At eight, they both got into their costumes and made their way over to the magazine’s office building. It was a little ways away from the agency, so they took Bakugou’s motorcycle. They arrived at 8:45 and were greeted as soon as they walked through the doors.

“Mr. Ground Zero, Ms. Wildside,” the receptionist bowed. “I will let Mr. Yakimura know you have arrived. Please take a seat in the waiting area,” she said as she picked up the phone.

Bakugou and Kia made their way over and sat in two seats facing away from the reception desk. Kia opened one of the pockets on her belt and took out a pair of ear buds before inserting them in her ears. Bakugou looked over at his partner and wished he had thought to bring his own. Kia noticed him looking at her and took her phone out of the pocket. Setting it on her lap, she offered him the left ear bud. Bakugou hesitated not wanting to have to listen to some girly music.

“Don’t worry, I won’t play anything too sappy,” Kia said, handing him the ear bud.

Bakugou took it from her and placed it in his ear. He was surprised to hear American alternative rock playing. Kia handed him the phone. “My taste in music is very eclectic, so you will find pretty much anything in my playlist.”

Pulling off his glove and gauntlet, Bakugou took the phone from her. Kia grabbed his gauntlet and held it on her lap as she scooted closer to look at the phone with him. Bakugou scrolled through her songs, asking a couple questions about different titles as they listened to music together.

Twenty minutes, later Kia was just pointing to one of her favorite songs when they heard a clicking sound behind them. Turning around the two heroes saw three people standing there, looking at them. One was holding up a camera, another had on a suit, and the third was the receptionist. Standing up, Bakugou handed Kia back her phone and ear bud as she gave him back his gauntlet.

“Hello, Ground Zero and Wildside. Thank you so much for agreeing to come here today,.” The man in the suit stepped forward while handing them his business card with a bow. Nodding slightly, Bakugou took the card from the man.

“Thanks for asking us to come, Mr. Yakimura” Kia smiled and bowed slightly.

“Please, call me Ryuski,” the man said. “This is our photographer, Kenji. Well, why don’t we head to the studio and take some photos?”

Bakugou and Kia followed Ryuski and Kenji to a photo studio where a crew was setting up a backdrop and lights. Ryuski lead them over to a set of chairs where a makeup crew was waiting.

Bakugou hated this part of photo shoots. He understood that they wanted to make sure the photos turned out good, but he didn’t like anyone messing with his hair, especially since his internship with Jeanist his first year of high school. Every now and then, the older hero still tried to tame his ash blonde spikes.

Kia walked over to one of the stools and sat down so the stylists could get started. She looked as uncomfortable as Bakugou felt, which he found weird since she was supposed to be a model and singer. Taking the stool next to her, he tried not to fidget as the stylist started on his hair.

Ryuski sat down on a stool across from them pulling out a small recorder and an iPad. Looking up at the two heroes he started the interview.

“So, how long have you two been partners?” Ryuski asked.

“It’s been only a couple of weeks now,” Kia answered.

Ryuski scribbled on his notepad before continuing. “How has the partnership been going? Ground Zero has a bit of a reputation for running off all his partners,” he asked Kia.

Wow they aren’t wasting anytime, Kia thought before she answered, “It has been going well, I think. We have had our ups and downs, but that is normal.”

“And what do you think, Ground Zero?” Ryuski asked, turning towards him.

“Yeah,” Bakugou grunted closing his hands into fists.

Realizing that was the only answer he was going to get from the hero, Ryuski turned back towards Kia. “So, you are from America, is that correct?”

“Yes,” Kia replied with a smile.

“These next questions are for the both of you, so if you could both please answer I would appreciate it,” Ryuski told them. “How old are you?”

“21,” they both answered.

“When is your birthday, and what is your blood types?” Ryuski continued.

“December 20th and A+,” Kia answered.

“April 20th and A,” Bakugou grumbled.

“What is your favorite color?” Ryuski asked the next question.

“Purple,” Kia answered.

“Do we have to do these stupid questions?” Bakugou asked.

“Come on, it isn’t going to kill us.” Kia rolled her eyes at her partner.

