful. 

"Yakuza?" Mic whispered, momentarily stopping himself from cooing over Lillian holding a small child. It was just too cute! 

"Bold coming from someone who was telling me he'd haunt me if I didn't cry at his funeral." Lillian quipped back, much to Mic and Bakugo's surprise. Mic knew Bakugo was one of the most pissy students he'd ever had the displeasure of teaching. He was borderline disrespectful, used foul language in every sentence, always seemed angry, and didn't play well with others. If he got too frustrated, his quirk activated. And he was always frustrated. 

Bakugo sputtered. "That was a joke and you know it, you little shit!" He accused. 

"I don't know, doesn't seem like it was a joke." Lillian eyed the blood-covered Chad, who flicked on his sunglasses in retaliation while chewing his gum loudly. Eri snickered.

"He was scared shitless." Eri said. Everyone at the table paused. Mic seemed vaguely horrified, though it wasn't as bad as it could have been. He'd heard Lillian spit out sentences so vulgar even God would cower just from hearing them. It was proof of how much she hated Endeavor. It was also evidence that the popular saying that Mic always seemed to hear was true: It's always the quiet ones.

"That's a bad word." Lillian whispered back.

"Guess Bakugo is a bad guy." Eri shrugged back. Bakugo's jaw dropped. The nerve-

"Chad?" Todoroki blinked at the man, looking like he'd been through hell and back. How much sleep was he getting, and had he forgotten what a shower was? He was literally covered in dust and bruises. Not to mention his clothing was charred. "You're Hawks' brother?"

"Hey, Shoto! Brad!" Chad chirped cheerfully. Mic blinked at the Number Three hero slowly. So Chad's brother was the Number Three hero, who Shoto was interning with? Lillian had just bashed Endeavor and brought down his ratings, meanwhile, Hawks was climbing the charts rapidly with Shoto's help. Bakugo was Chad's intern and had apparently just helped take down part of the Yakuza. Was any of this planned? It seemed semi-planned in the most sporadic way. Mic was just going to roll with it and hope the therapy he inevitably ended up needing wasn't too expensive. After all, he'd do anything for the Little Listener. Even eat lunch with a blood covered man, and angry teenager, a dirty teenager, and the number three pro who looked ready to fall over. Plus a cute little marshmallow girl in sunglasses, of course.

"Hawks is Brad?" Lillian looked confused as Mic stood so Shoto could slide in next to his freckled friend. She looked down at Eri, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Why does that make so much sense?"

Bakugo tried not to let his annoyance show as Todoroki slid in close to Lillian so Mic could fit. They were nearly shoulder to shoulder as Hawks let his wings shrink down as small as they'd go, settling next to his younger brother with a grin and cheerful greeting. Bakugo frowned slightly, huffing and crossing his arms over his chest. Whatever. He and Lillian weren't that great of friends anyway. Shoto was... well, he was sharing a bedroom with her, actually. So it made sense that they were like... friends. 

Lillian began to ask Shoto how he was doing, to which he whipped out his phone and presented his plan to her. His plan to take Endeavor down a notch. Lillian publicly bashing him on live radio had definitely given them bonus points, without a doubt. It cut their time almost down to a third of what it would have been, splitting the work in half. It was a weight off both Shoto and Hawks' shoulders. Hopefully more Endeavor-related questions coming in when they broadcasted again would knock him down some more. 

Chad and Hawks mainly talked to Mic, though a lot of it was about internships. Eri played with Lillian's hands, inspecting it happily and humming to herself. For her, it was a comfort to have another girl around. A lot of the people who'd hurt her were men. That wasn't to say women couldn't be bad as well, Eri just hadn't come across that many. And certainly never any this terribly young. Lillian wasn't around Eri's age or anything of that sort. She just... she wasn't an adult, and the little girl liked that.

Bakugo seemed to be growing tenser and tenser by the second. Lillian had made an effort to welcome him into her and Shoto's conversation a few times, but was met with either an annoyed grunt of some sort or quiet scoff. It wasn't Lillian's fault. Bakugo was just... he wasn't annoyed. He just didn't get why Lillian had been so anxiety-free before, but now anytime she turned to try and talk to him, she stuttered like he was some stranger! She was fine talking to half-and-half. She'd been fine with him a minute ago. Was he making her feel the same terrifying tightness in her chest he'd felt before they entered the Yakuza warehouse?

Truth be told, he knew this was new, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that, or how he should feel about it. It was all just... he didn't know how to react. He wanted to talk to Lillian. After experiencing what was most definitely his first encounter with major anxiety, he felt he understood her and that shitty Deku better. Her fidgeting made sense. If she really felt like that all the time... damn, how did she live? How could anyone live like that? He wasn't sure hers was the same, as he'd yet to ask... but if it was, was there a way to make it go away?

Shoto's phone gave a ding, but it was ignored as their drinks were placed down, and their orders taken. It dinged again. And then another time. Lillian checked hers to see if maybe it was the group chat, as hers had been on silent. There was nothing. Shoto sighed, leaning forward uncomfortably to shimmy his phone from his back pocket. Bakugo tried not to snarl at him. He smelled like shit, looked like shit, and Bakugo regretted not forcing his way into the seat next to Lillian's when he had the chance. At least then he wouldn't be shoulder to shoulder with fucking Chad, who as covered in blood by the way. Disgusting. 

Shoto's phone fell onto the table with a clatter, his eyes wide and lips parted in surprise. Lillian peered over to sneak a peek at what had left him so shocked, and her eyes widened too, tears welling in them. They both looked to one another with teary eyes. Bakugo immediately felt left out, which was fine. He wasn't supposed to be a part of it anyway. But what the fuck, had somebody died, or were they just being idiots?

"Extra spicy ramen for the blonde!" The server appeared. "Extra spicy for the lovely lady as well! Hold on juts a minute; I'll get the others."

Lillian didn't even process her ramen being set down. She brought her hands up to her face and let out a stifled squeal of delight.

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

The doctor opened the door with a solemn face heavy with guilt. The sobbing young woman behind him did nothing to help as he stepped into the room with a clipboard in pen in hand. It would be all over the news as soon as it reached the press, he knew. But he couldn't do this anymore. It was too much, and the reports he'd been reading only solidified it in his mind and in the minds of the nurses working under him. Rei Todoroki had been sound of mind for almost eight years now. She was completely fine. A smart, clever woman with a sharp tongue and witty personality.

"Fuyumi, dear, why are you crying?" Rei stood as soon as her crying daughter stepped in. The doctor took in a deep breath.

"Mrs. Todoroki, you've been completely sound of mind for several years now. We've urged Mr. Endeavor to release you, but he's been paying people far above me plenty of money to keep you here. Again, I must stress that there is no real reason for you to be here." He tried to keep his voice level. It shook anyway. "Some... rumors have hit the news, courtesy of a UA student named Lillian. I believe your son has mentioned her before. You watched her compete with him in the second portion of the sports festival."

"Y-Yes?" Rei looked severely confused. Fuyumi cried harder, wiping at her eyes.

"I'm going to get fired, Mrs. Todoroki, as are most of my staff." The Doctor gave a sad, yet relieved smile as he handed over the clipboard and pen. "If you'll sign these papers, you'll be free to go. I suggest taking legal action, ma'am."

It suddenly made sense why Fuyumi was crying, because now, Rei was crying too.