Rejected Stones

Jousting Windmills

Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida

48. Jousting Windmills

You won't get undercounted 'cause you're damned and free

You got a new horizon, it's ephemeral style

A melancholy town where we never smile

And all I wanna hear is the message beep

-Gorillaz, Feel Good Inc

Nervously, Izuku glanced at the paper on Burnin's desk, then immediately looked away blushing, and tried to leave before she noticed him. Too late.

"Hey! Izuku! Boss wants to talk to you," Burnin said, glancing up from her paper. She grinned wickedly, pointing to the picture of him. He was panicked, had Mei half behind him, and had raised his arm, palm up, pointing it directly at the camera so that it looked down the emitter of his laser. "Nice."

Izuku tried to smile, and hurried away to Endeavor's large office. He knocked nervously at the large, ornate wooden door.

"Enter!" Endeavor roared, and Izuku quickly opened the door and stepped inside.

Endeavor looked up from his computer, frowning at Izuku. "Sit."

Feeling about three inches tall, Izuku sat down in the chair in front of Endeavor's desk, nervously twiddling his thumbs. It was an odd sensation, as he could only feel one of them, but felt as though both were moving.

"I take it you've seen this," Endeavor stated, turning his monitor around so Izuku could see the browser tab he had open. It was nearly the same picture as the one Burnin had been looking at, though from a slightly different angle.

"Um, yes," Izuku admitted.

"Hmph. Well, I'm not going to yell at you, if that's what you thought," Endeavor said, sighing. He stood, coming around the desk and crouching to put a hand on Izuku's shoulder, causing him to go rigidly still. "Look, you're in a hard situation. Most heroes don't have to deal with the celebrity aspect of the job until much later in their careers, and by then they know how to handle having every aspect of their lives gone over with a fine toothed comb."

"I know I didn't react right," Izuku mumbled. "I just-I was surprised, and scared, and nervous, and...and I don't handle the cameras very well."

"Well, then you've got the right teacher," Endeavor grunted. He reached over and grabbed another chair, pulling it next to Izuku. "I've had to deal with the paparazzi myself, and as you may know, I am not the most...amenable...person."

"You um, you put one in the hospital, right?" Izuku asked, wincing. "On your wedding day."

Endeavor's expression darkened. "Yes. And that son of a bitch deserved it. Of all the nerve...I'm half convinced that's the reason Rei hated me. To see her like that, and then to have me burn the man...I still stand by my reasoning that he was a villain."

Izuku nodded. The images of Rei Todoroki, half naked with her husband in the honeymoon suite, and moments later of an enraged Endeavor's flames rushing towards the peeping tom reporter were well known, though Izuku had personally avoided ever looking at them for the simple fact it felt crude to look at such lewd images. He was grateful for that now that he knew Endeavor and Shoto.

"Anyway. At least you handled it better than I did. But next time, though I know you'll hate to hear it, tell us when you're going on a date. You need an escort. They'll have orders not to interfere with any romantic acts, but to keep the press off your backs."