“Tch, Black,” Bakugou huffed.

“What kind of food do you like?” Ryuski asked them.

“Spicy,” they answered together.

“Alright, I think that is all for the basic questions. Now we will go into some more personal questions.” Ryuski said. “Do either of you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, or are you dating each other?” he asked.

Bakugou almost fell off his stool at the direct question. Kia recovered first and answered, “Uhm, no and no. I’ve only been here for a couple weeks.”

“What about you, Ground Zero?” Ryuski turned to the flustered hero.

“No!” Bakugou snapped.

Turning back to Kia, Ryuski continued the interview. “So, what brought you to Japan?”

“I’m really interested becoming an international hero and work in areas of international crime,” Kia replied.

“International crime? What all does that include?” Ryuski asked, scribbling in his notebook.

“One area I helped work on in America is human trafficking. There is a lot more of it than people realize. There are organizations that kidnap people because of the kind of quirks they have. Some organizations are very discreet and hard to track down. Before I came to Japan, I was part of a group that uncovered and brought down one of the top human trafficking rings in America,” Kia answered.

Bakugou listen intently to what Kia was saying, not only interested in the info on international crime, but also interested in learning more about his partner.

“Wow, do you think there are such crime rings in Japan?” Ryuski asked, scribbling furiously.

“I know there is,” Kia replied. The whole room froze at Kia’s declaration, including Bakugou.

“Do you have any tips for citizens on how to keep from being a victim? What are the target groups of these human traffickers?” Ryuski recovered.

“The target groups are mainly children, but there are reports of people being taken up to the age of 45 depending on their physical condition and quirk type. Everyone should be on the lookout for suspicious behaviors in their neighborhoods. An example is blacked out vehicles that are seen parked in suspicious places, or strange people asking too many questions. Especially strangers that approach children to ask questions, instead of talking to an adult,” Kia explained.

“Let’s move on to a different topic, shall we?” Ryuski said looking back over his notebook.

Bakugou sat there staring at his partner while remembering something they had been talking about the other day.

‘How long did they have you?’

‘Seven years’

The blank spots of information about his partner were filling in. Before he had time to think on it, Ryuski was asking him more questions.

“What is it like having an American for a partner?” Ryuski asked him.

“Fine. She stays out of my way and does her job,” Bakugou replied.

Raising an eyebrow at his response, Ryuski turned back to Kia. “What about you? Do you think it will be difficult to gain popularity while being partnered with a hero like Ground Zero?” he asked her.

“I’m not sure what you mean?” Kia replied confused.

“Ground Zero is well known for his inability to cooperate and his hot temper. Many believe he could very well turn sides, especially with the incidents in his past,” Ryuski said unashamed.

Bakugou’s temper went from a simmer to boiling over in less than a second. He made a move to stand up when Kia placed her hand on his arm and stood up herself instead. Bakugou had made her mad enough times to know that her smile was forced, and that she was pissed.

“I don’t know where you get off making accusations like that, sir. Ground Zero is an exceptional hero. Not only is he skilled in fighting villains with his explosions, he can do so without causing any collateral damage. I have looked through his arrest records, and he has never failed to capture a villain once he arrived on the scene. The citizens on our patrol routes all love him and will tell you how kind he truly is under that fierce scowl. He diligently protects everyone in our district and misses nothing when on patrol. He stays later than anyone at the agency and is undeniably working hard to be the number one hero. Anyone who says otherwise hasn’t taken two seconds to truly see the amazing hero he is becoming,” Kia stated her fake smile still plastered on her face as Ryuski cowered under her gaze.

Stunned, Bakugou could only gawk at his partner’s defense on his behalf. He couldn’t believe what she had said. They had only been partners for a couple of weeks, yet she believed in him that much. He started feeling bad about the vague response he had given about her.

Kia sat back down on her stool, taking a deep breath as she schooled her expression into her bright smile once again.

Clearing his throat, Ryuski flipped a page in his notebook. “Well, why don’t we continue with the interview then, shall we?”

Bakugou continued to stare at his partner. He couldn’t help but think how amazing a partner she truly was.